Their goals are as different as the women themselves. Some want dramatic eyebrows to frame their faces. Others want fuller, more defined lips. A select few are cancer survivors anxious to complete the final step in reconstructive surgery.
Regardless of their motivation, all have chosen cosmetic tattooing to change the way they look.
This non-traditional form of tattooing can be used cosmetically for the application of permanent makeup or medically to diminish the appearance of scars.
Like traditional makeup, permanent makeup can look as soft or dramatic as the client desires, said Kim Housley, a certified dermographic technician and owner of ColorDerm, a permanent cosmetic salon in Springfield, Ill.
Housley, who is licensed by the Illinois Department of Public Health and certified by the Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals. says a conversation takes place with each client before eyebrow enhancement, eye liner, lip liner and lip color procedures are performed.
"We discuss goals before we start. Permanent makeup should look good on its own. It shouldn't require other makeup to tie it together," she says. "If you're swimming or showering or sweating and your regular makeup comes off, the permanent should still look good, not garish."
Housley first encountered cosmetic tattooing nearly a decade ago at a trade show. She immediately was interested and knew no one in Springfield offered the service. After undergoing training, becoming certified and gaining enough experience for a portfolio, she spent four years performing cosmetic tattooing in a medical setting. She's spent another four running her own salon.
Her clients range in age from 20 to 85 and appreciate the spa-like setting she has created.
"Cosmetic tattooing reaches a totally different demographic than traditional tattooing. These people would not be comfortable walking into a traditional tattoo parlor to get permanent makeup," Housley says.
She estimates about 60 percent of her clients seek eyebrow procedures - either filling in color behind existing brows for definition or replacing non-existent eyebrows."All of these procedures are elective, and they're driven by vanity.
"Some clients have flaws they're trying to hide or correct. Others want to minimize the appearance of scars or create features they weren't born with," she says. "But it's a luxury, a treat women are willing to splurge on."
Kolleen Mendenhall of Williamsville, Ill., agrees. She has always had fair eyebrows that continued to lighten with age. On a whim, she decided to try cosmetic tattooing without telling her friends or family.
