History of Permanent Makeup
Permanent makeup is a cosmetic technique which employs semi-permanent tattoos (pigmentation of the dermis) as a way to produce designs that resemble makeup. Examples include Microblading and Microshading of eyebrows, and eyeliner to replace traditional eyeliner makeup.
Most commonly called permanent cosmetics, other names include dermapigmentation, micropigmentation, and cosmetic tattooing. In the United States the Food and Drug Administration have to approve the color additives in the inks used in permanent makeup under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. However, traditionally the FDA has not exercised regulatory authority for color additives on the pigments used in tattoo inks. This is due to competing public health priorities in the US and a previous lack of evidence of safety problems associated with these pigments.
History
In 1902, U.K. tattoo artist Sutherland MacDonald in his parlor at 76 Jermyn St., London completed the first documented permanent makeup treatment. It was created to provide "all-year-round delicate pink complexion" on the cheeks.
In 1920s this "London fad" crossed the Atlantic and started to be marketed as the "electrically tattooing of a permanent complexion or blush on the face". In the 1930s, tattooist George Burchett further developed the technique and described in his memoirs how beauty salons tattooed many women without their knowledge, offering it as a "complexion treatment ... of injecting vegetable dyes under the top layer of the skin.
Today
Permanent Makeup has continued to evolve and is quite different now. Back then, the preferred design for eyebrows for instance consisted of one thin line. Plus the pigments faded to green over time, meaning traditional makeup was required to cover the greenness until the line had completely fades.
Today, Permanent Makeup is a broad description of a family of services that cover a range of areas on the face and body where the result replaces traditional makeup or mimics certain body parts. Examples include:
Microblading simulates hair strokes on the eyebrow.
Microshading uses pin-like dots to shape to the eyebrow and uses a powdered effect to add fullness.
Lip Blushing enhances the color, shape, symmetry and fullness of the lips.
Eyeliner applies ink along the lashline to create the appearance of eyeliner.
"Paramedical" permanent makeup techniques that disguise skin discolorations (e.g. scars or vitiligo), or used to restore or enhance the areola of a woman’s breast after surgery or a mastectomy.