The Science of Aging

Beauty and age are not mutually exclusive. But, that doesn’t mean all skin can be treated the same. For your mature clients, you need to adjust your technique. As skin matures it responds to procedures differently and every artist should understand how to acclimate to clients of all ages and skin types. These changes can range from differences in needles, prep for your clients before the procedure, and pigment color selection. Now, let's dive into the art of PMU for an aging client.

As we age, our skin can become drier. Our bodies slow down and our lipids and cells may not be replaced as quickly as they did when we were younger. Skin can age at different rates depending on the lifestyle of the individual. Some of the reasons we may see our client’s skin age in different degrees are:

1. Neglect & external treatment
2. Exposure to environmental elements
3. Physiological disease
4. Poor health
5. Weight loss
6. Medication

“We can never reverse the aging process, but we can learn to work with mature skin.” - Anne Marie Rubino, Perma Blend Brand Director

Prepping is a Must

As with every client, the consultation is a requisite part of the process to ensure both you and your client are prepared and informed. Understanding the wants, desires, and personality of your prospective client is always a must, but to have a complete and clear understanding of what you need to prepare for, there are more pressing questions to be asked. Learning your client’s lifestyle and medical information can alter how you perform your procedure, the pigments you choose, the prep requested of your client, or in some extreme cases, the refusal of a procedure.

PMU expert, Shauna Magrath, custom style for mature clients using Perma Blend pigments. Photo by Shauna Magrath | IG: @beautyinkOpens a new window

There are actions they can take to keep their body hydrated, increase antioxidants, and reduce bruising. To ensure your clients maintain the healthiest skin possible, at least 24 hours before the procedure they should maintain a clean diet, drink plenty of water and refrain from all consumption of coffee, alcohol, and aspirin. Select Team artist, Carla Ricciardone recommends using Arnica to prevent and diminish bruising.

Take it from Anne Marie. She’s provided some tips and tricks when you tattoo an aging client:

1. For liner procedures, the eyelids are already the thinnest part of the body but are even further thinned and fragile as we age. Always be more gentle with the eyelids and do not push the stretch during procedures on these thin-skinned beauties.
2. Always keep the needle angled toward the eyelashes.
3. Refrain from using straight carbon black pigment in the skin, as the color will heal more intensely than on a younger client.
4. Use a larger needle configuration — this will cause less stress and damage.
5. Thin skin will usually blur a microblade line. Instead, consider a shaded or combo brow.

“Carla dilutes her pigments on mature skin. She does this because the reduction of collagen will make the color heal more intensely. Less is more when it comes to Perma Blend — we can always do a touch-up!” - Anne Marie Rubino, Perma Blend Brand Director + Master Educator

It’s All in the Colors

Anne Marie curated The Classic Beauty Trio for mature clients — this collection contains a lip, liner, and brow pigment that work beautifully together or apart.

The Brow: Roots is a medium/light brown that looks great on older women with light hair.

The Liner: Sterling is chosen to be an alternative to black. Black can look harsh on more mature skin, so the grey gives a softer look while still giving the desired definition.

The Lips: Hollywood Punch is a versatile color that is the perfect shade for our mature clientele. With a low opacity formulation, create a sheer, glossy lip or layer the pigment for a luscious lipstick look.

[Shop Classic BeautyOpens a new window]

Education and Expanding Your Practice

Mature clients have specific needs and expectations when it comes to their beauty care. As professionals, it’s our job to anticipate the needs of our clientele, educate ourselves on how to meet those needs, and then offer an expanded practice. Before we can expand our practice, we need to get the necessary education.

For mature clients and beauty work, this is especially true. The various skin types and thicknesses can really impact technique, and knowing how to address these differences is key. One of the best (and most affordable) courses on mature lip work is the Mature Lips Masterclass with Carla Ricciardone. Opens a new windowNot all lips are the same, and it’s our job as professional artists to know how to handle these differences. The course covers things like:

• Navigating volume loss
• Working with fine lines
• Combating pigmentation changes through healing

And a lot more. Remember, Education comes before Expansion. Be ready to handle these amazing clients when they walk through your door.

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