E Y E L I N E R T A T T O O F A Q
/ You must be 18 years of age to be tattooed.
/ You can now give blood 1 week after a tattoo and plasma at any time.
/ You can’t be tattooed if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
HOW QUALIFIED IS MY ARTIST?
Molly’s journey to eyeliner started back in 2004 when she studied a year long Diploma in makeup (Diploma in Entertainment Makeup- CUE50798). After working for many years as a makeup artist and eyelash technician she decided to make the move to tattooing, starting her study in 2008 and completing it in 2009 (Design and perform all Cosmetic Tattoo procedures- WRBSS505B). Molly leant all cosmetic tattoo procedures in her extensive training and performed them for many years but for the past few years just specialises in eyeliner as she feels it is her niche.
DOES IT HURT?
Everyone tolerates pain in a different way. I can’t tell you exactly how you will feel because everyone is honestly so different. Some have experienced mild discomfort while others have pretty much fallen asleep. I use two different types of topical anaesthetic which are applied to pre numb and then re applied every 15 mins or so during the procedure. The majority say it’s much better than they expected with most describing the process as very tickly and like a light scratch. You will also feel a slight sting when the anaesthetic is re applied during the treatment. I have never had anyone unable to finish a treatment. I talk you through the entire treatment as we go, explaining every step and what to expect.
HOW LONG WILL THE EYELINER LAST?
It will generally last two to five years depending on your skin type, how well you adhered to your aftercare and the colour of the pigment used (black will always last way longer than brown tones). If you wish to maintain the colour over time you will require further treatments when fading occurs (12-24 month touch ups are recommended to keep it looking fresh). Black pigment in some rare cases can stay for up to 15 years.
WILL MY EYES BE SWOLLEN?
This one is really up to the individual. I can’t necessarily tell you how swollen you will be. If you know you swell easily than more than likely you will swell. Some get very minimal swelling while others swell right up. In general.. the thicker you have your liner done the worse the swelling may be. You will be physically fine to go to work the following day it’s just up top you how self conscious you are about looking swollen. Bad swelling generally only lasts for two days. If you are worried about it it’s probably best to schedule a day or two off after having your liner tattooed just to be safe.
WHAT WILL I LOOK AND FEEL LIKE AFTER MY TREATMENT?
Immediately after your treatment there will most likely be some swelling and tenderness. After eyeliner tattooing your eyes may be also be a little light sensitive so bring sunglasses to your appointment to wear after. Your tattoo will appear much darker for the first week and have a heavy makeup looking appearance until healing (exfoliation) is completed.
WHAT ABOUT AFTERCARE?
Please read the extensive aftercare section below
DO I NEED A SECOND SESSION?
Yes, after your initial treatment you will be booked in for your perfecting session around five weeks after. Your perfecting session is to ensure your tattoo is completed to perfection, as pigment healing/fading will differ for all. Things that can alter the look and healing of your tattoo include your skin type, metabolism, pigment choice and how you care for your tattoo in its healing stage.
If you are just in for an annual re fresh then a single session is all you need unless it’s been a long time since your last visit and/or you are wanting to edit your original design dramatically.
I’M PREGNANT OR BREASTFEEDING, CAN I HAVE MY EYELINER DONE?
Pregnancy and breastfeeding are contraindications due to the health and safety of your unborn or nursing child. Having a cosmetic tattoo or any tattoo for that matter puts extra stress and tension on the body. With all cosmetic tattoo treatments a topical anaesthetic is always used which ends up in your blood steam and ultimately your milk supply. Hormonal changes when pregnant and breastfeeding can also have effects on the pigments healed result.
IS THE TREATMENT SAFE?
The equipment used during your treatment is all single use and disposed of. A 100% safe and hygienic application is guaranteed. If you are still unsure, give me a call and I can run through the procedure with you and answer any questions.
CAN I KEEP MY EYELASH EXTENSIONS ON AND HAVE MY EYELINER TATTOOED?
Unfortunately not. You'll need to have them removed by your lash technician the day before or at the very latest the morning of your appointment (never attempt to removed them yourself, this will cause a lot of pain and damage to your lashes and also cause some irritation and swelling which is certainly not ideal before being tattooed).
WHAT ABOUT IF I WEAR CONTACT LENSES?
