The Microblading Bible Read online

  Pigments will almost always heal on the cool side, some more than others.

  How the colors fade when the time comes, also has everything to do with the quality of the pigments you use. There are a lot of new companies popping up every month. Some will be good, most will not. Be very careful in choosing your line of pigments. Remember, you will be implanting these pigments into people’s skin. Cheaper or low quality pigments can cause all kinds of problems, the worst of them could be an allergic reaction to some of the ingredients in the pigment. Once you buy a whole line of pigments, it is expensive to switch to another line. Be careful when choosing your line of pigments. Making sure of the line of pigment used and how much training and support you will get, is one of the questions you ask your prospective trainer.

  You will want to get to know your pigments and modifiers really well before you get started. Try to err on the side of too light, when starting out, it’s much easier to fix than too dark.

  With skin types and tones, all rules are general. For example, Fitzpatrick skin types I & II are almost always cool (the pink skin is considered cool) and the pigments for these skin types will need to be warmed up with red or orange based modifiers.

  How much it will need to be warmed will depend on how cool the skin tone is to begin with. This is where experience becomes your best advisor. If you’re not sure, you can take a picture of your client at the consultation and post it on the Facebook microblading boards and you will get lots of help and advice.

  The Fitzpatrick skin in the III, IV & V range are usually not as cool and can have yellow, or very often in the middle eastern woman, have purple undertones which can be balanced with green or violet based modifiers. Again, how much modifier you’ll need will depend on the intensity of your undertones.

  This is where knowing your color wheel becomes helpful in choosing the right modifiers. A clear understanding of color theory is the first step to knowing how to counteract unwanted colors and produce beautiful colors for your clients.

  We begin with a 3-part color wheel.

  Primary Colors:

  Red, yellow and blue

  In traditional color theory (used in paint and pigments), primary colors are the 3 pigment colors that cannot be mixed or formed by any combination of other colors. All other colors are derived from these 3 hues.

  Secondary Colors:

  Green, orange and purple

  These are the colors formed by mixing the primary colors.

  Tertiary Colors:

  Yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green & yellow-green.

  These are the colors formed by mixing a primary and a secondary color. That's why the hue is a two-word name, such as blue-green, red-violet, and yellow-orange.

  The Color Wheel

  Opposing color scheme

  Colors that are opposite on the color wheel will neutralize each other and are the way to counteract unwanted colors (example: red and green cancel each other out) and to create colors you do want (example: adding yellow to your pigment to create a golden tone).

  The first step in grasping the concept? Understanding that our skin’s surface tone is the color you’d describe yourself as having (ivory, light, medium, tan, dark, etc.). Your skin’s undertone is the color underneath the surface. You can have the same skin color as someone, but a different undertone, which are broken down like this:

  Cool (pink, red or bluish undertones)

  Warm (yellow, peachy, golden undertones)

  Neutral (a mix of warm and cool undertones)

  One big misconception: That pale girls can’t be warm-toned. In fact, many fair-skinned women have warm undertones (Nicole Kidman is one of them!) and dark-skinned women have cool tones (supermodel Alek Wek is a cool tone).

  Warm and cool colors

  The color circle can be divided into warm and cool colors. White, black and gray are considered to be neutral.

  Chapter 7

  To numb or not to numb

  This is the most controversial of all the microblading topics. Whether to numb before the first strokes or not.

  The perfectionists say numbing shifts the eyebrow placement and constricts blood-flow which interferes with the ability to read the skin. The opposing view is that keeping the client comfortable with them not twitching or moving during the procedure is what will yield the best results, and, they will tell you they've never had a problem with numbing first.

  Both make good points.

  Trivia:

  Did you know that when your body feels pain, it becomes stressed which in turn makes it pump out more blood?

  Studies show that people with red hair are naturally more sensitive to pain and less receptive to skin numbing creams?

  Typically, if you choose to numb your client prior to the procedure, it is best to use a numbing cream which is topical and fast acting, but only works on the surface. Anesthesia will leave behind an oily residue, which when left on the skin, will affect the consistency of the ink. This could result in the ink not penetrating deeply enough. This is why it is important to make sure that all anesthetic residue is thoroughly cleaned from the skin before beginning the procedure.

  Once the skin is broken, a gel numbing agent will work best. It will soothe from the inside out and is used as a top up anesthetic. This will also reduce trauma and discomfort to your client.

  Out of the 4 key numbing agents: Lidocaine, tetracaine, benzocaine and epinephrine, lidocaine is the one you’ll find in nearly every tattoo anesthetic product. Over the counter topical anesthetics made in the U.S. can contain up to 5% lidocaine. The higher the percentage, the more effective the product will be at deadening the nerve endings and making the permanent makeup session more comfortable.

  You’ll find that many tattoo anesthetic products also contain either tetracaine or benzocaine, if not both. These ingredients are actually nerve blockers, rather than nerve deadeners like lidocaine. They don’t entirely prevent nerves from sending pain signals to the brain, but they soften the blow.

