Your Questions Answered
PRE-APPOINTMENT PROTOCOL:
No alcohol, CAFFEINE (that means your coffee/tea the morning of!), or anti-anxiety/depression medication 24 hours prior to your appointment. No fish oil, anticoagulants or blood thinning drugs/supplements/vitamins 4 days prior to your appointment. This includes (but is not limited to): warfarin (Coumadin), aspirin, and clopidogrel bisulfate (Plavix), ibuprofen/Advil, rivaroxaban (Xarelto), dabigatran (Pradaxa), apixaban (Eliquis), heparin, etc. Arnica is a great supplement to take prior to the procedure to reduce any swelling. Your appointment will be rescheduled, and you will lose your deposit for failure to follow the pre-appointment preparation protocol.
Q: What are the regulations for Permanent Makeup services?
A: The state of Colorado requires that only a licensed esthetician or cosmetologist be permitted to perform this service. In addition, the technician must have completed a 132-hour Permanent Makeup Certification course through a state recognized school. This training covers the fundamentals of cosmetic tattooing for brows, eyes, and lips. The art of Microblading typically isn't covered (extensively, or at all) in this state training. So additional intensive Microblading training is needed to be able to perform this service. There are many 3-day intensive Microblading Certification courses offered, however there are no state requirements regulating/approving these national and international trainers. So it's imperative to complete this training with a highly reputable trainer in the PMU community.
Q: Why choose The Hive Salon Denver?
Rio , not only has the minimum state requirements to legally perform this service, but also has extensive training and experience specifically in the art of Microblading. At a minimum, he is a licensed cosmetologist, and has completed the 132-hour Permanent Makeup Certification training with a state recognized school - Beauty Mark Skincare & Permanent Makeup by Erla Trujillo. In addition, the training he has that supersedes the minimum requirements includes two additional Microblading Certifications from Brows by Linnie Brows Slayers Class
In addition to taking the necessary precautions in relation to blood borne pathogens, we have also added increased precautions in relation to COVID-19. Our stations are set 6+ feet apart, and our technicians wear gloves and masks for the duration of your service. We also require everyone present in the shop to wear a mask at all times, in order to keep our clients and technicians safe.
We are professionals and take our job seriously. We have built a beautiful & safe space to perform these life-changing services for our clients. Our policies & protocols are in place for numerous reasons: 1) To make sure our clients can make an educated decision when booking a service, 2) to ensure our clients arrive to their appointment in an optimal state to receive this service, and 3) to make sure The Hive is the right fit for you. We understand that our policies & protocols are strict - they are there to protect both our artists and our clients, as well as to ensure that everyone's time is valued and respected. We may not be the right fit for everyone. So please consider this when deciding on the right provider for you.
Q: Who is not a good candidate for Permanent Makeup?
If you are pregnant, or plan on getting pregnant in the near future (we can perform this service if you are nursing)
If you are unable or do not intend to come back for your followup session and any additional touchups necessary
If you have any condition that compromises your immune system, and are not able to take antibiotics in the event of an infection
If your skin is highly compromised (i.e. very thin/fragile & irritated, recently sunburned, or displaying symptoms of some kind of reaction/irritation/outbreak/herpes flareup)
If you are unable to or do not intend to read/follow the Pre/Post Procedures & Care
If you are under 18 years of age
Q: When should I schedule my Touch Up?
A Touch Up should be scheduled within 4-8 weeks of your original appointment. We recommend logging onto our website a month after scheduling your initial session in order to successfully schedule your followup appointment within the 5-8 week window. Appointments that occur after 8 weeks will be subjected to an increase in price. We do not guarantee availability. It’s up to you to make sure you’re scheduling your followup and additional touchups ahead of time as instructed. Arriving to your initial session having not scheduled your followup is against our recommendations - we likely won’t be able to get you back in for your followup within our 8 week window.
Q: What should I do before my appointment? PLEASE READ!
Avoid any blood thinning medications at least 72 hours prior to your appointment. This includes Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Vitamin E, Niacin, and fish oil supplements.