There is a lot of gentle wiping of the eyes and stretching of the lid during the treatment so a contact lens could become loose in the eye and also lead to even worse things like corneal scratches. Please bring glasses with you to wear after your appointment and a carry case for your lenses if they’re not disposable.
Because of the use of anaesthetic- contact lenses can not be put back in after your treatment and for the remainder of that day.
WHEN ARE ONGOING TOUCH UP’S REQUIRED?
After you have had your initial session along with your 5 week perfecting session re touches are required every 12-24 months to keep the liner looking fresh. Some lucky ones can get away with 2-4 years without a re fresh (mainly depends on how well your skin retains pigment).
WHAT ARE THE PIGMENTS MADE OF?
Pigments used in cosmetic tattooing are made from Iron Oxide which is a safe and non-reactive substance specifically manufactured for implantation into the skin. The pigments are coloured powder suspended in distilled water, alcohol and glycerine.
WILL BLACK EYELINER PIGMENTS STAY BLACK?
All blacks will eventually look a little grey-ish or blue-ish depending on your skin type. This could be immediately after the healing process, or after months or even years later. This is simply because black is not a colour, it's a shade. To keep your eyeliner looking fresh, regular re touches (12-24 monthly) are recommended.
WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW OF BEFORE MY BOOKING?
1. If you have any allergies, sensitivities or medical conditions please inform me prior to your booking.
2. Avoid all blood thinning medications 48 hours before your appointment. This includes ibuprofen, aspirin, vitamin E and fish oil tablets. Alcohol also thins the blood so it would be beneficial if you had an alcohol free night before your appointment.
3. Please make sure you have eaten before your appointment to ensure your blood sugar levels remain stable throughout the procedure.
4. If you know you tend to have trouble laying still and/or flickery eyes please avoid caffeine before your booking.
5. Your liner will be designed and hand drawn on during your appointment so most come bare faced. However, if you have a particular design/shape you’re after you’re more than welcome to come in with it drawn on to show me. If you come bare faced please have a few reference photos of liners you like to show me and we can design something similar.
6. If your eyelashes are naturally light you may want to consider having an eyelash tint (without lash lift) before your appointment (your aftercare involves avoiding eye makeup including mascara for a minimum of 7 days post treatment). Have it no later than 24 hours before your appointment in case it causes any sensitivity.
7. Please wash your hair the day of your appointment so you have a few days up your sleeve before you need to attempt to wash it without wetting your face (no getting the eyes wet for 1 week post treatment).
WHAT IF I SCRATCH MY ITCHY HEALING TATTOO?
Please don’t, here’s why. If you scratch your tattoo while it’s healing and happen to pull off a scab in the process, ink can potentially be lost, leaving your tattoo patchy in that specific area. To explain this a little better for you, what happens when you get a tattoo (body or cosmetic) is that after the ink has been injected into the lower layers of the skin, some of the ink will become trapped in the middle and upper layers before it properly sets. While the ink is in these areas, it is much more prone to being pulled out by rubbing, scratching or picking at scabs.
That is not the only issue though- pulling a scab off prematurely through itching can cause a pit to form in the skin, which will take much longer to heal compared to the rest of your skin, and can even lead to scarring.
L I N E R T A T T O O A F T E R C A R E
Do not touch your eyeballs to remove ink within 3 hours post treatment. They are still numb, and this can lead to corneal scratches as you won’t feel what you are doing and may be rougher. Your eyes naturally will move any pigment to where it’s safe to remove (on the skin and off the eyeball).
Be gentle to your new tattoo and do not touch it unnecessarily. Your eyes may be feeling more tender once the aesthetic wears off (2-3 hours post treatment). Healing/exfoliation can take anywhere from 4 to 10 days depending on the area tattooed, your skin type and your dedication to aftercare (the longer you take to heal the better colour retention you’ll see). Never rush the healing process. If you let your tattoo dry out too much during healing it will exfoliate too fast and could possibly heal patchy. Please don’t allow the tattoo to get too wet either (by applying the ointment too generously) as the tattoo can absorb too much moisture and become ‘puffy’. If touched or bumped in this puffy state it can damage the vulnerable skin. Ointment application should always be very thin, and the skin should appear glossy. We want a moist healing, never dry and never too wet. During the healing it’s very important to never itch, rub or pick at your tattoo (this can make for a patchy or lighter end result and can also result in scarring and/or infection). Note: itchiness is completely normal and healthy in the healing phase, please restrain yourself from scratching, the ointment should provide some relief.
