Reported By: Tania Rogers
"Come on in Lara. Are you excited? Yes. Good. Have a seat, we are going to talk for a few minutes first, ok".
Lara Soccorso wants to enhance her looks with permanent
makeup on her eyebrows.
"Now the first thing I am going to do Lara is I am going to take off the numbing off this side".
She is among thousands every year opting for permanent makeup, which is permanent pigmentation of the skin, like a tattoo.
People do it for various reasons.
"I do use a pencil every day on my eyebrows, so it's nice not to have to do that little extra step and it's there all the time and I do have some areas of my eyebrow that were a little lighter than others".
Joann Gersh, a micropigmentation specialist says permanent makeup has been around for years, but these days it's becoming more popular.
Some women want permanent eyebrows, eyeliner or lip liner to avoid wasting time putting on the makeup on those areas every day.
"For cancer victims as well they lose their hair. I also do it on skin tones, any scars that you have that are white facelifts, moles that have been removed. I also work with plastic surgeons in my field for those women who have had breast reconstructive surgery".
She says it's not limited to women... men are even doing it.
"Skin cancer, moles they may have removed out of their eyebrows it leaves a little chunk missing".
What guidelines should you keep in mind if you want permanent makeup?
Gersh says make sure the facility is sanitary and that the disposable needles are not reused.
Some people could be allergic to the ink, make sure an allergy test is done first.
"What I would do is do a little test spot behind the ear because it is a permanent ink".
What about permanent makeup in the areas where skin tends to wrinkle or sag?
"Where eyebrows are supposed to be no matter where that's going to go naturally with time anyway, that's where it is going to be".
Gersh says permanent makeup lasts between three to five years. She says she uses lighter colors so patients have no regrets about micropigmentation.
So how did Lara look after having a few sparse spaces of her eyebrows filled in?
"I am really happy with the results, so I am going to be really excited in a couple of weeks when I see what the color is really going to look like".
Permanent makeup can cost several hundred dollars.
Gersh says you can experience some swelling after the permanent makeup is applied, but it's temporary.
Joann Gersh
Island Dermatology
50 Cocoanut Row, Suite 120
Palm Beach
561-832-1950
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has some thoughts about the risks involved in using permanent makeup.
Their website address is
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cos-204.html.
