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Q&A

Hyperpigmentation - Your Questions, Answered.

Melasma- What is it?

Melasma if a form of hyperpigmentation can affect anyone. It generally affects patches of skin on the areas most exposed to the sun. The pigmentation pressents itself as brown or grey patches with an irregular pattern.

Melasma is caused by increased melanin in the skin, which reacts to UV light. It may have several triggers and is therefore difficult to "cure", our role is to help you reduce its appearance, maintain or manage your skin to get you the best results.

Your MELINE treatment will help to create you an even skin colour, however clients can find over time that their skin reverts to its patchy state after a break in treatment due to the high levels of Melanin in the skin and its hyper sensitivity to continued sun exposure. For this reason, to prolong the effects of your treatment, we recommend the use of a daily high SPF/Sunblock on areas which are exposed to the sun and a cream specific to your needs.

Melasma prevails among people with dark skin. While approximately only an 8,8% of Latin women are affected of Melasma, 40% of population have it in South Asia. It can be caused by the presence of melanocytes biologically more active in the affected skin instead of a simple increase of melanocytes. The incidence of melasma among the same members of a family suggests that there is also a genetic susceptibility. Sun exposure exacerbates this alteration probably because the positive regulation induced by ultraviolet radiation on melanocyte-stimulating cytokines.

In ethnic skins, the development of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentations (as it happens with affections of melasma) can be deposited only in the epidermis or in both, dermis and epidermis. It is mostly caused by acne, atopic dermatitis, irritant, allergic and/or contact dermatitis, trauma, psoriasis, lichen planus and drug eruptions.

Skin trauma or inflammation can either increase or reduce the production of melanocytes. It is believed that hyperpigmentation is caused by the activity of cytokines, mediators of inflammation and reactive oxygen species.

It is extremely important for dark -skinned people to use different methods to control and reduce the pigmentation. Ideal hypopigmenting agents should have a controlled and selective effect upon melanocytes not entailing any risks of adverse effects. These agents can act on many stages during the melanin production and degradation processes such as: tyrosinase transcription and activationtyrosinase related protein 1 (TRP-1), tyrosinase related protein 2 (TRP-2) and/or peroxidase; capitation and distribution of melanosomes among kerotinocytes; and melanosomic degradation and rotation of “pigmented” keratinocytes.

Meline caucasion and Ethnic skin fomulations have been developed with these skin differences in mind, to get great results.

Melasma Treatment with MELINE

@ Estetica Permanent Cosmetics

MELINE not only works to reduce the amount of pigmentation in the skin, but also contains inhibitors which block the formation of melanin in the dermis, which can help the pigmentation from returning.

Melanin becomes visible when it rises up from the dermis, into the epidermis. The MELINE treatment, a form of chemical peel, exfoliates the epidermis, whilst promoting cell renewal of healthy tissue.

With this treatment, every skin will react differently; some skins will see a mild peeling whilst others will see a deeper noticeable peeling which can last for approximately 1 week. We advise planning to work from home or planning your treatment around a period where you can keep contact to a minimum, should you feel self conscious about your appearance in this period.

For a few days, your Melasma patches may look darker than they did before- don't panic! This is normal, temporary and shows that your treatment is working. Before it peels away, the skin dehydrates, making the appearance of any dark patches darker. Once it exfoliates, your fresh skin will be lighter underneath.

Melasma Maintenance

We recommend the following three steps to keep your Melasma under control:

Complete the homecare section of your Meline Treatment after your in clinic treatment with Estetica Permanent Cosmetics. This is very improtant!
Daily use of broad spectrum, high SPF UVA and UVB sunscreen is essential to protect the skin from sun exposure and avoid the melanin cells being stimulated to create further pigmentation.
Cosmaceutical Skincare. Bin any "regular" face creams you use and use a product which works in the dermis as well as nourishing the epidermis. We recommend the Juliette Armand Brightening Cream, which helps to maintain an even skin tone, without bleaching the natural colour of your skin. We can order this in for you.

Permanent Makeup

Questions & Answers

"Do permanent cosmetic treatments hurt"?

This is one of the most common questions. Feeling nervous is quite natural if you do not know what to expect.

I work in such a way that you may feel a light scratching sensation at the start of your treatment. Following this, you should not feel much/anything for the rest of your treatment. You may experience slight discomfort.

