Removing permanent make-up: eyebrows, eyeliner and lips
Permanent make-up and microblading can be removed again when the shape or colour no longer suits. However, work on the face calls for more caution than a body tattoo. Here you can read how removal on the eyebrows, eyeliner and lips proceeds, why some pigments turn dark under the laser and when a remover is the better choice.
It also provides answers on sessions, healing, brow hairs and new pigmentation afterwards. The devices we name are the PICOLO XL picosecond laser and the Q-switched Nd:YAG lasers PICOLO L and PICOLO S from SIACSKIN.
How does laser removal of permanent make-up on the eyebrows work?
The session takes only a few minutes: cleanse the brow, protect the eyes, place a test patch, then work over the pigment pulse by pulse. Beforehand, make-up is removed from the brow and it is photographed, and if desired a numbing cream is left to take effect. You wear light-tight eye shields. The laser is applied with a small spot and low energy, and the skin briefly turns whitish. The area is then cooled and a wound-care product is applied. Over the following weeks the body breaks down the fragmented pigment, and only then does the lightening become apparent.
Brows call for a laser that can be finely dosed. On the PICOLO XL you select spots of 2 to 10 mm and energies from 100 mJ, and the AI sets the parameters automatically. The PICOLO L also offers spot sizes of 2 to 10 mm.
Can microblading be removed with a laser, and is it quicker than with permanent make-up?
Yes, microblading can be treated with a laser and usually fades faster, because the blade places the colour more superficially and in smaller quantities than the machine does. Often 1 to 3 sessions are enough for clear lightening. It becomes more difficult if the brows have been touched up several times, if the strokes were cut too deep and have scarred, or if powder-brow shading lies over them. Scarred strokes remain visible as fine lines even when the colour has gone. As with machine-applied permanent make-up, brown shades containing iron oxide can initially turn reddish or grey.
The fine hair strokes require little energy and a small spot. The PICOLO XL and the PICOLO L, with spot sizes of 2 to 10 mm, are suitable for this.
Why does permanent make-up sometimes turn dark, grey or black during laser treatment?
Because many PMU inks contain iron oxide or titanium dioxide, and these metal oxides change chemically under the laser pulse. Reddish-brown iron oxide is converted into a black form, and white titanium dioxide turns grey. Those affected are above all skin tones, pink, red, light browns and anything that has been lightened with white. The change happens immediately with the first pulse. The dark pigment can usually then be broken down in further sessions like a black tattoo, but it takes patience.
That is why every treatment begins with a test patch in an inconspicuous position, which is observed for a few weeks. The 1064 nm wavelength, which the PICOLO XL, PICOLO L and PICOLO S all provide, is the one used for the darkened pigment.
Can eyebrows that have faded to orange, red or salmon be removed by laser?
Yes, warm residual colours respond to green laser light at 532 nm, which is strongly absorbed by red and orange. The red tinge arises when the black disappears first from a brown mixed colour and the red iron oxide is left behind. With 1064 nm, little happens on such brows. However, 532 nm is also absorbed by the melanin in the skin: with tanned or darker skin the risk of light patches rises, and a low energy is chosen. Here too, ink containing iron oxide can darken at first, and a test patch settles the question.
The PICOLO L combines 1064 nm with 532 nm, according to SIACSKIN for red, orange and light pigments. The PICOLO XL offers 532 nm with picosecond pulses, and the optional Dye-Head adds 585 and 650 nm.
What helps with eyebrows that have turned blue or grey after permanent make-up?
Blue-grey brows can generally be lightened well with 1064 nm, because behind the cool shade there is usually carbon-based black. The blue tinge arises when dark pigment sits too deep: the skin above it scatters the light, and black appears bluish. This often happens with older brows that have been refreshed several times. This is precisely the pigment that absorbs 1064 nm strongly, and the wavelength penetrates deep without placing much strain on the epidermis. Usually 2 to 4 sessions are needed, more with dense colour.
With shorter pulses the pigment breaks down more finely. The PICOLO XL works at 1064 nm with 280 picoseconds, the PICOLO L as a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser in the nanosecond range and with up to 1800 mJ.
Can permanent eyeliner be removed by laser, and how are the eyes protected?
Yes, it is possible, but only with metal corneal shields that are placed under the lids directly on the anaesthetised eye. Protective goggles or adhesive shields are not sufficient at the lid margin, because the laser works a few millimetres from the eyeball and 1064 nm penetrates the eyelid. Inserting the shields, the anaesthetic drops and monitoring the eye make eyeliner removal a treatment to be carried out by a doctor. Eyelashes may temporarily become lighter or fall out, and the lids swell for 1 to 3 days.
On the eyelid, a very small spot and low energy are what count. The PICOLO XL can be set to a spot size of 2 mm and energies from 100 mJ. Who is allowed to carry out which treatment is regulated differently from country to country.
Can permanent make-up on the lips and a permanent lip liner be removed again?
Yes, but the lips are the most delicate area, because lip colours are almost always reds and pinks containing iron oxide or titanium dioxide. They can abruptly turn grey or black during laser treatment, and in a place that cannot be hidden. A test patch at the edge of the contour is therefore mandatory. If the colour changes, treatment continues with 1064 nm or a switch is made to another method. The lip swells considerably and heals in about a week. Anyone prone to cold sores should discuss preventive treatment with their doctor beforehand, because the irritation can trigger an outbreak.
For red pigments, the PICOLO XL and the PICOLO L offer the 532 nm wavelength, and for darkened colour 1064 nm.
