What is SPMU Lip Blushing?

Lip Blushing is a form of semi-permanent makeup that enhances and defines both the natural shape and color of a client’s natural lips. It can also be used to help mask scars and imperfections of the lips and to create asymmetry.

Is lip blushing for me?

It is for you if:

You have pale natural lips
You want to redefine the contours of your lips
You want to achieve a fuller lip look without fillers.

How is the Lip Blushing service performed?

The technique is performed using a SPMU machine and pigment designed for the technique which provides a subtle, matte, natural-toned, tint effect as the final result.

***(It’s important to be aware that Lip Blushing will not provide a solid lipstick look but rather a tint effect).

Does it hurt?

During the treatment, anesthetics will be used to minimize the pain by numbing your lips. Lips are prone to swelling due to their sensitive nature. Swelling will typically subside in 3-5 days. If you are allergic to any anesthetic product, be sure to speak directly to your aesthetician prior to your SPMU treatment.

How long does the treatment take?

The first treatment takes approximately 2-3 hours, the 6-8 week follow-up is about 1.5-2 hours.

How long will it last?

Your Lip Blushing will last anywhere from 1-3 years depending on your skin type, lifestyle, and aftercare of your lips.

What will I look like immediately after?

There will be swelling typically for the first 24-48 hours. The swelling starts going down right away and most people are back to normal by the following morning, plan on 48 hours of staying low key to be safe! The color will appear bright or darker the first week, but will gradually scab and lighten.

What can I expect after the treatment?

If your lips are kept clean and moisturized then only a thin film (not a scab) will appear. The film will start peeling off by itself around day 3 and may not exfoliate evenly. During this time, your lips may feel tight, cracked, chapped, and itchy as the flakes are sloughing away. Leave the film alone; picking will cause irritation, can lead to scars, and will lift color from the treated area resulting in unevenness and blank spots. Let the area heal naturally for best results and keep your lips moisturized at all times to help soothe and heal them. The color implanted will fade by 50-60% during the first healing process.

While the film is peeling, it may seem as though the treatment hasn't worked well. The color may look weak or it may seem as though the pigment has disappeared. Why? Lip Blushing is not as deep as a 'normal' tattoo - your new healing skin is covering the pigment and when your skin and the pigment start to settle (between weeks 2-4), you'll notice that your lip blushing treatment starts coming back. It didn't disappear at all; it was just harder to see through a thicker layer of healing skin. If the color is still weak/patchy at weeks 5-6, don't worry! This is a delicate SPMU treatment to heal and that is why we do 2 sessions.

Healing is specific to each client and it’s important to realize that you’ll need a color boost every 12 / 18 / 24 months to maintain the vibrancy of your lip blushing treatment. Your lifestyle choices, age, genetics, and skin type will contribute to the retention of your lip blushing treatment. If you regularly bite your lips, use lip exfoliator, use tanning beds, sunbathe, don't use sun protection, smoke, use anti-aging products (on your lips), or get your lips filled after having a lip blushing treatment, your color WILL fade faster and you’ll need more regular touch-up applications.

SPMU is an art, not a science. Your results will vary and using lip liner, lip gloss or lipstick may still be needed, especially when wearing heavy coverage makeup. This is not necessarily a no-maintenance treatment, but a low-maintenance treatment.

SPMU: Lip Blushing Pre + Post Care

It is highly recommended that you follow OOLAN Studio Pre & Post Care instructions to ensure the best possible results and longevity of your SPMU treatment. This information acts as a guideline only. We cannot guarantee results. Each client's skin responds differently both in how long it takes to heal and the number of sessions needed for color retention and desired results. It is important that you take good care of your lips while healing and beyond.

SPMU: Lip Blushing Pre-Care

Pre-care instructions MUST BE STRICTLY FOLLOWED to limit bleeding and skin sensitivities during the service. Excessive bleeding and sensitivity during the treatment will dilute and expel the pigment color and lead to poor results.

