For Sarah, life is all about trying things out and being able to change your mind. After having permanent lip and eyebrow tattooing, she decided it was time to remove. This is her story.
I had my eyebrows microbladed four years ago, and I was very happy with them. Over those four years I had yearly touch ups, but when your skin ages the microbladed eyebrow hairs can get quite blurred. That was beginning to happen with my eyebrows. I wanted to have the microblading removed so that I could have the treatment redone to more appropriately suit my age and skin.
I also had semi-permanent lip tattooing. After I had my lips done, I came out and I thought, “well, that's looking a bit brighter than I thought.” I phoned up the lady that did them. “Do I need an emergency removal?” I asked. “No, no, no. It’ll be fine,” she said. “It'll fade.” But it didn’t. The colour didn’t turn out as I wanted, it ended up being too pink and too dark. It was like I had lipstick on permanently, which to some people is the whole idea of lip tattooing. But when you have no other makeup on at all, like when you get out of the shower, you have a bright pink mouth and it looks quite strange. My children started to look up to me and ask, “Why do you have lipstick on all the time?”
I decided to look into removing both. I spoke to ten companies to see if they could do it but they said if they tried, the pigment would turn grey or black. They weren’t prepared to do a proper removal. Before NAAMA, I didn’t see anywhere else offering eyebrows and permanent makeup removal in a safe way.
“The colour lifted pretty much immediately. I went to the bathroom and had a little tear fall. It was like looking in the mirror and having the old me back.”
Did you try any removal options before coming to NAAMA?
I thought the colour intensity on my lips was going to fade away on its own, but it didn’t. So I started experimenting by myself. I'd go in the sun thinking maybe that will help lighten it. I tried exfoliating my lips on an hourly basis and nothing. I used a salt-like treatment on my lips that’s meant to peel off over the next few days. It's very painful; far more painful than the laser. It didn't do anything in the end. It was all still there.
How did you find NAAMA?
Coming to NAAMA was just so quick and easy. I came in and did a patch test. They did it on the corner of my mouth. It was absolutely fine. Then one of the consultants, Verity, did a full treatment on my lips and the colour lifted pretty much immediately. I went to the bathroom afterwards and had a little tear fall from my eye. It was like looking in the mirror and having the old me back.
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What advice would you give to someone thinking about tattoos or permanent makeup?
I think everyone should have the opportunity to try it if they want. For me, what becomes dangerous is not being able to reverse the process if you choose - which is why I think what NAAMA offers is so important. Sometimes the decisions we make are impulsive. I know plenty of women who've had big lower back tattoos and all the rest of it in the 90s, and today they really regret it. They feel they can’t be naked in front of their partners or they can't wear bikinis or swimsuits because they’re embarrassed about their tattoo; it's not in style now with what everybody has because tattoos tend to follow trends. They signify a moment in time. In life, people need to be able to try things out. But they also need to be able to have the opportunity to reverse if they need to.
Do you think it’s revolutionary to have a service like NAAMA that can make changing your mind a reality?
Yeah, massively. I know it can sound ridiculous to say reversing the colour of your lips is life changing, but these are the things people are self-conscious about. The mouth is one of the most visible parts of the body. It’s on your face. That’s why it’s great to have the opportunity to change your mind.
How have you found your removal journey?
The experience with NAAMA is excellent. You want it to be a nice experience as well as one that works for you, and NAAMA was both for me. Everybody is so kind, friendly and polite. When you go for a service where you're talking about something that makes you feel quite vulnerable, you’re extra sensitive to how people treat you in that space. If you walk into somewhere and the receptionist is a little bit snooty or somebody isn't friendly to you while they're treating you, it can be difficult to deal with. At NAAMA, everyone is really friendly, chatty and lovely. You can tell when you come in that it’s a high-end service. You feel protected and safe in the clean space.
Sarah's progress
Before treatment
Sarah's bright and pink lip blushing before her treatment.
After 2 sessions
The ink pigment has gone and lips are back to their natural shape and colour.
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