Five Tips for Making Your Permanent Makeup Last Beautifully

Permanent makeup may not be quite so permanent unless you exercise proper care.

Permanent makeup may not be quite so permanent unless you exercise proper care.

Summer time means lots of swimming and sweating. And even the best of water-resistant cosmetics won’t stand a chance after a few hours of splashing in the water, lingering in the sun and dominating that game of beachfront volleyball. That’s why many women opt for permanent makeup.

Formally known as micropigmentation, permanent makeup involves using tattoo technology and techniques to enhance the face with coloring that resembles eyeliner, brow makeup, mascara or lipstick. Because it’s permanent, it run, fade or wash off even on your most active days. But making sure your beautiful new look lasts, it’s important to know just how to take care of your permanent makeup, both just after application and over the long term.

Jacksonville’s Parkway Plastic Surgery offers five tips for making your permanent makeup last:

  1. Stay dry: Resist the temptation to take a dip until your permanent makeup procedure area has fully healed. Bacteria can breed in all kinds of water, including lake, river, ocean pool and hot tub water. If it enters an open skin wound, it could cause a severe infection.
  2. Shun the sun: Vigilantly protect your treatment area from the sun’s rays for at least seven to 10 days. A wide-brimmed hat is a fashionable protective option. Also, your doctor may recommend you protect recently treated eyebrows with a substance like petroleum jelly until they’re fully healed.
  3. Hold the bleach: A bright, white smile is a beautiful asset. But if you’ve recently enhanced your lips with permanent makeup, wait until they’ve fully healed before bleaching your teeth. A substance called Carbamide peroxide common in bleaching gels can pull the new color from your lips, leaving them blotchy and faded.
  4. Don’t touch: Resist the urge to touch your new permanent makeup, particularly permanent eyeliner. If you must touch it, for instance to clear away dust or an errant eyelash, use a new, clean cotton swab. Otherwise, you’re courting an infection that will need to be medically treated.
  5. Kick the habit: Smoking can ruin a new permanent lipstick where your lips touch the cigarette filter. Plus, it does a real number on your skin anyway. Just nix it.

If you’re considering permanent makeup, contact Jacksonville’s Parkway Plastic Surgery at 904-396-1186 and schedule a consultation today.

Protected Skin is Beautiful Skin

May is National Skin Cancer Awareness Week.

May is National Skin Cancer Awareness Week.

The summertime is here and all of Northeast Florida is headed outdoors for days of fun in the sun. If you’re beach-bound, poolside or on the links, remember that protected skin is beautiful skin. To that end, each May is celebrated as National Skin Cancer Awareness Month. Jacksonville’s Parkway Plastic Surgery offers a few tips for taking care of your most alluring asset.

  • Check your skin daily: Watch for the appearance of moles or any changes in existing moles, including changes in color, shape or symmetry. While your face, shoulders, arms and legs are the most obvious spots to check, remember that signs of skin cancer can appear anywhere on the body. If you spot one, see a dermatologist as soon as possible.
  • Cover up: Make a fashion statement that says you love your skin. Large-brimmed hats, lightweight jackets and those 1970s-inspired maxi dresses that are all the rage right now will impress while also protecting your skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays.
  • Be adamant about sunblock: A recent survey shows that upward of 20 percent of American women forego wearing sunscreen when spending time outdoors. That’s a big mistake, skincare experts and aestheticians say. Parkway Plastic Surgery recommends a high- sun protection factor moisturizer like Intellishade® SPF 45, a three-in-one sunscreen, anti-aging moisturizer and sheer tint. It’s available in two formulas, both of which include a powerful wrinkle-reducing peptide and – more importantly – provide broad spectrum UVA & UVB coverage. Apply it at least 20 minutes before going out into the sun and reapply it regularly throughout the day, particularly if you swim or perspire.

If you’ve already sustained sun damage to your skin, know that corrective options are available. A top choice is microdermabrasion, a non-invasive aesthetic procedure that lightly sloughs off the top layer of your skin to reveal smoother, tighter more radiant skin, stimulates new skin growth and boosts production of collagen, a protein in your skin that’s abundant during childhood and makes skin appear taut and smooth.

Parkway Plastic Surgery offers microdermabrasion treatments customized for your unique skin needs, as well as a range of top-shelf skincare products and vitamins. Call 904-396-1186 to schedule a consultation today.