Permanent Makeup Aftercare: The First 14 Days, Day by Day

Every client leaves with an aftercare sheet, and every client has the same two questions the next morning: is this normal, and can I wash it. This guide answers both in the order the days arrive, using the studio’s own care rules, so the first two weeks hold no surprises.

Days 1–2: clean, dry, hands off

Keep the area clean and dry for the first 24 hours, and do not touch, rub, scratch or pick — that rule runs for the whole fortnight. Redness, dryness, sensitivity and some tenderness are the normal state of the first days. Lips swell on days one and two; eyelids swell slightly and feel tender after liner work, and it settles on its own. Colour looks stronger and sharper now than it ever will again, which is the stage that alarms people who expected day one to be the finished result.

Days 3–7: the flaking week

This is the week the surface lets go. Brows flake lightly around days four to seven; lips flake on days three to five and want balm two or three times a day. Brows are cleaned gently once or twice daily. The temptation is to help the flakes along — do not. No peeling, no exfoliating, no picking, because whatever comes away early takes pigment with it. As the flaking passes the colour softens: brows settle roughly 30–40 % lighter than they looked on day one.

The flake that comes off on its own leaves colour behind. The one you pull off takes it with it.

Days 7–14: the quiet stretch

Visible healing runs 5 to 14 days depending on the area — brows and lash line at the short end, lips and paramedical areas longer. Through this stretch the rules are about what you do with the rest of your body:

• No swimming, saunas, steam rooms, hot tubs or sweating for 7–10 days. That includes the gym.
• No sun exposure or tanning for 2–4 weeks.
• Eyes stay dry for 10 days, with no eye makeup or mascara for the same ten days, and no lash serums for eight weeks.
• Only approved aftercare products, used as directed. Nothing improvised.

Lips have a stage of their own in here: the colour can nearly vanish before it returns. The true colour settles within 10–28 days, and the lip healing timeline walks through that week by week so it does not read as failure.

By area, in one place

• Brows. Clean gently 1–2× daily; expect light flaking days 4–7; colour softens 30–40 %.
• Lips. Balm 2–3× daily; swelling days 1–2; flaking days 3–5; true colour within 10–28 days.
• Eyes. Keep dry 10 days; no eye makeup or mascara 10 days; no lash serums 8 weeks.
• Areola. Keep clean and dry; avoid pressure and friction on the area.
• Scar and stretch mark camouflage. Healing varies with the tissue, and most areas need more than one session, spaced about 6–8 weeks apart.

When the final colour can be judged

Not at two weeks. The end of visible healing is not the end of healing: pigment keeps settling underneath, and the studio evaluates results only after that. The points at which each area is actually finished are 4–6 weeks for brows and eyeliner, 5–6 weeks for lips and 6–8 weeks for camouflage work. Areola work is judged at 8–12 weeks. The perfecting session is planned for that same point, once the first pass has fully settled — and it is billed separately from the first appointment.

When to contact a physician

Normal is redness, dryness, flaking, sensitivity and temporary colour changes. Not normal is signs of infection, increasing pain, fever or an allergic reaction — for any of those, seek medical attention rather than waiting for the next appointment. The Southern Nevada Health District’s Body Art Program can also be reached at (702) 759-0677 or bodyart@snhd.org. The full pre-care and aftercare rules, including the booking terms, are on the care and policies page.