If you are prone to cold sores, it is recommended to take a regimen of Valtrex or Lysine prior to the treatment to avoid an outbreak.
- You MUST contact your physician for a prescription of an antiviral medication Valtrex, Zovirax, or other anti-viral pre and post treatment to help prevent a herpes outbreak, especially if you have ever had chickenpox, fever blisters, or cold sores. There are absolutely no exceptions to this rule. Start taking the medication 2 days prior and continue for 2 days post-treatment.
The skin must be free of all irritations including blemishes, eczema, and psoriasis.
Must not be on Accutane medication for one year prior to getting a Cosmetic SPMU Treatment.

You must wait 6 weeks after getting lip fillers, it is possible to have poor color retention in lips that have had collagen injections within 6 weeks, and within a year of Restylane. There is the risk of pigment migration along the lip line if you have had Restylane. If you plan on getting lip fillers after your treatment, you must wait at least 6 weeks.

Stop taking Fish Oil, Vitamin C, Glucosamine, Evening Primrose Oil, or Ginger one week prior to your appointment as they thin the blood and prevent the pigment from implanting correctly. If you continue to use these the healed result may be patchy.

Discontinue the use of any anti-aging, skin brightening, or anti-acne skincare products. Particularly those that contain Alpha Hydroxy (AHA), Vitamin A, Retinol. Ideally, do not use these products for 30 days prior to your appointment. Even if you do not use it near the area to be treated the product does spread under your skin and your cosmetic SPMU treatment will heal patchy. Once your SPMU treatment has healed under the skin surface (approximately 6 weeks following your final session) you may resume your usual skincare routine.

Do not schedule any facials, microdermabrasion, microneedling, peels, or laser treatments for at least 4 weeks prior to your appointment.
No lip fillers for at least 3 weeks prior to your appointment.

Must wait 6 months after a lip implant.

Please avoid any type of blood-thinning medication, and supplement for a minimum of 72 hours prior to your treatment unless is unsafe to do so for your health. Please ask your doctor before stopping these types of medications. Such as: Ibuprofen, Aspirin, Advil, Niacin, Voltaren or Indocid. As well as Supplements, Prenatal Vitamins, Vitamin E or Nutritional Shakes. Only Tylenol is recommended if you have a low pain tolerance.

Do not work out on the day of the treatment.

Avoid sun tanning or tanning beds for 2 weeks prior to treatment. If you show up to your appointment with a sunburn you will need to reschedule and will forfeit your deposit. As your skin exfoliates from sunburn it will take the pigment. Tanned skin is damaged skin, and your color will not heal properly.

Scars from surgery or injury must be healed for at least one year prior to service.

Do not drink alcohol 24 hours prior to your treatment

Do not consume coffee or other caffeine products 24 hours prior.

Please note that you will be more sensitive during your menstrual cycle.
Please get plenty of rest and drink lots of water to hydrate prior to treatment.

** NOT FOLLOWING PRE-CARE WILL RESULT IN FORFEITING YOUR APPOINTMENT AND DEPOSIT **

SPMU: Lip Blushing Post-Care

WHAT TO EXPECT IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE TREATMENT?

The color will look bold like lipstick immediately after. Your lips will look slightly larger than normal as if you may have had a lip filler injection. This will only last a day or two. The size of your lips will shrink back to normal and the color will significantly fade up to 50% within the first 3 days. You will lose color on the inside of your lips first, the edges last.

A crust that forms will start to flake away revealing a lighter and more natural color.

In many cases, the client may wish to go darker on their follow-up appointment. It is always best to air on the side of caution on the first treatment. It is easy to add more color, but not to remove it.

Lips will be tender at first. Drink through a straw. Choose foods you can place in your mouth with a fork without touching the lips.

Day of Appointment (Day 1)

You may apply an ice pack (which must be protected with a clean wet barrier film of paper toweling, towel, or cloth) for 10-minute intervals for the first 24 hours. Ice may be applied every hour or so if desired. Do not put ice directly on the area.

