Before Your Procedure: How to Prepare.

• On the day of your procedure, refrain from exercising. Exercising increases blood flow, which can cause you to bleed more easily during the procedure.
• Please do not exercise.
  Water only, but not too much! No caffeine, Decaf, Tea, Sodas, Sports Drinks, etc.
• If you have a low pain tolerance or are undergoing the lip procedure, my clients have reported that taking 2 Tylenol Extra Strength on their way to the appointment has provided them with great relief.
• Avoid tanning or having a sunburn on your face. Your face needs to be squeaky clean for your procedure. Thank you
• Please refrain from taking aspirin, Niacin, Vitamin E, fish oil, or Ibuprofen for at least 1 week before your procedure. Note: If you are on a physician-prescribed blood thinner, you will want to advise your physician and ask him how many days before your procedure to be off of this prescribed blood thinner.
• No waxing or tinting 3 days before your procedure.
  If you wear contact lenses, bring your eyeglasses for home use in case you need to rest your eyes.
• Please note that you experience increased sensitivity during your menstrual cycle.
• Do not use Retinol/Retin-A products and/or exfoliants for 30 days prior.
• Please arrive at your appointment prepared! Please familiarize yourself with these instructions and review them the night before. Remember, they are also available online.
• Three days before your appointment, you will receive a reminder text message and email. This message will include my location address, along with your appointment date and time.
• If you wear false eyelashes, please have them completely removed before any eyeliner appointments.

• LIP PROCEDURES:  IMPORTANT NOTE! The lip procedure is one of my favorites, but it can be my most challenging procedure when clients don’t follow the simple directions in the Before Care Instructions. These include, but are not limited to, the following;
• Please avoid all caffeine products (including decaf) – you will bleed and bruise far more easily.
• If you wear Long-lasting Lip Stains or Colors, you’ll need to refrain from using them for at least 1 week.
• Do not exercise the morning of your procedure.
• HISTORY OF COLD SORES? If you have a history of, or concerns regarding, cold sores/fever blisters/herpes simplex I, you will be requested to contact your physician to obtain the proper prescription medication to help prevent a cold sore outbreak after a lip procedure. For my Permanent Makeup procedures, I recommend/prefer Acyclovir 800 mg to 1,000 mg per day for 5 days. You’ll want to start the antiviral medication at least 2-3 days before your procedure and take it daily for 5 days. These are industry-related only, and medications should always be taken as directed by your physician.

• I offer a 5% discount for “cash” paying clients. Therefore, for those who need to use a credit card, I must add a 3.5% fee to those purchases. I also accept Venmo and local checks.

• Discounts will not be combined with any other special offers. If you have any questions before your procedure, please don’t hesitate to call or text me. Text is best. I really look forward to working with you. Warmly, Carolyn

YOUR AFTERCARE – PLEASE REVIEW

EYES, EYEBROWS, and LIPS – POST PROCEDURE CARE

Day of Tattooing
If you notice any weeping/serous fluid, blot with a moistened paper towel or a moistened Q-tip. Otherwise, admire them.

Day 2-14 (2 weeks)
First thing in the morning, gently wash the tattooed area at the sink, thoroughly rinse, and blot it dry. Do not rub.
When showering, cover your fresh tattoo with the “shower cap visor”. Don’t worry, I’ll explain how you’ll make this at home.
Please keep all creams, makeup, sunblock, or other moist products away from the tattooed area on the forehead.
DO NOT rub, pick, or scratch the treated area. Let any scabbing or dry skin naturally exfoliate off. Picking can cause scarring.
Avoid exercise or other activities that raise your heart rate. Excess scabbing can pull the pigment out during the healing process.
NO facials, Botox, waxing to brows, chemical treatments, and microdermabrasion for six weeks.
Avoid sleeping on your face.

30 Days
Avoid direct sun exposure or tanning for 30 days after the procedure. The tattooed area will appear darker and bolder initially before the exfoliation process. Our goal is for “Flaking, not chunks” when exfoliating.” After exfoliating, your skin may appear to have lost its color. Be patient. Your color will reappear in 30 days.

