Lip Tattoo Healing Process Australia: What To Expect Day By Day
Put simply, the lip tattoo healing process in Australia means the surface will put itself right in 7 to 14 days for most, yet you have to be patient 4 to 8 weeks for the colour to fully come to rest. There is swelling and tenderness in the opening days along with pigment that is brighter than one would like, then comes the peeling and a pale “ghosting” before the colour makes its return. Being forewarned on all of that makes it far more manageable and less of an ordeal.
I am Thomas Rourke. You learn a thing or two about what people can handle when they know what is normal from a career in tourism and hospitality and from the odd dinner conversation with Claire. With lip blush aftercare it is much as it is with Melbourne weather: it has a mind of its own and will not adhere to your plan, and that is where the surprise lies. In this guide I cover the practicalities and the stages of healing, the things clients get wrong and the point at which you should ring your artist or a doctor rather than put it to chance.
What Healing Usually Looks Like
Provided the procedure was done right and the aftercare is sensible, permanent makeup lips are usually no trouble to heal. Then again the colour and texture will put on a show before they are good to look at, and many of my clients find that entirely unremarkable. The problem is expectation versus reality. While considering the procedure, it’s important to understand lip tattoo longevity. One might want a polished recovery from the off but the early going is apt to be rough and dry and a little patchy while the colour gets itself sorted.
Typical Recovery Window
As to how long does lip tattoo take to heal, there is really a dual timeline. Deeper healing and the colour settling post lip tattoo is a 4 to 8 week affair, whereas the outer skin will have settled in 1 to 2 weeks. Any talk of a touch-up is best left until after that time and not in the middle of the flaky bit when nothing is reliable.
Your skin’s response matters too, as does whether you are susceptible to cold sores and if you are inclined to treat instructions as optional while having red wine and hot chips for the week. Some do, and it seldom ends well.
Day-By-Day Healing Guide
For the rundown of what is to come. It is not something every person will conform to but it is a pattern you will see. Australian clinics will give you the same broad phases regardless of their house rules and the products they use; you will find the like of it from any number of businesses online such as Alison Jade, Preah Love, Lashly Beauty, The Brow Design Co, Eye and Brow Factory, Cosmetic Tattoo Melbourne, Olha Po or Cosmetic Tattooing Brisbane.
| Healing Stage | Usual Timing | What You May Notice | What To Do |
| Fresh Treatment | Day 0 | Numbness goes, tight feeling, bright colour | Hands off, keep clean and hearken to the artist |
| Early Reaction | Days 1–3 | Tenderness, dryness, lip tattoo swelling | Steer clear of irritants, a little balm if advised |
| Flaking Period | Days 3–7 | Itchiness, patchiness, peeling | No scrubbing or picking |
| Pale Phase | Days 7–14 | Colour is deceptively light in the ghosting phase | Gentle care and patience |
| Colour Return | Weeks 2–6 | A bloom of colour, even tone | Put some sun protection on, don’t be hasty in your assessment |
| Final Settle | Weeks 6–8 | The final shade is stable | Time to consider a touch-up |
Days 0 To 2
It can be a shock to the system. You were hoping for a soft tint and then you look in the mirror and think you have been in a tiff with a packet of Zooper Doopers over how bold and warm your lips appear.
In the first 24 to 48 hours the lip tattoo swelling is most evident and some tenderness is to be had. Not so with severe swelling, pus or heat that is spreading; those require a review.
Days 3 To 7
The peeling stage is what gives lip blush clients pause. The pigment can seem uneven as the surface colour lifts in places and the lips are flaky and tight. It is perfectly normal, but making the error of picking at it is what causes issues. The tendency is to put on too much ointment and that is where most people err. Your artist will put in for a light application; do not smother the lips or they will become irritated and soggy. Should your clinic be of the opinion you need something like PMU Tattoo Balm, then use it as directed, no more.
Days 7 To 14
The ghosting phase of a lip tattoo has a way of getting under one’s skin. All of a sudden the lips are very light, giving the impression the pigment is gone along with your money. In all likelihood it is not. The colour is merely making itself at home beneath the surface. Do not write off the treatment as a failure when there is some fading; this is normal healing. Let the tissue recover before passing judgment on the results.
