The Most Frequently Asked Questions about Permanent Makeup Removal

[00:00:00] Billy: In this episode, I’m gonna answer the most frequently asked questions that we get at Studio Kiku on a daily basis about permanent makeup brow removal. And why is it so important to be fully informed before you make the decision?

[00:00:15] Billy: Well, if you don’t understand what to expect. You could be disappointed at some point during the process or maybe at the end when we’re finished. Not all brows are able to be completely removed so some people come into this thinking that it’s gonna be one session and done, some other people think that they’re gonna have no problem removing their brows and they’re just gonna go get some new brows and everything’s gonna be great.

[00:00:41] Billy: And that’s not always the case either. Sometimes we’re not able to completely remove browse and we never guarantee complete removal, So that’s why it’s very important to understand everything before you start the removal process, so you’re not disappointed along the way.

[00:00:57] Billy: So before we get into the most frequently asked [00:01:00] questions about permanent makeup removal, I’d like to just talk a little bit about pigment and the differences between permanent makeup pigment and traditional tattoo pigment. Now, I’m not gonna go into great detail.

[00:01:12] Billy: I am going to make a whole separate episode just on pigments. But for this episode, let’s just say that the pigments are different. the main difference is that permanent makeup pigment most of the time has an undertone in it.

[00:01:30] Billy: And these undertones are warm, so it could be red, it could be yellow, it could be a combination of those two. Sometimes there’s white mixed in there too, because it’s. A combination of pigments and not just one pigment, it oftentimes makes it more complicated. we have figured out a way to safely remove it, but. I’ll just let you know, there are some cases where we can’t completely remove the tattoo 

[00:01:57] Billy: And the reason why people want to get brows [00:02:00] removed, some people are just done with having their brows tattooed and they just want to go back to all natural. If that’s great. Other people want to change the shape of their brows, so they want to remove the brows so they can get them redone in a different shape, and other people are not happy with.

[00:02:19] Billy: The way that their brows came out. Uh, they may not want to change the shape, but they might wanna kind of reduce the density or take away the blockiness a little bit. regardless of what the reason is behind it, we normally get the same questions and these questions we get.

[00:02:36] Billy: Every single day we wanna make sure that all of our clients know what to expect before they get it done.

[00:02:45] Billy: We don’t like surprising anybody. We don’t want anybody to be shocked We want everybody to be fully informed and that way. The decision is on the client to, to make whether they want to go forward or not. And if you don’t wanna go forward, [00:03:00] that’s, that’s totally fine. Uh, you’re welcome to come by and gather as much info as you need, but we’re happy to share that with you as long as when you start the process, you understand what’s going on.let’s dive into the first question, and this is probably the most popular one. how many sessions will it take to remove my brows? That’s a really tough question to answer. We can never give a definite number because there are so many variables that have an impact on the efficacy of the laser, including your body, The amount of sessions on average. For complete removal is anywhere between three and six let’s get into another one. Will the laser damage and scar my skin? The answer is no. If the laser is done properly, it’s not going to damage the skin at all, and it’s definitely not gonna scar the skin.

[00:03:56] Billy: Now there is something to think [00:04:00] about though, and that is called teamwork. If we do the laser and we do it the way we’re supposed to do and the client follows the aftercare, then everything is gonna be fine. If we do the laser exactly how it’s supposed to be done and the client does not follow the aftercare, then you could be risking some damage to the skin, for example.

[00:04:22] Billy: If we do laser on your brows to remove the pigment, whether it’s red or black or yellow, or whatever it may be, if you do not go and ice your brows afterwards, like you’re gonna be instructed, or if you decide to go out on your friend’s boat and get a bunch of sun on your brows, you’re taking a big chance of possibly damaging your skin.

[00:04:44] Billy: So the short answer is. No, the laser will not damage your skin and it’s not gonna cause any scar tissue, but that’s only if the client follows the aftercare instructions to a T. Will the laser [00:05:00] damage my hair follicles? The answer is no. The Pico way does not damage the hair follicles.

