Made up without the hassle...

By Liz McGathey, Staff writer
Monday, February 16, 2009 12:21 PM CST

It’s a woman’s dream come true -- to wake up in the morning and not have to deal with most of the items in her makeup bag. That’s where the now safe and accepted practice of permanent cosmetics comes in.

Jenny, a sixteen-year-old client of aesthetician Erika Seamayer, lost all her hair due to alopecia. Seamayer tattooed eyebrows and eyeliner on Jenny. Submitted photos

Erika Seamayer of Tyler Laine Studio in Dallas will host a Permanent Cosmetics Event at Plano Aesthetics from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Feb. 25.

Seamayer, an aesthetician of 17 years, has been doing permanent cosmetics for about 12 years and has been teaching the practice for 11 years. Seamayer treats several different features of the body including eyebrows, eyeliner, lip color and enhancement and areola restoration after mastectomy.

She said the clients’ reasons for getting makeup tattooed varies depending on the person. Many get it solely for cosmetic reasons n fair-skinned people with light hair and eyes, women with thinning brows and lips due to age. There are also medical reasons including scars, vitiligo (a condition that causes skin pigment changes) and hair loss due to cancer treatment or alopecia.

“I had a girl named Jenny who had alopecia when she was 16 and she lost all of her hair. That was an unbelievable experience for me. I did her eyebrows and eyeliner. She looked so beautiful,” Seamayer said. “I saw the impact when I went to see her perform and she was introducing me to people saying ‘this is Erika.’ I remember thinking ‘what did she say, why is that a big deal?’ That was one of the neatest moments of my life because she had been telling people what it meant to her. That’s what keeps me going.”

Jenny, now 20, has regrown her hair.

The process of implanting the color can be uncomfortable but rarely painful because Seamayer uses a combination of two topical anesthetics.

“It can be uncomfortable but I found a way to coach people through it,” she said. “I tell them ‘you’ll want to hit me now then you’ll want to hug me later.’”

After buffing the skin, Seamayer applies the first anesthetic and, after each pass with the needle, applies a second. Once she approaches the home stretch, Seamayer lets the client see the results so far, which helps them get through the rest of the procedure.

Due to years of experience, Seamayer said she can usually judge the right shapes and colors to keep clients’ features appear natural because each person is different.

The procedure has continually grown in popularity because now that the hype has died down, less aestheticians perform it and more people are realizing it’s a safe, sensible way to save time, Seamayer said.

“It just makes sense,” she said. “A lot of doctors are doing it and people are trusting it more.”

Instead of using a traditional tattoo gun, she prefers a pen-style machine for its silence and less intimidating appearance. However, like tattoo parlors, Seamayer is held to strict regulations.