  Epinephrine is a slightly more controversial ingredient that you’ll find in some tattoo topical anesthetics. It’s a vasoconstrictor and one of the more powerful over-the-counter topical anesthetic ingredients available.

  Vasoconstrictors cause the blood vessels to tighten up, minimize bleeding and swelling during the microblading procedure. Since vasoconstrictors also slow down the rate at which the body absorbs a topical anesthetic cream, spray or gel, they also keep the microblading client comfortable longer. However, too much epinephrine can cause the heart rate to accelerate, so use it sparingly- particularly on clients with high anxiety.

  Here is a thorough article I found on numbing creams that explains the ingredients and how and when to use them and which ones.

  TATTOO ANESTHETIC OPTIONS

  JUL 05, 2015 / BY LAURA ON INFORMATION CENTER TATTOO INFORMATION

  Some people say that getting a tattoo is all about the pain--that they feel most alive when tattoo needles are puncturing their skin. There are also many tattoo artists who believe that the pain of getting a tattoo is a core part of the process and shouldn't be downplayed. However, there are plenty of people who desperately want a tattoo, but hesitate because they're concerned about their ability to handle the pain factor.

  Fortunately, there's a solution that levels the playing field and makes it so that even those with low pain thresholds can get tattooed more comfortably: tattoo anesthetic sprays, numbing creams and anesthetic gels.

  Do tattoo anesthetics really work? If so, how do they work? Is there an ideal combination of tattoo anesthetic products that provides maximum pain relief during the tattooing process? We answer these questions and more and discuss some of the best tattoo anesthetic products on the market in the sections below.

  Do Tattoo Anesthetics Really Work?

  The short answer to this question is yes, tattoo anesthetic products can be very effective even though they're just topical.

  Not all tattoo anesthetics are
created equal, though. Ideally, it's best to use a tattoo anesthetic that contains one or more of the following key ingredients, which each have a different impact on the pain signals sent to your brain during the tattooing process: lidocaine, tetracaine, benzocaine, and/or epinephrine.

  There are also natural additives that can enhance the power of a topical anesthetic, like menthol, camphor, tea tree oil, and comphrey root, just to name a few.

  How Do Tattoo Anesthetic

  Products Work?

  Out of the four key numbing agents listed above, lidocaine is one you'll find in nearly every tattoo anesthetic product. Over-the-counter topical anesthetics made in the U.S. can contain up to 5% lidocaine; the higher the percentage, the more effective the product will be at deadening nerve endings and making the tattooing process more comfortable. It's a key ingredient in minimizing the initial sting of tattoo needles hitting the skin and can prevent clients from flinching so much that they compromise their tattoo designs.

  You'll find that many tattoo anesthetic products also contain either tetracaine or benzocaine, if not both. These ingredients are actually nerve blockers, rather than nerve deadeners like lidocaine. They don't entirely prevent nerves from sending pain signals to the brain, but they soften the blow of those pain signals, turning "OH MY GOD" pain into a milder level of discomfort that might elicit an "Ooh!" instead.

  Epinephrine is a slightly more controversial ingredient that you'll find in some tattoo topical anesthetics. It's a vasoconstrictor and one of the more powerful over-the-counter topical anesthetic ingredients available. Vasoconstrictors cause the blood vessels to tighten up, minimizing bleeding and swelling during the tattooing process.

  Since vasoconstrictors also slow down the rate at which the body absorbs a topical anesthetic cream, spray or gel, they also keep tattoo clients comfortable longer. However, too much epinephrine can cause tachycardia, so use topical anesthetics containing epinephrine sparingly-particularly on clients with high anxiety, since epinephrine can cause anxiety to spike along with a client's heart rate.

  What's the Most Effective Combination

  of Tattoo Anesthetics?

  It takes time for the body to absorb a topical anesthetic until it's fully effective, so when you apply one is somewhat more important than which one(s) you apply. Some tattoo anesthetic options are faster acting than others, making them good "boosters" to apply as secondary layers throughout the tattooing process.

  When using a tattoo anesthetic containing epinephrine, you shouldn't have to reapply it as frequently while tattooing to maintain a client's comfort level.

  Ideally, clients should apply an initial layer of topical anesthetic cream, spray or gel before they even leave home and head over to your tattoo shop.

  If you have a design meeting with a client who's worried about the pain factor, encourage them to take a jar or bottle of a tattoo anesthetic like Tattoo Soothe Cream or Hush anesthetic gel home with them and apply it an hour before coming back in to get tattooed. For optimal results, they should apply a thick layer to the area where they're getting tattooed, and then wrap the area with plastic cling wrap to encourage maximum absorption. If you wait to apply a topical anesthetic in your shop before tattooing someone, the client will need to wait anywhere from 15 to 60 minutes before you can start, in order to get the most benefit from the topical anesthetic applied.

  During the skin prep part of the tattooing process, consider washing clients' skin with a product like H2Ocean's Nothing Pain-Relieving Foam Soap or Green Soap enhanced with Bactine to reinforce the effects of any topical anesthetic applied earlier. These antiseptic skin cleansers also contain lidocaine and other numbing agents that will amplify the effects of any topical anesthetic already applied.