Laser or remover: which is better for removing permanent make-up?
For dark, cool and deep-seated pigments the laser is the first choice, while removers have their strength with colours that the laser does not reliably target. Removers are salt-, acid- or alkali-based solutions that are worked into the skin in the same way as during pigmentation. They draw colour outwards via a crust, regardless of shade. This helps with white, skin tones and camouflage, which can darken under the laser. The trade-off is that an open wound is created, healing takes longer and the risk of scarring is higher.
The laser works through the intact skin surface and targets the pigment specifically. The PICOLO XL, PICOLO L and PICOLO S fragment it with ultrashort pulses, and the body takes care of removing the fragments.
How many sessions does permanent make-up removal take, and at what intervals?
Usually 2 to 4 sessions at intervals of 6 to 8 weeks are sufficient, which is fewer than for a body tattoo. PMU pigments lie more superficially and in smaller quantities in the skin. More sessions are needed for brows that have been refreshed several times over the years or corrected with a second colour, and for colours that first darken and then have to be broken down. The interval is necessary because the lymphatic system removes the pigment residues over weeks and the thin facial skin should heal completely.
The PICOLO XL picosecond laser breaks pigment down particularly finely at 280 ps, which often reduces the number of sessions. With the Q-switched PICOLO L, according to SIACSKIN, you should expect slightly more sessions.
Do eyebrow hairs fall out or turn white during laser removal of permanent make-up?
The hairs can temporarily become lighter, whitish or brittle, but as a rule they grow back normally and in their own colour. The ultrashort pulses hit not only the colour pigment but also the melanin in the hair shaft and bleach it. The hair root generally remains intact, because destroying it would require long pulses in the millisecond range, such as those delivered by hair removal lasers. The light hair has usually been replaced by a new one after a few weeks to a few months. Until then, the brows can be tinted or filled in with a pencil once the skin has healed.
For pigment removal, the PICOLO L and PICOLO S deliver pulses in the nanosecond range, the PICOLO XL pulses of 280 picoseconds. These short pulses target pigment and not the follicle.
How does the skin heal after permanent make-up removal, and how should it be cared for?
The skin has healed superficially after about 5 to 10 days; until then it is reddened, slightly swollen and forms fine crusts. On the face this is usually milder than after a body tattoo, and blisters are rare. Cool the area on the first day, keep it clean and dry and apply the recommended wound-care product thinly. Crusts fall off by themselves. Make-up, brow tint, exfoliants and skincare containing acids or retinol are avoided until the skin has closed. After that, protect the area daily with a high sun protection factor.
Immediately after the session, cold air relieves burning and swelling. The KYROMASTER from SIACSKIN cools before, during and after laser treatment and is suitable for picosecond and Nd:YAG lasers such as the PICOLO XL and the PICOLO L.
When can you have new permanent make-up applied after removal?
At the earliest 6 to 8 weeks after the last laser session, and preferably after about 3 months. The skin must have healed completely, and the body continues to break down pigment for weeks: only then can you see how light the area has really become. Pigmenting too early means working in irritated skin, which holds colour less well and unevenly. For a new shape, the old pigment often does not need to be removed entirely. It is enough to lighten it to the point where the new design covers it cleanly.
Before the new appointment, mention that laser treatment has been carried out. For targeted lightening of individual sections, such as a brow head that is too wide, the PICOLO XL and the PICOLO L offer spots from 2 mm.
Can fresh permanent make-up be removed straight away, or do you have to wait?
With the laser, you wait until the skin has healed, generally 4 to 6 weeks after pigmentation. Freshly pigmented skin is a wound, and additional energy would overburden it and promote scarring. In addition, immediately after the procedure the colour appears darker and wider than it will remain. Part of it comes away with the crust, and a further part fades in the first few weeks. Some results that are alarming on the first day therefore resolve by themselves.
Older permanent make-up has already been thinned out by the body and often goes faster, but it may consist of several layers of colour. With the PICOLO XL, 532, 755 and 1064 nm are available for this, with the PICOLO L 532 and 1064 nm.
Can permanent make-up covered with skin-coloured or white pigment (camouflage) be treated by laser?
Only to a limited extent and never without a test patch, because camouflage inks consist predominantly of titanium dioxide and frequently turn dark grey under the laser. If a failed brow or lip contour has been painted over with a skin tone, there are two layers on top of each other: the light pigment above and the original pigment beneath. The laser first turns the light layer dark before both can be broken down. This takes more sessions, and titanium dioxide responds sluggishly. A combination is therefore often used: a remover draws out the light colour, and the laser deals with the dark remainder.
Mention any earlier correction openly in the consultation. For darkened pigment, use 1064 nm on the PICOLO XL, PICOLO L or PICOLO S.
Picosecond laser or Q-switched laser: which is better suited to permanent make-up?
Both remove permanent make-up, with the picosecond laser working with less heat and often with fewer sessions. On the face this is an advantage: thin skin, brow hairs and the visible location are unforgiving. However, because PMU pigment sits superficially and is present in small quantities, a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser also achieves good results if it can be dosed low and finely. More important than the pulse duration is that the appropriate wavelengths are available: 1064 nm for dark shades and 532 nm for red and orange shades.
The PICOLO XL is SIACSKIN's picosecond laser with 280 ps. The PICOLO L, as a Q-switched laser with 1064 and 532 nm, is the more economical solution, and the PICOLO S is the entry-level device for a smaller treatment volume.
