How to Prepare for Your Lip Procedures
Expert Tips from Carla Ricciardone, Perma Blend Pro Team Artist and Sculpted Studios Educator
One of the most in-demand treatments in the permanent makeup industry is permanent lip procedures such as lip blushing or micropigmentation. Perma Blend is bringing you valuable information on how to prepare for your next lip procedure to ensure your client has a safe and positive experience, with results they’ll love. Lips are delicate and need to be treated gracefully, with diligent attention to detail. Before we start, we want to thank Carla Ricciardone, a master artist and instructor working through Sculpted Studios, for providing us with this crucial information and her tips on the subject of lip treatments. She shares our passion for education. Knowing how to prepare and what to expect during a procedure is pivotal to achieving optimum results.
Q: How long have you been in the permanent makeup industry? What do you specialize in and where do you currently work?
A: I have been in the industry for 5 years. I specialize in Modern PMU- Natural Effect, Lips, Dark Lip Neutralization, Eyeliner and Brows. I have three studio locations, two in New York and one in Miami. My academy is in Miami with online offerings for experienced artists and is used as a platform to discuss working with different types of skin tones, such as melanin-rich (dark lip neutralization) clients around the globe.
Q: When preparing for a lip procedure what can clients do to prep? What should they avoid doing before the procedure?
A: I ask my clients to begin with a lip scrub 5 nights prior to their appointment repeating every night. After the scrub, I ask them to apply a moisturizing lip balm, shea butter, or even coconut oil. During this time, they should avoid any lipsticks, keeping the lips moist with a nourishing balm instead. Additionally, they need to stay very well hydrated, drinking 8-10 glasses of water daily, and avoid alcohol as well as extreme sun exposure. The more hydrated and smoother their lips are at the time of the treatment the better the results. I can not work on dry, chapped, or cracked lips.
Sculpted Studio’s Lip Scrub Pre Treatment
Ingredients include:
1 tablespoon of coconut oil
1 tablespoon of organic honey
2 tablespoons of brown sugar (coarse)
½ tablespoon of lukewarm water.
Directions:
Step one: Mix coconut oil and honey.
Step two: Add brown sugar and lukewarm water.
Step three: Apply scrub to lips (use a circular motion for 2-3 minutes)
Step four: Rinse lips with warm water.
If they have a history of cold sores:
Roughly 50% of Americans have the HSV-1 or Herpes Oral Virus which causes cold sores. This means a larger percent of your clients will have this disease, but there is an easy fix for patients who are prone to cold sores.
- The client must inform you and contact their physician.
- Prescription for Acyclovir to mitigate the chance of an outbreak
- Need to take medication day of treatment & four days preceding the treatment
- 200 MG Dosage 5-6 times per day totaling 1000-1200 MG/Day.
Notice: This dosage and medication is based on general needs for a client that has HSV-1 and is undergoing a lip treatment. Dosage or medication prescribed may be different than listed. Follow the advice of your healthcare professional on dosage amounts and length of treatment. This information was provided by Sculpted Studios.
Q: During the procedure what do you use for numbing? What can the client expect?
A: I do not use any numbing pre or during the procedure. The way I perform this treatment is atraumatic and is not painful. Topical lidocaine can create issues such as swelling, blanching or hardening of the membrane which can lead to uneven healed results as well as more trauma and discomfort. My clients put the discomfort at a 2-3 (on a scale of 1-10) and only toward the very end, most sleep during the treatment. However, if it must be used, perhaps to spot-check an outline in a very natural color, I dip a microfiber swab in a 5% lidocaine gel such as Blue Gel, Sustaine, or Tattoo Soothe. There are a variety of topical 5% gels and they are all fine.
Q: What products do you recommend for after care? What are your tips for recovery?
A: Glossed by Shay Danielle- It is arnica infused (helps with any swelling) and because it is packaged like a lip balm clients love to use it so I know they will. It keeps the lips moist but not overly during the healing process. Other options would be vitamin A & D ointment or even coconut oil or vitamin E. MASK WEARING- this is a NEW but BIG one! Masks are DIRTY, especially the reusable ones we put in our bags or worse. We breathe out bacteria and because of the mask that bacteria sits on the lips and the skin. We’ve all heard of Maskne. That is impetigo, a mild infection that can happen on any surface of the body. The first 5-7 days the lips are healing, it's a wound and must be kept clean. I recommend after a procedure that my clients wear a mask as minimal as possible, and when they must, use disposable masks and change them every 30 minutes. Gently clean off any after care balm on the lips and apply new balm. During this same time period, avoid extreme sun exposure, eat with a fork and knife and drink through a straw. Additionally, avoid any “aggressive” mouth activity such as kissing, etc and stay well hydrated. Some swelling is normal and even severe swelling from improper technique or poor client pre-care will subside after 24 hours. To mitigate swelling, clients must have well prepped lips as dry dehydrated lips will certainly swell more. Also avoiding tattooing the waterline and the artist should work with the proper technique (stretch, depth, speed movements) and equipment.
Q: Lastly, let’s talk about follow-up appointments. Are touch-ups necessary for everyone or vary from client to client?
A: I have all of my clients come back in 10 weeks. Why 10 weeks? It is very normal for it to take 60-90 days for the implanted color to settle. Tattooing on it earlier than that is like a false positive. There is no way to know for certain how a client will heal or if they have adhered to the proper after care. Less is more! I would rather have room to adjust the saturation and color than hammer color in and have them unhappy with the result. Pigmenting the skin is a process that needs to be respected, especially the lips. In the case of Dark lip Neutralization sometimes several treatments are needed to achieve the desired results. The goal is a perfect natural result, one that both you and the client envisioned. There is no amount of rushing that, for me, would ever be worth my clients’ happiness.
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