Weeks 2 To 8
Once the flaky, pale period is over you will see the tone come back in an even manner, what is known as colour bloom. As for when the final colour will be in, most artists would have you wait four weeks at the least, if not six or eight, before you make up your mind. How the pigment stands the test of time is also dependent on this later stage: be realistic, put in some sun protection and have good healing habits.
Symptoms By Healing Stage
One can spare oneself a great deal of stress by telling a warning sign from the run of the mill. A dry, peeling lip with a bit of swelling is to be expected, a hot, oozy and painful one is not. Swelling, peeling, ghosting and colour bloom are the order of things for most, if the intensity does vary.
Swelling And Tenderness
It is nothing out of the ordinary for a lip tattoo to swell in the first two days or so. It will abate, not get worse. You may find speaking or smiling puts a tenderness on the lips, and salty fare doesn’t help, so soft meals are best.
Peeling And Dryness
By day 3 or 4 the peeling will set in, the surface shedding in small flakes. Resist the urge to go to the kitchen sink and pick at the loose skin with your fingers, or to exfoliate. It is tempting but a poor idea.
Ghosting And Colour Bloom
Clients will see a washed-out patch and assume the worst. But the colour makes its slow return over the coming weeks. That is the strange little dance of the ghosting phase before it is done.
Aftercare That Is Of Some Use
Restraint is the name of the game with PMU lip blush aftercare. Make sure the area is clean and not overworked. One gets muddled advice as to what is best since artists have their own way of doing things. Heed your technician in particular when it comes to products given the differences in pigments and technique.
Wash hands prior to any contact with the lips.
Do as your artist says in cleaning them.
A thin layer of balm or ointment is sufficient.
If the artist is for it, use a straw to drink, particularly in the opening days.
Put off spicy food and anything hot, acidic or salty that might sting.
No exfoliants, no biting your lips, no picking at the flaking.
And in the early going, stay out of the sun, saunas and pools and don’t let yourself break into a heavy sweat.
Paw Paw Ointment?
Opinions are divided among artists on the matter. Only apply it to your lips if the cosmetic tattoo artist has given his or her nod for your stage of healing. There being no government protocol in Australia for aftercare of a cosmetic lip tattoo, the practitioner’s word is what counts. For health product safety in general, the Therapeutic Goods Administration is the federal body to look to.
Food, Work And Daily Life
Healing has a way of intruding on the rest of your life. You have to eat and work and put in an appearance, which is not as simple as the aftercare sheet would have you believe. In the first few days be practical about it, keep down the friction and irritation.
Eating And Drinking
You can eat after a lip tattoo, just do so with care. Cooler, soft foods are less trouble. Hot soup or chilli and the like will catch on the flaking skin and sting, as will citrus. Many opt for a straw in the early days.
When there is a day to be had before the meetings start up again, stick with unassuming fare and have some water at hand. There is no glamour in it, but then you do not want to be putting on a smile while a laksa is scorching your newly tattooed lips.
Sun, Exercise And Socialising
Put off any strenuous exercise, time in the sauna or pool and long periods in the sun for the time being. The pigment can be compromised by the sun and the area irritated by sweat and friction; in Australia one should be more mindful of that than is often the case. A short walk on the beach in summer will put healing skin in a bad mood.
Then there is the matter of the season. Inland where it is dry, lips are apt to be flaky and tight. Humidity makes ointments feel more cloying and invites over-application. Simple care is the answer in both instances.
Preparation For Cold Sores
People are taken aback by cold sores, particularly those with a history of them who fancy this occasion might be an exception. Yet lip tattooing is a trigger for an outbreak.
Pre-procedure planning is as important as what follows. Those prone to cold sores should put in a word with their GP and cosmetic tattoo artist ahead of time.
Getting Ready
Prevention is not a matter of bringing it up as you are filling out consent forms with your phone in hand; flag your history well in advance of treatment. Your doctor may recommend antiviral medication as a precaution, which is something to be done under medical supervision rather than on the strength of an internet opinion. Make sure your artist is aware of any past cold sores.