Post COVID or COVID vaccinations, some clients have increased skin sensitivity so you may feel it a little more than you have in the past. Again, we keep you as comfortable as possible during your treatment. We always advise you to purchase some numbing cream - see this link to purchase from a good range of available creams.

"Will you shave off my eyebrows"?

No. If you have any existing brow hair, we will look to add to it rather than take away. We like to see your brows in their natural state so that we can assess the colour, position and direction of hair growth. Whilst creating your ideal shape, we aim long term to keep your maintenence to a minimum.

By this, we mean that we incorporate as much of your existing brow into the new shape as possible.

In cases where the natural brows are very uneven, we may need to remove some hairs to create better symmetry.

"Can I have a treatment whilst I am pregnant or breastfeeding"?

"Why do I need to keep my brows dry for a week after treatment"?

Whilst there is no evidence that Microblading or other permanent makeup treatments can be harmful to an unborn baby, insurance companies will not cover a technician to provide a treatment whilst pregnant or breastfeeding.

The key reasons are:

Hormones! They can play havoc with both the colour and also lead to poor retention. We don't like nasty surprises and we like you to get longevity from your treatment. We recommend waiting 12 weeks post partum or after you have finished breast feeding before having a treatment, in order to allow your hormones to settle.

Transfer of products. As pigment is being placed into the skin, there is a risk that pigment or numbing products may be absorbed into the body. We would not want to risk this being passed on to your baby directly or via your milk.

We take great care in placing the pigment into your skin to give you the healed results that you desire. Pigment is a powder, which is mixed with water and isopropyl alcohol, in order for us to implant it into the skin. Once implanted, the water is carried away by the body during the healing process,leaving the pigment suspended in the upper portion of the dermis.

Until the skin has superficially healed, sealing the colour underneath it, the colour can be pushed out in many ways:

washing, swimming, excessive sweating, wiping. Hairstrokes can be blurred by applying oily products.

The best way to describe this is: imagine that you have a paper cut on your hand. You are painting and get some blue paint over the cut. You wash your hands and there is no residue once the cut has healed.

Should you leave the paint on the area until the skin superficially heals over it, you would be left with a blue paper cut shaped tattoo.

Once your skin has exfoliated, the colour is protected by a fresh layer of epidermal tissue.

"What do I do with any stray hairs after I've had my brows done"?

We try to remove as little natural hair as possible when designing your brows (if you have any), to give you minimal maintenance. Where you have any hairs growing outside of your shape, they can simply be removed. Any method is fine, tweezing, waxing or using a facial razor. Just follow the shape we have created. Some ladies who only have a couple of hairs actually prefer to shave off their natural brow hair. Similarly where there are odd white hairs, there is no reason why you can't remove them if you want to. You are safe to tint any natural hairs once the brows have flaked away.

"Can Lip Tattooing cause Cold Sores? What should I do if I am prone to Cold Sores"?

No, Lip tattooing cannot cause Cold Sores. Cold Sores are caused by the Herpes Simplex virus. Once you have a Cold Sore, this Virus can lay dormant for years with no symptoms. Some people carry the virus without ever having had a Cold Sore.

Our machines are all barriered up and we use sterile wrapped single use cartridges. Everything else is single use and disposable so there is 0% chance of cross contamination from other clients.

However, Cold Sores can be stimulated by several things, for example changes in the weather, water, if you are run down, or any treatment in the lip areas. It can be common for Cold Sores to be triggered by a permanent makeup lip treatment. I have had clients who get no coldsores one year, an odd one another time, or several. You just can't anticipate it!

We recommend that if you have ever had a cold sore that you start a treatment 7 days prior to your procedure and for 7 days after. If your GP will not prescribe anything for you, then Zovirax usually does the trick!

Our customers have recommended a product called “Kickass Cold Sore Cream” which is made from natural ingredients and is vegan friendly. This has literally prevented breakouts from happening and is only £8 a tub and lasts for ages!

"I don't want big black slug eyebrows, What can I expect after my treatment"?

By now, you will probably have had a look at our portfolio and hopefully that has put your mind at rest! If not, our objective is to create you a brow which blends as closely as possible to your natural brow colour, or to a tone which suite your skin / hair colouring if you have no natural brows.

Each set of brows is designed using your natural proportions, a bespoke colour and shape to you. Our placement of hairstrokes can either give a sparse or a fuller look. If you are particularly nervous, we recommend booking in for a consultation only, where we can sketch you some brows on and you can walk around for the day getting used to them, before booking your appointment. The majority of people coming in for a consultation only end up booking there and then- sometimes it's just nice to meet the person you are trusting with your face and being put at ease.