DO NOT DRINK ANY ALCOHOL OR CAFFEINE WITHIN 24 HOURS OF YOUR APPOINTMENT! (this includes decaf coffee/tea)
If you've been on the prescription drug Accutane (or similar, please do your research!) in the past, you must wait 1 year after stopping the drug before getting this procedure.
Discontinue the use of any Retin-A, AHA, or skin lightening products for 7 days prior to your appointment.
Avoid sun and tanning bed exposure 30 days prior and after your procedure. When your skin heals and sluffs off after a sunburn, your pigment will be lost with it. If you come to your appointment with a fresh tan or sunburn, you will be forced to forfeit your appointment and your deposit.
If you have a history of cold sores, please be advised that we are unable to tattoo you if you have one the day of your procedure. So if you discover one prior to your appointment, whether that’s days before or the day of, and you are unsure if it will be gone in time for your session, please contact us, preferably via email, IMMEDIATELY so that we can get you rescheduled as soon as possible. You will not lose your deposit, and you will not be charged a fee, as this is an unforeseeable extenuating circumstance. If you tend to get cold sores on a regular basis, we’d recommend consulting your primary care physician a week prior to possibly be prescribed Valtrex to reduce the chance of a breakout the day of, as well as after your procedure.
QUESTIONS THE DAY OF
Q: What should I do before I come in?
If you normally fill in your eyebrows and want this style to be considered, please come to your appointment with them filled in. We want to take your preferences into consideration when deciding on a shape that you will be comfortable with.
Avoid taking any blood thinning medications the day of. This includes Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Vitamin E, Niacin, and fish oil supplements.
DO NOT DRINK ANY CAFFEINE (INCLUDING DECAF TEA/COFFEE) THE MORNING OF YOUR APPOINTMENT!
If you have an active cold sore when you wake up the day of your procedure, please contact us via email immediately so we can reschedule your appointment as soon as possible. We are unable to tattoo you that day, but will do our best to reschedule you once your cold sore has fully healed.
Q: How long is the procedure?
A: Depending on the service, the initial appointment is roughly 3 hours. When you arrive, we immediately numb the area for 20 minutes and discuss any questions or concerns, as well as any preferences you have regarding the final outcome. Then, we will draw an outline that will be our guide during the procedure to stay within - you will also have the opportunity to request any changes to the stencil to meet your preferences. For Microblading, the color we will use is intended to heal to match the color of any existing brow hair, so there's a seamless blend between the tattooed strokes and your existing brows. For Eyeliner and Lips, we will discuss your preferences and provide you with our professional opinion on how to best achieve your desired results. The tattooing itself usually takes around an hour and half, but we recommend allowing for a full 3 hours to complete the procedure. Appointments can sometimes run longer if the artist deems it necessary, so we recommend not having any time-sensitive commitments immediately following your procedure.
Q: Do I need to come in with my brows tinted and waxed?
A: That depends. If you come in with them tinted, you will likely have to keep tinting them year-round as we’ll be working with and around the existing hairs. Once the tint wears off, it could leave you with some patchiness where there's no pigment. We would prefer to tweeze them, based on the shape we decide together. But if you regularly get your eyebrows shaped and tinted and wish to do so before your appointment, please do so at least 3 days prior.
Q: Can I wear makeup to the appointment?
A: Please do not wear any foundation, heavy eye makeup, or lipstick to your appointment. While we allow for brow makeup if there's a specific shape you're looking for, we do remove it prior to the procedure. Our technicians often gently rest their hands on various parts of the face while they work, so it's inevitable the rest of your makeup will be smeared during the process. We want to ensure that your face is clean and bacteria free to minimize the risk of infection. Arriving to your appointment with a full face of makeup only increases that risk.
Q: Will it hurt?
A: Everyone is different, with varying degrees of pain tolerance. But it would be misleading to say that you won't experience any pain. It's a cosmetic tattoo, and we’re implanting the ink into your skin. However, we will be using a topical local anesthetic before the procedure. After the first pass we add additional numbing agents that can then more easily absorb into your skin and take full effect. After this point you should feel nothing except for pressure (similar to the dentist). Is it worth the pain? ABSOLUTELY. If we can do it, you can do it.