[00:05:08] Billy: There are other lasers out there, not the Pico way, but other lasers that definitely do harm the hair follicles. The Pico Way does not, and that’s the laser that we use the Pico Way by Candela. So the answer is no. The laser will not damage your hair follicles What variables have an impact on how successful the laser may be?

[00:05:33] Billy: So what determines how easily the pigment will be removed? The variables are, how deep the pigment is, how saturated the pigment is, what type of pigment was used if their scar tissue. There or not, like during the application of the tattoo was their scar tissue created. If there’s scar tissue there, it’s definitely gonna have an [00:06:00] impact on how efficient the laser is.

[00:06:03] Billy: And last but definitely not least, your body, how is your body working? If you’re a healthy person, you’re gonna see better results than if you’re not a healthy person. Another question we always get is, how soon will I see results? 

[00:06:19] Billy: you’ll most likely see results right away. That’s different than body tattoos because permanent makeup is usually pretty superficial. It’s not very deep. It’s usually not very saturated, so we normally see results right away. 

[00:06:35] Billy: That’s not how it’s gonna be. That’s just the very beginning of the process. Remember, it takes weeks or months for your body to have time to break down that pigment.

[00:06:45] Billy: So what you see right away is great. You’re, you’re gonna see results right away, but that’s not the extent of what’s gonna happen. You’re gonna see fading over time. So be patient with that.

[00:06:56] Billy: Can I get laser tattoo removal while [00:07:00] breastfeeding or pregnant? The answer is no. there haven’t been studies done on pregnant women or on women who are breastfeeding to see if laser tattoo removal is gonna negatively impact their child or them. So because there’s no studies, we don’t know if it’s safe or if it’s unsafe.

[00:07:22] Billy: And for that reason, we’ve decided not to do it. Nobody should be doing laser tattoo removal or permanent makeup removal or any type of laser treatments or tattoos for that matter if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding. And it’s not because we know it’s dangerous, it’s because we don’t know if it’s dangerous or not.

[00:07:42] Billy: What’s the aftercare for permanent makeup removal? And we normally always provide aftercare instructions for clients, but it’s pretty straightforward. Number one, you want to avoid the sun, so no sun on your brows for a couple weeks if you can help it. Uh, [00:08:00] we definitely recommend wearing sunscreen on the brows and also a hat of some sort if you’re ha if you have to be out in the sun.

[00:08:08] Billy: Relying only on sunscreen is not good enough. We recommend a hat. Sunscreen and maybe some big glasses. Just try to protect your brows from the sun if you can. That’s very important. We do recommend on the day of and the following day to make sure you ice your brows. And what we do is we get some cotton rounds and we wet them and fold them in half, make little tacos out of them, and we put them in the freezer and we line the freezer up with, uh, frozen cotton rounds.

[00:08:39] Billy: And that’s what we use when we. Do brow removal to cool the brows, and we recommend doing that at your house. If you can, uh, line your freezer up with some cotton rounds that are frozen and just ice throughout the day, the day of and the following day, and listen to your body. If, if the brows are warm, continue to [00:09:00] ice over time.

[00:09:01] Billy: Don’t just let it go. And once again, icing is not about alleviating pain, it’s about taking care of your skin. What we don’t want is your brows to swell and to get really irritated. We want to take care of that skin. So if you can ice the brows the day of and the following day, your skin is just gonna mellow out and it’s gonna be a nice, smooth process.

[00:09:26] Billy: If you don’t ice the brows, then you’re asking for trouble. besides icing and staying outta the sun, no jacuzzis. No saunas, no hot yoga, nothing like that. For the first couple days, it’s really important to make sure that you keep your body temperature low.