Straight after your treatment, expect your brows to look "too dark and too thick". Permanent makeup shrinks by around 20% once the swelling has gone down, so this is short lived. The colour we select is designed to match your natural brow hair, once it is healed under 5 layers of epidermal tissue. Therefore when it is on the surface of the skin, it is going to look far more vivid than when it has the filter of your skin over the top!

2-3 days after treatment, your brows may look to go slightly darker as the skin starts its healing phase. It will then start to lighten and "flake away" like a paper cut or a cat scretch would. By 7-14 days, it may look although your eyebrows have disappeared- they are still there, however the healing layers of skin go opaque, hiding the colour beneath. In 4-6 weeks, once these layers of skin heal, your brows will magically reappear! Then we assess them at yoiur complimentary retouch appointment and make any little adjustments required.

PIERCING- YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

"Can I just pop in for a consultation or to buy Jewellery"?

All of our treatments and services are by appointment only

We work between clinics and have employed training responsibilities so we are not on the same premises every day.

When we are there, it is likely that we are fully booked as we are booked in advance and it can be unsafe for an interruption during treatment eg. we may have a needle part way through someone's skin. Some treatments take several hours and for some treatments we have clients who are partially clothed. It is unfair to break off from a person who has reserved their appointment and may not want to come into contact with anyone else.

You can book up to a year in advance; if you are wanting to see if we have anything available that day, please drop us a text message so that we can pick this up between clients and we will let you know if we can fit you in anywhere.

We only allow one person (plus parent/guardian if under 18) in at any time in order to avoid unnecessary contact.

"I have sensitive skin and am considering a piercing- what's the best material for me to use"?

Whilst most people are perfectly fine with surgical steel and a lot of piercers use this, we use and recommend implant grade titanium for all initial piercings. Although it is a little more costly to the piercer, it is a non reactive metal and there is nothing added to it. This means that any sort of sensitivity is very unlikely indeed. Gold and Silver are unsuitable for initial piercings. Both are alloys and are a combination of metals whereas titanium is a pure metal.

"Do you use needles or a gun for piercing? What is the best way"? I'm scared of needles.

We only use cannulas (needles) and we do not advocate guns for any sort of piercing. (If a piercer offers them for anywhere except lobes, decline the treatment)!

Guns create a blunt force trauma to the ear. This can cause throbbing, excess swelling, bruising and pain afterwards. To release the jewellery from the device, it requires sliding downwards. If the "bang" makes you jump the natural reaction is to pull the head away, pulling against the device. The studs are a standard length- ears are not standard. I have seen dozens of times, little ears which have earrings embedded inside them which require surgical removal as the earrings are too tight and have been swallowed by the body.

Similarly, if having both ears pierced at the same time sounds appealing- one slight movement and you get one earring too high and one too low. Again, we have seen this so many times ; removing, letting them heal and doing them properly.

Cannulas are a gentle way of doing the piercing, using a high quality material which is non irritating, easy to sleep in and easy to remove when the time comes.

We use a freeze spray to make your treatment more comfortable. There is no need for you to apply numbing cream this is not effective.

We do our piercings in such a way that you wont see the needle. We refer to them as cannulas or "special tubes" to help relax clients.

"How Should I Prepare for My Piercing"?

Have a light snack around an hour before. This helps to regulate your body sugar levels and prevents the feeling of faintness.

Tie back hair if possible so that we can get to your ears, or wear loose fitting clothing in the area we need to access.

Do not drink any alcohol- it thins your blood and your treatment is likely to hurt more. We will not pierce anyone who appears to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

"My Child is Very Nervous, What Should I Do"?

Before booking, Talk to them. Find out what they are nervous about and reassure them that we use "magic spray" and "special tubes" to keep them as comfortable as possible.

They will just be in a nice quiet room with you, not a busy shop with people watching them.

Be open and honest. They are going to feel a quick "pinch", but then they will have their earrings forever.

If your child is not ready, then you should wait until they are. We will not pin down any child or pierce their ears if they do not want it doing.

We recommend bringing a favourite teddy, tablet or something to help distract them.

We will put the child at ease and ask them if they are OK in our own way. We have years of experience with this and sometimes find that a parent can make a child more nervous by keeping on asking "are you sure you want to do this" and so on.

