Care

The goal is calm, unirritated skin that isn't prone to bleeding. Pigment does not settle well into skin that's doing anything else.

1. No alcohol or caffeine for 24 hours before. Both thin the blood and make the skin bleed pigment back out.
2. Stop blood thinners such as aspirin, ibuprofen, fish oil, and vitamin E 72 hours before, but only if your doctor says it's safe to pause them.
3. No retinol, retinoids, acids, or exfoliants anywhere near the brows for 4 weeks.
4. No chemical peels, microdermabrasion, laser, or facials within 4 weeks.
5. No Botox in the forehead or brow area within 4 weeks before. The shape has to be mapped to a face at rest.
6. No waxing, threading, or tinting the brows within 1 week. Come with your natural growth.
7. No sun exposure or tanning for 2 weeks. I can't tattoo sunburned, peeling, or freshly tanned skin.
8. Wear your brows the way you normally do so we can talk about shape against something real.
9. Eat a full meal beforehand and drink water. This takes about three hours.

Brows heal dry. The single biggest mistake is getting them wet or picking at them.

1. For the first few hours, blot gently with clean gauze every 15–30 minutes to lift the lymph that surfaces. Blot, don't wipe.
2. Keep the area completely dry for 7–10 days. No water, no sweat, no steam, no long showers with your face in the spray.
3. Do not pick, scratch, or pull at flaking. Flakes take pigment with them and leave gaps.
4. Sleep on your back for the first few nights so the brows don't press into a pillow.
5. No makeup on or around the brows until they're fully healed.
6. No swimming, saunas, hot yoga, or heavy exercise for 10–14 days.
7. No sun or tanning while healing. Once healed, wear SPF daily because sun fades permanent makeup.
8. If you were given aftercare ointment, apply a rice-grain amount only, and only as directed.
9. Expect the color to look dark and sharp for 3–5 days, then flake and look patchy around day 7–10. This is normal. Do not judge the work before week 4.
10. Final color lands about 30–40% lighter than day one. Full heal is 4–6 weeks.
11. Book your perfecting session for 6–8 weeks out. Almost nobody is finished after one pass.

Lips need one thing brows don't: cold sore prevention. This is not optional if you've ever had one.

1. If you have ever had a cold sore, even once, get an antiviral prescription from your doctor and start it 2 days before your appointment. Tattooing the lips reactivates the virus. Without the antiviral, an outbreak can permanently scar the result.
2. Exfoliate your lips gently and moisturize them every day for the week before. Smooth lips take pigment evenly.
3. No lip filler within 4 weeks before.
4. No alcohol or caffeine for 24 hours before.
5. Stop blood thinners such as aspirin, ibuprofen, fish oil, and vitamin E 72 hours before, only with your doctor's approval.
6. No retinol or acids on or around the lips for 2 weeks.
7. No sun exposure or tanning for 2 weeks.
8. Eat beforehand and hydrate well.

Opposite of brows: lips heal moist. Let them dry out and they crack and lose color.

1. Blot frequently for the first few hours to keep the surface clean.
2. Keep a thin layer of the balm you were given on at all times for the first week. Reapply whenever they feel tight.
3. Drink through a straw for the first 2–3 days.
4. Avoid spicy, salty, acidic, and very hot food for 3–4 days.
5. Do not pick or peel. Let the flaking come off on its own.
6. No kissing or oral contact until fully healed.
7. No swimming, saunas, or heavy sweating for 10–14 days.
8. No sun or tanning while healing. SPF lip balm daily once healed.
9. Expect an alarming intensity for the first 2–4 days, roughly twice the color you asked for. It then flakes and softens by about half.
10. Full heal is 4–6 weeks. Lips take pigment unpredictably and almost always need the second pass.
11. Book your perfecting session for 6–8 weeks out.