Q: Do we decide a brow shape together?
A: YES! We are not going to give you pencil thin, super arched brows if you don't want them. Or big bushy brows either. Our goal is to achieve the most natural looking shape for when you have no makeup on. But at the same time, a shape that you can easily add a little brow makeup to pump up the volume. We try to work with the direction and shape of any existing hairs as this keeps your brows looking natural and also makes for easier maintenance year-round.
Q: Can I bring in reference photos?
YES! If you have a shape or color in mind, please bring in a few photos so we know that we're on the same page. However, we want to give you the most flattering permanent makeup for your face. So please keep in mind that the results may not match the photo.
QUESTIONS AFTER THE APPOINTMENT
Q: Can I drive to and from the appointment?
Yes. You should have no visibility issues driving home from the appointment for any of the services we offer.
Q: How long does it take to heal?
Permanent makeup typically takes 5 weeks to be completely healed. The first 2 weeks - no makeup, apply Aquaphor regularly, and do not wet the area unless otherwise instructed by your artist. After 2 weeks you can wear brow makeup if desired. After you've lost all scabbing and flaking, and all visible openings in the skin have closed, you can wash the treated area gently with soap and water. No swimming for 4 weeks, and limit sun exposure if possible even after they are healed (always wear a hat and use sunscreen!).
Q: What do my brows look like while they are healing after Microblading?
Immediately after the procedure is how you can anticipate the healed result to look. In the hours following the appointment, your brows will darken noticeably and the hair strokes will appear much thicker than initially due to swelling. This will cause the brows to look incredibly dark, much larger, and misshapen 1-2 weeks after the procedure. The appearance of much darker brows is due to the pigment oxidizing as each hair stoke is essentially an open wound. They will lighten by 40-60% and the strokes will appear thinner 1-2 weeks after, and they will continue to lighten through the 4 weeks following the appointment. Please consider the timing of your appointment in relation to any upcoming events. You are likely going to have more intense looking brows for the first two weeks of healing.
Q: Can I work out/sweat?
A: If possible, I would refrain from any physical activity that causes heavy sweating for the first week and half. That means no hot yoga, long showers, baths, steam rooms, saunas, hot tubs, or heavy cardio. Gently remove the Aquaphor immediately after working out and reapply a new thin layer.
Q: Can I wear makeup immediately after the procedure?
A: For the first 2 weeks no makeup on the treated area, but everywhere else is fine. Please use caution when applying other makeup, and refrain from getting it close to the tattoo. Treat your tattoo like an open wound. Would you put foundation right up to the edge of an open wound? No!
Q: How long will my results last?
A: Again, everyone is different. Some people retain the pigment better than others. Duration is dependent on a number of factors (i.e. lifestyle, hygiene, sun exposure, etc). Some people decide to freshen their permanent makeup after just 6 months, however pigment is still slightly visible up to 3 years with no touchups. Touchups are necessary roughly 9 months to a year after your last session with us. However, if you decide to no longer continue maintaining your tattoo, it will take roughly 3 years to fade completely
Q: What options do I have if I do not like my brows after the procedure?
A: Please wait at least 5 weeks before forming any final opinions about your brows. Please see the healing chart above. Your brows are going to go through a series of stages where you may not like them. That is the nature of the healing process. They can look huge, misshapen, completely uneven/asymmetrical, too dark or too light, patchy, etc. So drawing any conclusions about your brows before they have had a chance to fully heal is only going to cause you unnecessary grief. You as the client need to trust the process as well as what the artist has explained to you regarding what to expect.
Q: After the procedure, can we remove any unwanted pigment before it sets in?
A: NO. This is a tattoo. Once the pigment is there, it's there. There's no "before it sets in" phase. You must give your brows 4 weeks to fully heal before making any final opinions about them. Once they are healed, if you wish to remove any part of the tattoo, saline tattoo removal is an option.