(Days 1 - 10)

The treated area may experience the following symptoms for 1 to 10 days after the treatment, which are all common and will dissipate in a short period of time.

Swelling and redness.
Tenderness.
Flaking and mild itchiness as the lips heal.
Dry skin that may remain for up to 3 weeks.

In the first 12-48 hours, while the skin is in the process of forming a protective scab and the lymph secretion is active you may see fluid or ooze on the skin. This is normal but the fluid must be patted with a water wet-wipe and dried with a clean paper towel so that the secretion does not crust and block the skin from breathing.

Keep the lips clean at all times and moisturized with the ointment provided. Try not to disturb the crust when cleaning and let it fall off by itself. Lips will ooze for a couple of days.

To cleanse the lips please use the water wipes provided to compress each morning, midday, and at night. Each time after cleaning and several times a day apply a thin layer of the ointment provided to your lips with a Q-tip or clean hands with a light touch. This will reduce the risk of secondary infection and should be done for at least 7 days post-treatment. Do not allow lips to become dry. This may interfere with healed color. Do not use aggressive movements on the skin, be gentle. NEVER put ointment on a wet or damp SPMU treatment.

Lips will peel for a week. Allow them to flake off on their own. Picking and pulling off skin that is not ready to come off will cause pigment loss and can pull out deeper tissue. The edges or lip liner will be the last to fall off. Pulling this off will result in an uneven splotchy line or an indented scar.

During the peeling process, it may look like there is not much color there. Color is more apparent by the second week and will continue to clarify throughout the next 5 weeks.

The following must be avoided:

Do not rub, scratch, pick or peel, as the color may heal unevenly and you could risk infection, which in turn could lead to scarring. Let any scabbing or dry skin naturally exfoliate away on its own.

Do not excessively stretch lips by smiling big or puckering lips as with smoking while they are healing. Those motions push and pull against the lip edges, applying tension and friction between the strong normal skin surrounding the mouth and the broken inflamed lip edges. The skin on our lips is a continuation of the delicate mucous membrane in the mouth. It is not strong like normal skin.

For at least 5 days, please do not consume any hot drinks or food. The hotness can result in the pigment fading faster and your lips will peel.
Avoid direct sun exposure/tanning or tanning beds for 4 weeks after the treatment. Wear a hat when outdoors and/or big sunglasses.

No smoking while your lips are healing (approximately one week).
No kissing, rubbing, or friction on the treated area until it is totally healed or you will risk loss of pigment.

Avoid heavy sweating, exercise, sports, swimming, sauna, steam rooms, jacuzzi, and long hot showers for 10 days.

You can get your lips wet (i.e. when washing your face/mouth) but please do not get any hot water near your lip area. In other words, do not soak your face underwater in a bathtub or allow the shower to spray directly on your face. When showering make sure you avoid direct water pressure on the treated area for 10 days. You may apply Vaseline or Aquaphor to cover and help protect your lips.

Avoid use of skincare or cosmetics on the treated area (be careful when using your foundation or powders.)

Refrain from using cleansing creams or moisturizers that contain Retin-A, glycol acids, anti-acne ingredients, AHA’s/BHA’s on the worked area.

Avoid eating hot, spicy, salty, and acidic foods for the first 2 weeks and drink liquids through a straw for 3 days. While eating, do not constantly wipe your lips with a napkin or keep licking your lips as this will impede the healing process.

For 10 days, avoid using toothpaste products with whitening properties as this can also bleach the color in your lips.

Do not receive bleaching, waxing, electrolysis or laser hair removal treatments close to your SPMU treatment for at least 2 weeks.

Avoid using anti-aging products, exfoliants, and acids such as glycolic acid, alpha-hydroxy acids lactic acid, salicylic acid, fruit acid and Vitamin A on the SPMU treatment area for 30 days. (Causes premature fading)

Use a fresh pillowcase. Avoid sleeping on your face or disturbing your SPMU treatment for the first 10 days.

