Women are getting their under-eye concealer tattooed in bizarre new beauty trend
Beauty trends may come and go, but some woes are eternal, like that of dark under-eye circles.
If you suffer from racoon eyes on the regular, you'll know how difficult they are to get rid of, despite how much sleep you get, and how much water you drink. And don't even get me started on the difficulty of covering them up with makeup.
Luckily, there appears to be a new technological breakthrough in this regard: and it's like microblading, only for your under-eyes.
Credit: Pexels
According to Brazilian tattoo artist, Rodolpho Torres, who is pioneering the technique, under-eye concealer tattooing is very similar to other permanent makeup treatments, in that pigment is inked into the skin by a cosmetic tattoo gun.
The pigment sits one layer under to skin to act as a buffer between the source of the underlying darkness and the surface of the skin.
Torres has long specialised in camouflaging the skin, having treated stretch marks and dark circles using skin tone pigments.
When speaking to Spa + Clinic Australia, the tattoo artist explained that he uses a small handheld device to determine each client's exact skin tone to customise the ink and to ensure it matches perfectly before he starts the procedure.
And this is what it looks like...
There is a big difference between this process and microblading, however, and it's that the ink Torres uses is permanent.
"It’s not micro pigmentation, it’s a tattoo," he clarified to the clinic. "You can live a normal life and expose it to sunlight knowing that your skin will not become stained, because the tattoo pigments approved by Anvisa give us this security."
Luckily, the aftercare is similar to that of microblading or tattooing. Most clients are advised to use an product such as Bepanthen to soothe and calm the skin, as well as to promote healing. They are also recommended to keep the area as dry as they can, and to avoid applying makeup products and topical skincare treatments for the initial few days following the procedure.
According to Torres, because it's a permanent, camouflage tattoo, only one session is needed.
As of now, there is no clinic in the UK which offers this kind of treatment.
Glamour, however, predicts that if it was introduced in the UK, the process would be closer to microblading in that the ink used would only be semi-permanent. This mens that clients would have two sessions to begin with - which tend to be six weeks apart - and then would require a top-up every 2-3 years.
As with any cosmetic procedure - especially such new ones - it's hard to tell how each customer will fare in the long term. As the under-eye area tends to age faster than the rest of the skin, it's possible that sagging skin could move the under-eye pigment, altering the initial results.