Signs and symptoms of infection include, but are not limited to, redness, swelling, unusual tenderness to the procedural site, red streaks, fever, and purulent drainage from the procedural site. I understand I must seek medical care if any of these symptoms appear.

NOTE: If you are receiving a new procedure, schedule a follow-up appointment at least six weeks later to reinforce and fine-tune any areas that may need it. It’s unrealistic to expect perfection after one session; permanent makeup is similar to body tattooing – it’s a process. If you have come in for corrective work, please do not expect miracles in one session. These expectations are unreasonable. Instead, expect to come in for several or more sessions until we have reached a level of satisfaction with “improvement.”

Maintenance:
After completion, plan your EYEBROWS maintenance visits every 18-24 months.
EYES: 4 years and longer, the bottoms typically will fade first.
LIPS: approximately 4-6 years, depending on the lightness and density of the color used.

LIPS – POST PROCEDURE CARE 

• Expect slight swelling and some redness in the immediate area; this will subside within a few hours. Recommendation for ice packs at home is to apply them for 5 minutes every 1-2 hours for the first few hours following the procedure. This reduces inflammation.
• During the first day, check every 30 minutes for oozing of clear serous fluid by gently wiping with a moistened cotton pad. Reapply your lip balm.
• No soap or cleanser for 7 days.
• Keep the lip area moist 24/7 with the ANESTHETIC LIP BALM. Use this balm only while the lips are sensitive, then switch to BURT’S BEES UNSCENTED LIP BALM for the remainder of 30 days. Please do not use the Peppermint Scented Balm, then wonder why it burns. Yes, this has happened.
• Save your Anesthetic Lip Balm in a safe place in the refrigerator for future work. You don’t want to lose this. The first one is free. 🙂
• For the first 2 days, use a straw when drinking liquids and avoid biting foods, such as sandwiches and fruit. Smoking is discouraged for optimal results.
• If a slight crust appears on the pigmented surface, do not attempt to remove it by picking or scratching.
• Avoid any lip makeup, direct sun, harsh soaps, saunas, jacuzzis, swimming, contact with animals, and gardening for 7-10 days (until the area is completely healed) after the procedure and after all touch-ups.
• Avoid hot, steamy, long showers.
• Avoid heavy sweating, hikes, the gym, and the sauna for 7 days following the procedure.
• Avoid Retin-A, glycolic acids, aloe & vitamin E products (1 month)
• Do not use terry towels on the area.
• The application of permanent makeup may be a process. Do not judge your procedure while in the healing stage. Your second session is recommended at six weeks. Please use our online appointments system to schedule or call us.
• Corrective work is a process to improve. Be patient and understand that it can take multiple visits to correct/enhance and rebalance work completed by a less experienced technician. I am not a magician waving a wand.

LONG TERM CARE

• If you plan to be in the sun for prolonged periods of time, use good sunscreen on your eyebrows and lips. Sun exposure will fade your permanent cosmetics and cause the makeup in your Eyebrows to “ash out” (turn gray).
• The use of Retin A/Retinol/chemical peels or any other rapid skin exfoliation products regularly used on the forehead area can cause your permanent makeup in the eyebrow area to fade prematurely.
• If you are planning a professional-level chemical peel, laser procedure, or MRI scan, please inform the technician of your permanent cosmetics.
• If you have 1) fair skin with blue eyes, 2) have a history of hypothyroidism, 3) have heart disease, 4) spend a lot of time out in the sun, and 5) have oily skin, you must understand that your pigment will fade quicker than normal. Please be prepared for more frequent maintenance visits.
• I highly recommend that Eyebrows be maintained every 18 to 24 months unless you fade quickly.
• I recommend Eyes be maintained approximately every 4 years when the pigment begins to dull (gray) in appearance.
• I recommend maintaining Lips approximately every 5 years when the color continues to soften quite a bit compared to what you started out with.

Please keep these instructions for future touch-ups, and THANK YOU for being my client. It’s always an absolute pleasure to serve you. Sincerely, Carolyn.

Carolyn Elliott CPCP Permanent Makeup Inc.   805-550-7379
Care Instructions may also be found on website:  www.carolyn-elliott.com