[00:09:42] Billy: If you raise your body temperature, you’re asking for trouble. Take it easy for the day of and the following day, and a lot of people will say, well, can I work out? yeah, sure, workout, but just keep your body temperature low. besides that, you want to avoid using any active [00:10:00] ingredients like retinols, A-H-A-B-H-A, anything like that, that’s going to irritate your skin if you have. Tattoo removal, your skin’s already gonna be irritated, so what you don’t wanna do is add chemicals to those brows or any body part where it’s going to irritate the skin more.

[00:10:20] Billy: So try to take it easy on chemicals. You can put retinol and all that stuff all over your face, but don’t put it directly on your brows. 

[00:10:29] Billy: How long do I have to wait between sessions? We normally recommend waiting at least six to eight weeks between sessions. Sometimes, however, we will advise clients to wait longer, and that’s usually when we’re treating the warmer tones like the reds, yellows, those tones. We use a different wavelength, and that wavelength is a little bit more aggressive.

[00:10:53] Billy: And because of that, we normally recommend waiting 12 weeks instead of six to eight, but [00:11:00] unless you’re. Told otherwise, we recommend six to eight weeks in between sessions and sure, you can wait longer if you want. 

[00:11:09] Billy: It’s not gonna have any negative impact on the process. But coming in too soon will. And we won’t do it. 

[00:11:17] Billy: This is one we get all the time. Okay. I just got my brows done yesterday and I hate them. How long do I have to wait before I get laser tattoo removal? Unfortunately, we recommend waiting at least three months before getting laser tattoo removal.

[00:11:37] Billy: There are a few reasons why we recommend waiting. Okay? Number one, your skin is damaged there’s no reason why you should laser skin that’s damaged. If you do that, you’re gonna cause scar tissue. That’s definitely not what you want. Number two, the pigment has to have time to settle into the skin when the pigment’s placed in your skin, [00:12:00] it’s in a carrier, The pigment particles are in a liquid, and that liquid is usually water. Um, alcohol glycerin, sometimes there’s witch hazel in there.

[00:12:12] Billy: It’s all mixed up. It’s placed in your skin. If that pigment is put in your skin today, it’s gonna take some time for all that liquid to be absorbed by your body and leave behind that pigment by itself. So we want that process to happen. We want that pigment to absorb and leave behind the pigment.

[00:12:31] Billy: If you try to laser a tattoo. That was done yesterday. You’re not gonna see a reaction. It’s not, it’s not gonna work, right? So we need to let it settle. those are the two main factors. One, we don’t want a laser damaged skin because it’s gonna cause scar tissue. And number two, it’s not gonna be effective.

[00:12:50] Billy: There are companies out there who advertise, you know, next day, laser tattoo removal. Good luck with that. Don’t [00:13:00] think that’s something you should be doing, and if you do do it and you see great results, let me know. I’d love to see it. when can I wear makeup? After laser tattoo removal, we normally tell people to wait at least 12 hours before applying makeup. Now if you can wait longer, I think that’s great because you’re gonna allow your brows a little time to breathe.

[00:13:25] Billy: But 12 hours is the minimum if you cannot put makeup on at all for a little bit, that’s great because then you’ll allow the heat to kind of escape. If you put a bunch of makeup on top, it’s gonna kind of seal that heat in and it could. Create more heat just by sealing it in. So without putting makeup on, you’re gonna allow your skin to breathe a little more.

[00:13:47] Billy: So give it at least 12 hours and during that 12 hours, cool it off with some ice. If you can, you’ll be happy that you waited.

[00:13:54] Billy: What products should I avoid before and after laser [00:14:00] tattoo removal? Well, I’ve already kind of gone over this, but let’s just talk about it again. Any active ingredients like retinols, A-H-A-B-H-A, anything like that, you don’t wanna put that on your skin two weeks before laser and two weeks after.

[00:14:17] Billy: So you’re looking at a month window two weeks before, two weeks after, just on your brows. If you’re. Putting retinol or whatever on your face, that’s totally fine. You can do that. Just don’t get it on your brows. Some people wash it all over the face. Uh, just be careful with it. You can put it on your forehead.