We reserve a half hour appointment for every piercing so we have plenty of time to talk through what to expect and ask any questions.

If the child changes their mind on the day, this is fine! However we will still make a charge for the appointment as we operate our costs off a fully booked diary and will be unable to fill this time otherwise. How much depends on whether we have already opened the cannulas, used anaesthetic etc.

If we get to the end of the half hour appointment and your child still has not decided, then it is not time and we ask you to rebook once they have had time to think about it fully. Again, our time is chargeable.

If the treatment becomes unsafe, for example lashing out, we will cease treatment immediately. Cannulas are exremely sharp and will go straight through an hand/arm or face; we won't put ourselves or your child at risk.

"I had my ears pierced elsewhere and I think it is embedded in my ear or infected, what should I do"?

You should seek advic from the person who did your piercing and ask them to take a look at it for you.

In the event that it was a high street chain and they do not offer any kind of aftercare support, you must seek advice from your GP or A&E department.

If an earring is embedded, it will require surgical removal.

If you suspect an infection, this will not go away on its own, it will require antibiotics which you should obtain from your GP.

Signs of infection include, redness, shiny appearance to skin, yellow/ green/ coloured discharge, skin hot and very sore to touch, swelling, smell. Sometimes accompanied by flu type symptoms.

"When can I change my piercing"?

Everone heals at a different rate- as a rule of thumb, if you can fiddle with it and it is not uncomfortable, then that is a good time to consider changing it.

When you do change (particularly cartilage piercings), they may flare up a little as you are disturbing them- step up your cleaning regime for a couple of weeks until they have settled.

General timescales:

Ears- can be changed after 6 weeks- they will still try to heal in the first year or so, so do keep something in them!

Cartilage- takes a good year to 18 months to fully heal. Leave for a minimum of 6 weeks, we recommend returning to your piercer to check on them and change for you, particularly where they are difficult to access.

Nipples/ Belly button- 6 weeks, Nipples can be changed down to shorter bars after 3 weeks if they are no longer sore- they are quite quick healers!

Lips- After 3 weeks, allow any swelling to subside you can change to a shorter bar then we recommend leaving it a further 6 weeks as they can swell when you fiddle with them!

Noses- our advice is to leave them as long as possible before changing them, a good few months at least. You will find if you remove it too early, the mucous membrane inside the nose can seem to move a bit so you can't get it back through. They do heal up VERY quickly once removed! It is harder for us to try and replace a nose piercing than it is for you to do it as we cannot "feel" the hole.

"Can you fit jewellery I have bought elsewhere"?

We only fit jewellery purchased from ourselves.

It is all sterilised and you will see that we hadle it with gloves.

In the past we have fitted jewellery which clients have brought in; some of it needs to be held by forceps and some jewellery has shattered. This could potentially cause injury to you or to us and we will not be responsible for the cost of breaking jewellery which has been purchased elsewhere

"Do you do Children's ear piercing"? From what age?

Yes we do. We have years of experience in finding the perfect placement and putting your child at ease, making it an enjoyable experience.

Age wise, there is no limit but we ask you only to bring children who want their ears piercing.

Whilst we recognise that this is common practice in some cultures to pierce very small babies' ears., we would prefer to wait until the child is able to hold its own head whilst sat or at least until 6 months old. The reasons being as a matter of safety; you may find that the baby's ears are still quite flat against the skull- some do not have lobes so this can make it difficult getting a needle out of the back and for holding the lobe with the clamp.

They will have little of an immune system, so if they were to get dirt into the wound by pulling at them etc, then they could become unwell.

Every child is different, so we leave it to you and your child to determine the right time.

We do reserve the right to refuse treatment on the grounds of safety.

The reservation fee is non refundable if you do not proceed for any reason- if the needles etc have already been opened and your child changes their mind the service is still chargeable as the equipment is un useable.

School holidays are incredibly busy so we suggest that you book well in advance to avoid disappointment!

Clinic / General Q&A

Is it safe to have Treatments due to the ongoing COVID pandemic?

Yes. Our clinics are some of the cleanest environments you can find yourself in.

We have always operated under strict hygiene standards and practices and infection control is nothing new here.
We wear gloves, face masks and other personal protective equipment for each treatment.
All of our equipment is single use and disposable; waste is securely bagged and incinerated.
Surgical instruments are cleaned, individually wrapped and sterilised in house.
Treatment rooms have always been, and will continue to be disinfected in between each and every client.

