Semi-permanent makeup is not only for those who want to look well-groomed and attractive. It is also for people who are fighting serious illnesses, helping them regain the beauty they have lost.
First of all, it must be said that semi-permanent makeup / medical tattooing can only be carried out with the permission of your treating doctor. When choosing a beautician, it is very important that they have experience working with cancer patients.
The fact is that during a serious illness the body goes through various changes, including hormonal disturbances. These need to be taken into account when carrying out the procedure and when choosing a pigment.
Maryna Parkhomenko is a certified international specialist in medical tattooing and semi-permanent makeup, a beautician, micropigmentologist, member of the International Union of Permanent Makeup Professionals and founder of the Secret Makeup studio.
Is semi-permanent makeup allowed for cancer patients?
Yes, but it is preferable to have it before chemotherapy starts, or four weeks after chemotherapy, once the white blood cell count has recovered. Only then can the medical tattoo / semi-permanent makeup be applied.
After chemotherapy, the body essentially uses the skin to eliminate toxic substances, so the skin suffers from chemical poisoning: it becomes more sensitive, and its natural defence mechanisms weaken and it becomes dehydrated.
The skin and mucous membranes are often damaged, so pigmentation spots, allergies, dermatitis and dryness can appear.
Any inflammation that may develop at this time is more often not related to hormonal changes, but to the fact that the skin has become less protected against infections. Special attention must be paid to sterility during the procedure! After chemotherapy the skin is also more sensitive to sunlight, so we always recommend that the client use sunscreen with SPF 50 or 50+. The use of products containing alcohol and essential oils is also undesirable.
My studio has a special approach for people for whom it is very important to visually correct problem areas of the face caused by certain illnesses (cancer, alopecia). Eyebrows and eyelashes are often lost after chemotherapy sessions. This is a very difficult time, which often causes psychological distress and so complicates recovery.
It is important to remember that patients who experience a relapse or a worsening of their oncological condition cannot have permanent makeup, as it can only make the situation worse.
The medical tattoo / semi-permanent makeup can only be done for patients who are in the recovery stage or before they start chemotherapy, and always with the permission of your treating doctor. In this case, the procedure must be carried out using the special pigments we use for medical tattooing, and during the semi-permanent makeup / tattoo procedure the skin must not be injured. That is, the beautician will work very superficially, so as not to traumatise the skin.
I would advise you to choose a specialist with sufficient experience working with cancer patients, who understands how skin regenerates in such clients and will be able to carry out the procedure as delicately as possible.
Which services can patients choose before or after chemotherapy:
Eyeliner – lash line. The lash line is a thin line that follows the eye. The pigment is placed right at the root of the lashes. It is a very discreet, fine eyeliner that simply enhances your eyes. You can also choose a classic eyeliner, where the line is slightly thicker with a little wing.
The tattoo / semi-permanent eyebrow makeup is carried out in one of the following techniques:
Brow shading (shading brows / nano spray / powder brows): by filling the whole surface of the brows with the desired shade, we achieve a very natural result, as if you had drawn your brows with a pencil or eyeshadow.
Hair stroke (microblading) (imitation of natural hairs).
Patients are better off avoiding lip tattooing.
This is because the procedure can trigger the herpes virus, which would greatly worsen the patient’s condition during chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
CASE FROM PRACTICE
Client Georgia, 52 years old.
She was diagnosed with “breast cancer”, stage 4. She underwent surgery, a radical mastectomy. Chemotherapy was subsequently prescribed, a total of 42 sessions. She has been in stable remission for several years. However, this does not restore hair growth (hair, eyebrows and eyelashes). For aesthetic reasons (with the agreement of the treating doctor), micropigmentation procedures were carried out on the eyebrows and on the lash line (lash line – fine eyeliner).
What we did in this particular case:
When forming the new eyebrow shape, with all the necessary measurements, the shape and oval of the face were taken into account. We followed the position of the brow muscle.
As always, only certified, hypoallergenic, glycerin-based pigments were used. Such pigments fade and wear off evenly, without changing shade.
As a result, healing is easier, swelling is minimal and colour retention is maximised.
In terms of colour, the client’s age was taken into account.
In this particular case we chose the “brow shading” technique, because it allows us to deposit pigment in the upper layers of the skin with minimal trauma.
The procedure was carried out with the “Biotek” machine, one of the best machines in the world, which we use for applying semi-permanent makeup and medical tattooing on the face and breast.
Healing was quite quick, and after 1.5 months a necessary touch-up was carried out. As a result we achieved natural, high-quality makeup.
If you are interested in semi-permanent makeup or medical tattooing, please fill in the contact form on the home page and I will get in touch with you right away, or alternatively call me. I will be happy to answer any questions you may have. With respect and love, Maryna Parkhomenko.