[00:14:38] Billy: Just don’t get it on your brows and the immediate. Surrounding area. Just give a little bit of breathing room. We don’t want to compromise the integrity of the skin before we laser it, so come in with some nice, fresh skin that hasn’t been irritated or made thinner or red or whatever. Just leave it alone.

[00:14:58] Billy: Let your skin be [00:15:00] natural, come in and we’ll do a good job for you. One of the biggest questions that we get, will my brows turn red? Now, this is a very complicated and misunderstood concept here. So when we do removal on brows, I did explain earlier that there are undertones in BROWS So what you see, maybe like a dark pigment, and then underneath there could be red, there could be yellow under there.

[00:15:32] Billy: Most of the time there’s an undertone. What happens is when you come in with dark pigment. We’ll target that dark pigment. So we might see black, or we might see dark brown or whatever. We’re gonna target that with the wavelength that is good for that color. Um, when we hit that pigment, most of the time, it lifts right away.

[00:15:53] Billy: That pigment will lift. But what happens is it reveals what’s underneath. So it’s not actually [00:16:00] turning red or turning yellow. It’s revealing the undertone and depending on what pigment was used, there may be reds in there, there may be yellows in there, there may be a combination. Uh, there might be white mixed in there.

[00:16:13] Billy: Um, we won’t know until that top layer is lifted off if it’s gonna turn red or yellow or whatever. just keep in mind it’s not turning red, it’s just revealing it. The next question obviously is, well, if my brows are red, can that red be removed? The answer is also pretty complicated because most of the time it’s not just red.

[00:16:42] Billy: If it was just a flat red color, it would come right out with the laser. No problem whatsoever. The Pico way is capable of easily removing red. The complication comes in when the pigment, the red pigment is mixed with other stuff. [00:17:00] So if it’s mixed with yellow, if it’s mixed with white, that’s when we run into issues.

[00:17:05] Billy: Yet we’ll be able to remove the red part of that pigment. But then what’s underneath of that might stick around. So if it’s like an orange or some salmony looking color, which we see quite often, If we see that we’re gonna target the warm tones with the wavelength that we use for that. And when we do that, it’s most likely gonna lift that red right away and it’s gonna leave behind whatever is mixed with it.

[00:17:32] Billy: It could be a yellow, it could be some combination of yellow or white. And that’s when we start running into issues. We’re about 50 50 success rate with removing yellow. So sometimes we can remove it and sometimes we cannot. And we do not know until we try. That’s the tricky part. And that’s where people get really nervous.

[00:17:56] Billy: They’re like, well, what if my browser yellow and I can’t remove it? [00:18:00] What am I gonna do with my life? I totally get it. I understand that that’s probably a super stressful thing to think about. 

[00:18:07] Billy: If you can’t remove the yellow with the laser, then there’s one alternative solution, which would be saline removal. We normally don’t recommend saline removal for getting rid of tattoos, but if the laser does not work and you have no other choice, then unfortunately that’s the only other option you have.

[00:18:30] Billy: It’s really important to find somebody who is skilled with doing saline. I do offer saline removal for our clients. I don’t advertise it and I try not to put it out there too much because it’s not something that I really believe in or it’s not something that I really want to try unless there’s no other option.

[00:18:53] Billy: And because I have a background in tattooing, I’m quite capable of understanding how [00:19:00] much. Trauma the skin can take, so I don’t go too hard and I don’t cause any scar tissue. That’s a common thing we see out there a lot with saline removal experts, is that, you know, yeah, they’re removing pigment, but they’re also causing scar tissue, and that’s not the goal here.

[00:19:18] Billy: We’re trying to safely remove the pigment and get the skin back to its. Regular normal state without scar tissue. So yeah, we can oftentimes remove the undertones, but there are some cases where we can’t lift it, and the only other option would be saline removal. It’s probably not what you wanted to hear.