Put on a clean (dark coloured) pillowcase in case it comes it contact with the open tattoo wound overnight. The antiseptic ointment should be applied in a thin layer with a clean cotton bud. It’s quite thick and stays nice and tacky on the skin. It is to be applied around 3 times a day (possibly more for dryer skin types). If you can see the colour of the ointment, it’s too thick. For the first couple of days post treatment, you will see some excess ink on your cotton bud after applying ointment, this is normal, it usually takes 1-2 days to stop weeping. Be sure to apply ointment to the lash line area too by gently lifting the lid and gently and dabbing it on through the lashes.
During healing, please keep the area clean and do not apply any makeup to the eye area. The only thing that should come into contact with your tattoo during healing is the ointment supplied. It is possible for your tattoo to become infected if you do not follow proper aftercare hygiene.
You will achieve best results if you keep the liner out of the shower water for the entire healing. Swap to face cleansing wipes/ face washer for the healing of the liner so that the face isn’t getting wet (do not wipe the liner). Also try to limit your shower time as the healing tattoo can also absorb steam from the room.
Right now, and for the next couple of days your eyeliner will appear thicker/darker and different than your desired look. Colour and thickness will usually fade 20 to 40 percent.
For some the healed tattoo will appear perfect, whilst others will experience extreme fading and be initially disappointed. Please note that 3 to 4 weeks after your session you will see more colour coming back through. Immediately after the exfoliation has finished you may be a little disappointed as your brand-new skin appears opaque with a ‘cloudy’ appearance and will take 3 to 4 weeks to turn back to its normal transparency revealing your true healed result. Trust in the process : )
It's advised you avoid strenuous exercise for 24 hours pre procedure but most importantly a minimum of 4 days post procedure (in an ideal world, 7). The increase in blood flow can also push pigment from healing skin and the sweat from our skin contains salt. Salt will pull pigment from the skin resulting in poor retention. Steer clear of spending time in the sun or sauna, swimming in the ocean and pools. Using eye drops is also not recommended for a minimum of 4 days after.
You’ll be back in in around 5 weeks’ time for your perfecting session (free of charge with all first-time sessions) to make slight adjustments to your tattoo’s colour and/or shape. If proper aftercare is not taken after your initial first and second session, you may need to return for a third session (charged) to achieve desired results.
There may be a small charge at your free perfecting session if you, for instance decide to change your baby winged liner into a thicker liner. In a case like this, a re-draw/re-design will be necessary and the difference in cost between the two treatments would be charged (around $100). See www.mollyjtattoo.com for updated pricing.
12-24 month single session re-touches are recommended to keep your tattoo looking fresh. If you never re touch your eyeliner tattoo it will continue to fade out and after around 6-10 years may be completely gone. Oily skin drops pigment much faster than dry skin types. If you just had your 12-24 month re fresh this is just a single session with no perfecting required.
If you have oily skin, unfortunately you’ll probably find you will want to come in more often for re fresh sessions. Some clients need to come every 6 months while some can come every 3 years- with the majority coming in annually or every 1.5 yrs.
If you have any other question about the treatment that isn’t addressed here please click the ‘CONTACT’ page and you can find our email address and contact number.
HANDY TIPS TO KEEP YOUR LINER LOOKING DARKER AFTER HEALING AND BEYOND.
-Molly recommends getting blue/black lash tint every 4-6 weeks. If the lashes are nice and dark at the base it really helps to give that lash line a darker appearance. I actually ask my beautician to paint the tint onto my liner too, and for a few days after (sometimes a week) it actually stains and darkens the skin adding to the liner definition).
-There’s also a great fake tan tip I use often. Grab any dark fake tan, foam or liquid it doesn’t matter and pop some into a small tub, bowl or cap of the fake tan bottle (not a light tan or one meant for the face as it won’t show). If using a foam wait until it turns to liquid. Before bed, after your night-time cleansing etc grab a cotton bud and soak up the tan and run it along each eyeliner area, wait for it to dry and then do a second layer (I like to run it over the lid as well as liner area to give a bit of a shadow effect). The ‘orangey’ appearance of the tan really does help to counteract the bluey tones of the healed liner and bring it back to a warmer tone and to generally darken the whole area.
T E S T I M O N I A L S