  If you start tattooing a client with a low pain threshold and find they're still uncomfortable, you can apply a secondary layer of a fast-acting topical anesthetic like Tattoo Soothe topical anesthetic gel, Hush anesthetic spray or Feel Better Now numbing gel. These products are effective within 90 seconds to 5 minutes after application when used as a secondary layer of pain relief, and they can be reapplied several times during the tattooing process as needed.

  To Numb or Not to Numb?

  As mentioned earlier, there are plenty of tattoo artists, enthusiasts and collectors who believe that it's wrong to deaden the pain of the tattooing process. If you take that attitude as an artist though, you may lose yourself some decent-paying jobs, and the negative word-of-mouth that could ensue may be even more detrimental to your business than losing a few clients with low pain thresholds. It's much better to be flexible and meet each client's individual needs to ensure they have a positive tattooing experience. Doing so will win you more happy customers and more referrals, than being unyielding about minimizing squeamish clients' pain.

  If you're a consumer who desperately wants to work with a tattoo artist who doesn't believe in using topical anesthetics, don't fret! You can buy one or two topical anesthetic products through us, use them at home, and bear through the tattooing process much more comfortably without your artist ever knowing.

  Tattoo Anesthetic Options

  Whether you're a tattoo artist looking for tattoo anesthetic options to numb pain-sensitive clients' skin or an individual who wants to be prepared when you go to get a tattoo, we have tattoo anesthetic and numbing options to meet your needs. Many of our tattoo anesthetic options come in single bottles or jars, as well as display cases, so you can buy a bottle for yourself or a pack to stock your shop. Learn about some of our most popular tattoo anesthetic options below, or visit our Tattoo Anesthetic & Numbing Options section to see every topical anesthetic cream and spray we offer.

  Tattoo Anesthetic Creams

  We have a variety of tattoo anesthetic creams to numb the skin and keep it moisturized during the tattooing process. Choose from tattoo anesthetic cream options like Tattoo Soothe, Feel Better Now and Instant Numb Cream.

  Recovery Numb Tattoo Anesthetic Cream

  Recovery Numb Tattoo Anesthetic Cream is a vegan-friendly topical anesthetic that can dramatically reduce your clients' sensitivity to pain during the tattooing process, cosmetic procedures, laser tattoo removal, and more. It contains 5% lidocaine--the highest percentage of topical anesthetic that the FDA allows in over-the-counter numbing creams. This highly-effective formula reduces inflammation and eases pain for up to six hours.

  Each tube of Recovery Numb Tattoo Anesthetic Cream contains 2.2 oz. of numbing cream that takes effect within 15 minutes of application. (Cases of 12 2.2 oz. tubes are also available.) For maximum relief, have clients apply a layer at home before coming in to get tattooed, or apply it in your shop 15-20 minutes before you begin the tattooing process. You can enhance the effects of Recovery Numb by wrapping the treated skin with plastic cling wrap for optimal absorption.

  Tattoo Soothe Numbing Cream

  Tattoo Soothe is a topical anesthetic cream that's available in 15g jars, 8g jars, and cases of 12 8g jars. This topical numbing cream relieves pain, swelling and bleeding during the tattooing process. Tattoo Soothe is a fast-acting formula comprised of 5% lidocaine, tetracaine and epinephrine that allows clients to relax during extended tattooing sessions. When you're working on more sensitive areas, like underarms and ribs, Tattoo Soothe will sufficiently numb the skin so your clients flinch less and end up with better-looking tattoos. Apply Tattoo Soothe to your clients' skin 15-25 minutes before you start tattooing, and reapply this numbing cream throughout the tattooing process to keep clients comfortable for hours on end.

  Note: Tattoo Soothe cream and Tattoo Soothe gel can be used in combination for enhanced relief that lasts throughout the tattooing process.

  Feel Better Now Topical Anesthetic Cream

  Feel Better Now is a high-quality topical tattoo anesthetic cream that comes in a 15g jar. It contains 5% lidocaine, 20% benzocaine, and 4% tetracaine for optimal numbing. Apply Feel Better Now topical anesthetic cream to clients' skin 15-25 minutes before you start tattooing to
minimize their discomfort. It can really help ease the sting of starting the tattooing process.

  Use Feel Better Now topical anesthetic cream in combination with Feel Better Now numbing gel to amplify the effects of the anesthetic and provide clients with an additional layer of comfort while you tattoo them. You only need to wait 3-5 minutes after applying a secondary layer of Feel Better Now gel over top of the initial application of Feel Better Now numbing cream before resuming tattooing.

  Instant Numb Cream

  Instant Numb Cream is a strong tattoo anesthetic designed specifically for relieving discomfort in sensitive areas like the lips, eyes and eyebrows during permanent makeup procedures. Instant Numb cosmetic tattoo anesthetic cream contains tea tree oil, aloe and 4% lidocaine, making it a superior numbing agent that also refreshes, cools and soothes the skin. It comes in a 12g jar for multiple applications. You can combine InstantNumbCream with BioGel to control swelling and bleeding during the procedure.