Additional measures in clinic to protect all of our customers and myself;

We allow one person at any time on the premises; in larger premises we have a designated waiting area should you require it.
We operate on a strictly "By Appointment" basis. Whatever the reason, we need you to book in advance.
All touch points eg door handles, light switches and the reception desk are sanitised between clients.
Paper towels replace conventional towels in the bathroom.
Any items which may be touched by more than one person, for example magazines and pens, have been removed.
We may ask you to wash your hands or use sanitiser prior to commencing treatment.

We respectfully ask that you bring a suitable face covering with you unless you have a medical reason not to do so. If you are experiencing any symptoms or have been in contact with anyone who has the symptoms of Covid-19 within the last 14 days, please rearrange your appointment.

In the event that we experience any symptoms, we will contact you to rearrange another suitable appointment date as soon as possible.

Is Parking Available? What About Accessibility?

Yes, we have free parking at each of our clinics.
At our Whittle le Woods clinic in Chorley, parking is directly outside the, or on street if parking is full. (Parking is shared with the tea room next door).
At our Leeds Swillington clinic, we have designated parking to the right of the clinic.

On an afternoon, if the Cafe next door is closed, you are welcome to park in front.
Halifax, here is on street parking and further parking up the side of the salon.

All of our clinics are on ground floor level . Wheelchair access at Chorley and Leeds, there is a step into the clinic at Halifax as it is situated on a hill.

Why Can't I Just Drop In?

All of our treatments and services are by appointment only

We work between clinics and have employed training responsibilities so we are not on the same premises every day.

When we are there, it is likely that we are fully booked as we are booked in advance and it can be unsafe for an interruption during treatment eg. we may have a needle part way through someone's skin. Some treatments last for hours and we may have people in who are partially clothed. It is unfair to break off from a person who has reserved their appointment and may not want to come into contact with anyone else. Our priority is the person on our couch who has paid for our time.

We can only work on one client at once. Therefore we only allow one person (plus parent/guardian if under 18) in at any time in order to avoid unnecessary contact.

We prefer that you do not bring children to your appointment. Our premises are relatively small and there is a lot of expensive equipment, glass cupboards etc. so it is not necessarily a child friendly environment. We have had one child break a piece of equipment which cost us £1200 to replace. If you have a child who is unable to remain where you ask them to stand, please make arrangements to have them looked after for the duration of your appointment.

Do you open Weekends? How Do I Contact You?

We are closed on Sundays, Saturday afternoons and Bank Holidays. We work 6 days a week - we do have caring and other work commitments on a weekend.

Our Online Booking system https://epc.as.me allows you to book in for any of our services 24/7 and shows all available appointments. Please use this in the first instance before contacting us regarding appointments.

We work Saturday mornings at our Chorley clinic, by appointment.

You can contact us by phone, text, email or Facebook Messenger. If it is outside of normal business hours (9-5 Monday -Friday), whilst we make every effort to get back to you as soon as we can, we are not a 24 hour service therefore it may be the next working business day before we get back to you.

Please do be respectful of this if you are messaging enquiring about services at 3am- there is plenty of information online for basic enquiries eg. "Do you do nose piercing" without the need to message us.

Do I need to pay a Deposit? How do I rearrange my appointment?

All appointments require a non refundable booking fee at the time of booking, in order to secure your appointment. This is deducted from the balance of your treatment.

Our journey to work takes a couple of hours each direction and we often pay for hotels overnight, which we need to book in advance to keep costs down. When clients do not turn up, not only does this cause lost income, it also puts us out of pocket for coming to work which is not sustainable.

For this reason, we need to know who is coming and when, so that we can advertise any availablae appointments. We keep our prices down by operating on a full diary. The number of no shows is greatly reduced when people pay booking fees.

If your booking fee has not been received and someone else needs an appointment, we reserve the right to give them the time you had reserved. We will cancel your booking online in this instance and you will receive an email notification. To avoid this, please send your booking fee at the time of booking.

Details of where to send your booking fee is contained within your confirmation email, which is received immediately upon booking.

Should you need to cancel or rearrange your appointment, please do this using the red button at the bottom of your confirmation email. If rearranged over 2 weeks before your appointment, your booking fee will roll forwards to your new appointment. Within two weeks a new booking fee will become payable to secure the new booking- some appointments are harder to fill than others.

Q&A