Do not go ahead with booking if you have an active outbreak or irritation, or if your lips are cracked.
Come in well hydrated and with your lips in good order.
Find out from the artist if you are to steer clear of alcohol, retinoids or particular skincare products around the mouth prior to the procedure.
Seeking Help
You will know the difference between ordinary irritation and infection, and that is about the most practical thing in this guide. Healing will improve of its own accord even if it does not look right for a while. If symptoms are on the up, follow that pattern.
Red Flags
A lip tattoo infection will present as redness encroaching on surrounding areas, pain that gets worse after the first two days, pus, fever, a foul odour or heat. Blisters could point to a cold sore. Either way you need to be advised without delay.
Should concern arise, get in touch with your artist and have a medical review. It is no use slathering on balm and waiting to see. An urgent care service or GP in Australia will be needed for any serious symptoms.
Long-Term Results And Touch-Ups
One session does not always tell the whole story. After the lips have healed, many clients are due for a review and some refinement, particularly if the outcome has come in light or uneven. There is nothing wrong with that; lip skin is vascular and mobile, and a little fussy to boot, so retention is not uniform.
The artist will put a date on the calendar for a touch up, typically 6 to 8 weeks down the track once fully healed. To try and go back before that would be like repainting a wall with the first coat still wet and you would not be left with a dependable result.
As for how long the work will last, that is dependent on a number of things: the type of pigment, your skin, how much you are in the sun, smoking, your immune system and the aftercare you give it. There is a difference in how colour is retained; some will have it for years, others see it go soft and opt for an occasional refresh.
Then there is the matter of “permanent” makeup. Most are under the impression that permanent means unalterable, but one is supposed to get some gentle fading from it. The objective is a natural tint as a rule, not something with the flat finish of a marker pen that will put up with a summer or two of coffee and beach excursions without so much as a change.
An Australian Artist
You can put as much stock in picking your artist as in the aftercare sheet. A well ordered Instagram feed is all very well, yet healed work, the quality of a consultation, hygiene and the like are more telling. One should also be direct in asking questions given that licensing and public health rules vary from one state or council to another in Australia. Sensible people do not make a fuss about it.
Before you book
I would want to see lip blush that has fully healed, not just fresh work done under ring lights. See if the practitioner is open to talking about allergies, cold sores, what kind of colour to expect and when a touch up is due. Should they put you through it in a hurry, consider it a dodgy motel car park: available enough, but I would not put anything of value there.
The same applies when weighing up The Island Live against Eye and Brow Factory or any other provider. Look at their pricing, the depth of the consultation, hygiene and healing advice, not the one who can put on the most colour right out of the gate.
Thomas’ view
Read nothing else in this guide but this: the odd middle stage is part and parcel of it. It will be bright to start with, flaky by the fifth day, ghostly at ten and then over the weeks it gets softer and more even. You will find that is the way it goes.
For the best outcome one has to be patient and hygienic, pick an artist with care and not get worked up over a pale patch while the lips are mending. It is not a case of miracle products or doing anything foolish.
FAQ
Do And Don’ts After Lip Tattoo?
Keep the area clean and free from the sun, don’t be picking at it and use the aftercare product prescribed. As for eating, if something spicy or acidic stings then leave it. No scrubbing and hold off on the pool, sauna or any strenuous exercise.
Healing time for a lip tattoo?
Give it 7 to 14 days for the surface to heal and 4 to 8 weeks for the colour to come to rest. So how long it takes is a matter of whether you are talking the flaky bit or the end result.
Any downsides to having one done?
Apart from the maintenance required as the colour softens, you can have swelling, peeling, discomfort and uneven healing. Cold sores may make an appearance and if your expectations are not in check you could be disappointed. Infection or an allergic reaction is always a risk.
Is it alright to eat straight after?
Yes, provided it is not going to rub or sting. Something soft and cool is easiest. A straw is what many are advised to use for the first few days.
When does healing become a concern?
If redness is spreading or you have pus, blisters or a fever, or the pain and swelling intensify after the first couple of days, have it properly reviewed. That is no ordinary lip blush healing.