[00:19:41] Billy: I get it. it’s something that a lot of times people are like, well, I heard that I’m out the door. And to be honest, I’m happy if somebody hears that and they decide not to do it. Good. I’m glad that you’ve. Learned about the process and [00:20:00] you know, the potential outcomes. And it was, it’s up to you whether you want to take that risk or not.

[00:20:06] Billy: When people hear about the undertones, a lot of times the next question is. They can do a test spot or not, and I get it. That sounds like a really good idea to do a test spot to see what’s underneath. What layers are we looking at here?

[00:20:23] Billy: And there’s a few, a few reasons why I usually try to steer people away from doing test spots. Number one, browse, even though it’s a very small surface area. It browse are very rarely tattooed evenly from the tail to the front. I would say never, they’re tattooed evenly. It’s usually a combination of pigments.

[00:20:49] Billy: Um, especially if there have been touchups done. Sometimes the touchups are only done on the tails, and then the front is totally left by itself. You know, no touchup whatsoever. [00:21:00] So if we do a test spot on the tail, there’s a very good chance that the other part of the brow, whether it’s the middle part or the front, uh, there’s a chance that.

[00:21:12] Billy: That’s not the same pigment being used, so it’s not really a good indication on whether you’re gonna see undertones or not. If you do one spot and you see no undertones, that doesn’t necessarily mean on the other spot, there isn’t an undertone or on the other side. I’ve seen all types of. Pigment mixed and matched and spots here and there, I’ve seen it happen.

[00:21:39] Billy: So test spots are not always the best way to go. And I usually try to talk people out of it. And it’s not because I’m lazy or I don’t wanna do a test spot, I just don’t think it’s a good indication of what is in the browse in total. 

[00:21:54] Billy: The next question is how long. After getting laser, do I have to [00:22:00] wait before getting my brows redone? And when I say redone, I’m talking about getting them re tattooed, whether it’s microblading, nano brows, combo, ombre, it’s all the same.

[00:22:12] Billy: It’s a tattoo. we normally recommend waiting at least three months. If you can wait longer, that’s great. Um, I definitely, definitely wouldn’t recommend doing it in a shorter period of time, and a lot of people do it.

[00:22:27] Billy: I see our clients online. I see you, I’ve seen you. We tell ’em, wait, and they go out the next week and they’re on one of the social platforms and one of our friends is doing a tattoo on them, and we see our client. The problem with doing that is you are getting skin tattooed.

[00:22:47] Billy: That is not a hundred percent. It’s somewhat compromised. It’s, it’s still getting back to normal after getting laser done. It does take a while for your skin to get [00:23:00] back to normal, and if you’re tattooing skin. That is not a hundred percent. What’s gonna happen is it may look great, it may look awesome in the photo afterwards.

[00:23:11] Billy: You know, you take the photo, you post it on Instagram, everything looks super sweet. But then over time, and I’m not talking years, I’m talking weeks a month or so, all of a sudden the the form or the shape of the tattoo, if they’re fine lines, they just might start migrating. And spreading, and it doesn’t look as crisp as it did right when it started.

[00:23:37] Billy: So the pigment can migrate, has a much higher tendency of doing that if the skin isn’t a hundred percent. So you wanna make sure your skin is perfect before getting a tattoo. Two weeks or a week is not enough time. Three months minimum. If you can wait longer, that’s great because sometimes it takes [00:24:00] longer for your skin to get back to normal.

[00:24:02] Billy: Not everybody’s the same, but I will tell you that it does take some time. 

[00:24:06] Billy: Those were the most frequently asked questions that we get on a daily basis about permanent makeup, brow removal. If you have any questions or if you’re unclear on anything, please let us know.

[00:24:19] Billy: You can. Send us an email. You can call the studio. You can book a free consultation if you want. Whatever you want to do. We would love to help you understand the process a little bit more. So thanks for listening, and we appreciate it.