Effects of permanent makeup on skin: myths and facts
Does skin have a “reserve” for PMU sessions? Scarring depends on how traumatic each one is, not how many. And why to laser off old PMU before new work.
I was recently asked a question in private messages:
“How many permanent makeup procedures can my skin endure? If you get permanent makeup every couple of years, what happens to the skin? Does it have some limit or reserve?”
And that’s a great question. I even know roughly where it came from.
The myth of skin reserves
Periodically, I encounter the myth that the skin has a certain reserve, and after, for example, ten procedures of permanent makeup application, this recovery reserve ends, and the skin loses its normal properties and necessarily becomes scarred. Spoiler – this is not true.
Skin regeneration ability and the effect of PMU techniques
In fact, the skin does not have a built-in “counter” for the number of permanent makeup procedures, and as such, there is no “reserve” or “limit”. I think this myth arose from trying to explain why scars are formed on the skin in the area of permanent makeup.
Skin can regenerate any number of times; this is its evolutionary property – to restore its native structure. But on one condition: if the injury was not critical and did not cross the boundary of damage at which a scar is formed. If all procedures for permanent makeup were done in a light technique and without a large number of passes (which can turn the skin into mincemeat), the skin calmly restores its structure, and scars do not occur.
On the left: moderate trauma to the skin after applying PMU, which will regain its normal structure. On the right: severe trauma after an aggressive permanent makeup procedure and multiple passes with rough crusts; the skin is very likely to scar after healing.
Quality over quantity
Conversely, if even one permanent makeup procedure is performed aggressively and roughly, with a lot of passes, and the skin is literally ground up, then a scar will form even after the first such procedure, and the skin will lose its normal structure.
So it’s not about a procedure “counter” or a certain number of them, but about the quality of each specific procedure. It is important to treat the skin with care and not to traumatise it too much! Remember that the skin is a living and very delicate organ; you do not need to treat it roughly and aggressively!
The result of aggressive PMU application: a scar has formed on the skin.
The role of laser removal in preparing the skin for new PMU
And one more nuance. If you perform permanent makeup regularly but at the same time do not remove the remains of pigment from past PMU, it will make it difficult to apply new quality work because of the remains of different colours of pigment. Before applying new permanent makeup, it is better to remove the remnants of the old with laser removal and do it without trauma. Then applying a new one will be easier, and the result will be better!
There is another article on this topic: How many PMU procedures can the skin endure?
Frequently asked questions
Is there a limit to how many PMU procedures the skin can take?
No. The skin has no built-in counter or reserve: it can regenerate any number of times as long as the injury does not cross the boundary at which a scar forms. What matters is how traumatic each procedure is, not how many there are.
Can one PMU procedure leave a scar?
Yes. If even one procedure is performed aggressively, with a lot of passes, a scar will form after it, while light-technique work without many passes lets the skin restore its structure.
Should old PMU be laser removed before new PMU?
It is better to remove the remnants of old PMU with laser removal, done without trauma, before applying new work. Leftover pigments of different colours make quality new work harder.