Do not schedule any facials, microdermabrasion, microneedling, peels or laser treatments for at least 4 weeks. They can darken/lighten or distort the pigment.
No facials or masks for 15 days, and avoid them in the lips area indefinitely.

Avoid drinking alcohol in excess, as it may lead to slow healing of wounds.
No Neosporin, Vaseline, or other petroleum products while your lips are healing.

Do Not use Blistex, Carmex or Chapstick while healing.

Avoid driving in open-air vehicles such as convertibles, boats, bicycles, or motorcycles.

Do not perform tasks related to heavy household cleaning such as; garage or storage cleaning where there is a lot of airborne debris–now is not the time!

Do not have cosmetic injections on your lips for at least 4 weeks after your follow-up appointment.

NOTE:

All treatments must HEAL, PEEL and FADE! The approximate healing period is 10 days, however, healing can be prolonged if your immune system is compromised, if you are generally stressed and if you have a poor diet.

Clients with sun damage, scar tissue (from injury or fever blisters), and clients with implants may not have strong results.

Hyperpigmentation can happen on any lip client without warning.

Until your skin sloughs off and regenerates you will not be able to see true results. It takes 28 days for the skin to slough off and regenerates itself. Keep in mind that even with proper care, some areas may look uneven or patchy. It is absolutely normal because your natural skin regeneration is not a process that you, your artist, or anyone can control. This is the purpose of the follow-up scheduled at 6-8 weeks from the initial session -- is to fine-tune your enhancement and assure that richness of color, symmetry, density in the shape, and desired effect is achieved.

Healed results vary per individual client. We have no control over what occurs during the healing process. Lips are a muscle and will need 1 to 3 sessions to complete the process of this treatment. Lips are unpredictable. Some clients will yield to a strong healed lip color. Others will only heal with slight color uptake. This will vary on an individual basis. If more than one follow-up session is needed, additional charges will apply.
You can resume wearing lipstick once lips are healed. It is advised to use a new lipstick after all lip treatments.

Following the proper post-care is necessary to achieve the best results. When scheduling an appointment for a cosmetic SPMU treatment, keep in mind the healing time of the treatment will depend on your body’s regeneration, age, immune system and lifestyle.

Long Term Care

You’ll find that your cosmetic SPMU treatment will last between 1 - 3 years after your follow-up session.

Future Touch-up Application appointments are required to maintain their shape and depth of color. If you do not maintain, the color will lighten over time. Fading greatly depends on your skin type, lifestyle, sun exposure, pigment color used, broken capillaries, and iron deficiency. We suggest that if you want to maintain your lips so that they always look their best, plan on scheduling a Touch-up Application once a year for best results.
Use good sunscreen on the lips if you plan to be in the sun for a prolonged period of time. Sun exposure will fade your cosmetic SPMU treatment over time. Smokers, “sun worshippers”, or anyone with skin that is in a state of distress may have less desirable results. Sun exposure will make the color fade faster. A lip balm with SPF applied daily on the SPMU treatment area is needed to help keep the color true.

If you are planning a chemical peel, laser procedure, or MRI scan, inform the technician of your cosmetic SPMU treatment since there is iron oxide in the pigments. Careful application must be taken to avoid affecting the SPMU treatment area. If you are planning to have laser treatments, tell your laser specialist to avoid the pigmented area. Laser may cause pigment to turn black.

The use of Retin-A/Tretinoin, hydroquinone or any other rapid skin exfoliation used regularly on any area surrounding the brow area will cause your cosmetic SPMU treatment to fade prematurely.

The use of chemical peels, acid peels, or any brightening product that targets hyper-pigmentation used regularly can cause SPMU treatments to fade prematurely.
The use of exfoliating cleansers, scrubs, cleansers with acne-fighting ingredients, or “acid” in the name will cause rapid exfoliation of the skin containing the pigment and will increase odds of premature fading.

If during the healing process you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact OOLAN Studio.