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Your permanent lip color should heal easily
While it is normal to have some initial swelling after getting your lip color tattooed, as long as you are healthy and have chosen the right artist for you, you should be pleasantly surprised at how easily and quickly your lips heal safely. Proper aftercare will affect how long your permanent lip color lasts. We’ll take a look at how your permanent lipstick looks as it heals, as well as the two most common and popular methods of lip blush monitoring. Click here to learn more.
How will your lip color heal?
Days 1-2: You love your new lipstick!
Your lip color will appear brighter than it heals. Your lips will also be puffy and soft. Your color will begin to darken temporarily throughout the day as the pigment oxidizes.
Days 3 to 14: Swelling is over.
Your lips will be dry and begin to flake. Let the flaking happen naturally. As your lips flake, it will appear that your lip color is very light and “frosty”. This is only temporary, as you are still healing. Over the next few days, your lipstick will reappear until it fully blossoms.
Days 28 to 42: This is your follow-up time.
At this point, your lips are fully healed and it is recommended that you return to touch up any color that may have healed too lightly or imperfectly. The application of a second coat of new color will build upon your previous color, creating a more saturated and long-lasting lip. During this appointment, you will also have the opportunity to adjust the shape if you wish.
Permanent Lip Makeup Healing Aftercare: Wet Healing vs. Dry Healing
Here are the two most popular aftercare methods that permanent lip blush artists use everywhere:
Wet Healing
Today, most permanent lip color artists use wet healing to heal their clients. Your artist will have you blot your lips with cotton swabs every 15 minutes following your appointment. You will do this for 3 to 5 days, depending on your artist’s preference. You will also use a gel to keep your lips from drying out.
PROS: You won’t have any crusting and your lip color will be much more even.
CONS: You will have some work to do and a care kit to keep you going.
Dry Healing
Dry healing has been around longer than wet healing. It’s how all the permanent lip color artists had their clients heal, and some still do. Dry healing is exactly what it sounds like. You don’t get your permanent lip color wet during healing, ever! After your appointment, you do not touch your lips. You let them heal on their own, without any help.
PROS: You don’t have to do anything and no follow-up kit is needed.
CONS: You’ll have heavy scabbing during the healing process and you’ll lose more color.
Dry healing is still a common method, although wet healing has shown the most promise. You can talk with your artist about his or her healing method and what he or she expects from you at the time of healing.