WHAT ARE DARK LIPS?
Your naturally dark lips possess a captivating beauty, but if you desire to enhance them with hints of red or pink, it can add an extra dimension. Melanin-rich lips often showcase deep shades like black, brown, and even hints of purple, along with cool undertones that can sometimes create a subdued effect. If you find yourself frequently applying pinks, reds, or oranges to warm up your dark or cool-toned lips and desire a simplified routine to achieve a perpetually fresh lipstick appearance, then this option is tailored for you!
WHAT IS NEUTRALIZATION, AND HOW IS IT TATTOOED?
Lip neutralization is a cosmetic procedure that involves color correction of the skin, and it is recommended to be performed by a proficient cosmetic tattoo artist. By using natural inks, this technique involves tattooing the desired color onto the deeper layers of the dermal tissue, ensuring long-lasting coverage for approximately 2-3 years.
When working on individuals with dark skin, the artist meticulously selects a suitable color to neutralize and enhance the skin, resulting in a brighter and more balanced appearance.
WHAT SHOULD YOU EXPECT?
Session 1 marks the initial phase of the neutralization process. Your skilled cosmetic tattoo artist will begin by assessing your undertones and selecting a color on the opposite side of the color wheel to correct your current lip shade. The primary goal of Session 1 is to lighten and brighten the lips. Achieving this requires a significant saturation of tattoo ink to ensure effective brightening. For instance, if your lips have a purple hue, the artist may use a yellow-orange color to counteract it. Initially, the ink in the cap may appear golden, but once applied to the lip tissue, it will take on an orange-pink tone. As the healing process progresses, the orange hue will fade, leaving behind a warm pink color, effectively eliminating the original purple or brown undertones. It’s important to note that your first appointment is just the initial step in the journey towards achieving the desired color, so expect further adjustments in subsequent sessions.
Session 2 marks the subsequent step in the process, and it can either be another neutralization session or, depending on the healed results from Session 1, a colorizing session to achieve a darker pink or red hue for your lips. Typically, during the second appointment, additional shades of pink and red can be applied once the base layer has been effectively brightened and lightened. However, the number of sessions required cannot be determined accurately until the lips have fully healed from the first session. The darker your natural lip color or skin tone, the more sessions may be needed to achieve the desired outcome. Additionally, due to the dark undertones of the lips, it is possible that annual touch-up appointments may be necessary rather than the typical 2-3 year interval to maintain the desired color.
WHAT IS THE HEALING PROCESS?
Following your appointment, you can expect your lips to have a bold and vibrant appearance, with a neon orange or coral tone. However, this intense colorization is temporary and will fade within a day or two. Subsequently, your lips will darken in shade. By the third day, you may experience chapped lips that will start peeling. The peeling process typically lasts for two days, eventually revealing a soft, natural pink shade around day seven. It usually takes about four to six weeks for the color to fully heal and reach a balanced state.
To ensure optimal results, your second session will be scheduled for six to eight weeks later, allowing ample time for the color processing to complete and the lip tissue to fully heal before proceeding with further adjustments or enhancements. This timeframe allows for the best possible outcome in terms of color stability and overall appearance.
HOW DO YOU FIND THE RIGHT ARTIST?
Beginning cosmetic tattoo artists will not have the color skill required to neutralize skin tones. Instead, this level of expertise comes from experience and a firm grasp of color implementation. You will want to find someone who has experience with black and brown skin and knows how to properly neutralize the tissue. You may want to ask your cosmetic tattoo artist to provide some pictures of before and after work that they have done.
DAELA Cosmetic Tattoo is proud to service all skin types and tones, and our artists have master education.
When choosing a cosmetic tattoo artist for any procedure, make sure they have a large gallery of many different skin tones, great reviews, and proper licensing. DAELA Cosmetic Tattoo proudly offers in-person and online lip blush training, including neutralization techniques. Sign up for a class, or get in touch for more information.
