Lip neutralisation is a very popular, advanced lip tattooing procedure that uses specific pigments and techniques to lighten the appearance of dark spots and varying tones in the lip tissue.

In our journey towards a better, more inclusive PMU industry, we want to discuss the importance of learning neutralisation for melanin-rich lips, which will allow a more diverse range of clients to visit your studio and get the healed results they’ve always dreamed of!



Why do varying tones appear?

Hyperpigmentation on the lips is very common and very rarely harmful. There are lots of reasons why you might develop darker spots or patches on your lips - it could be hereditary, a response to sun exposure, a hormonal change such as pregnancy, a vitamin B12 deficiency, a medication side-effect, or a result of smoking.

While it’s most common in people with Fitzpatrick skin types 4-6 and high-melanin, it does occur in people with less melanin in their skin as well.

Why not just lip blush?

If your client has darker spots on their lips - especially if they’re uneven and don’t cover the whole area - they will still be visible after a lip blush treatment.

The pigments we use in lip tattooing are implanted into the lip membrane, which means we see them through the semi-opaque colour of the lip tissue, which is particularly thin and delicate. This means that we have to neutralise that skin tone to achieve the desired healed shade of a lipstick-effect lip tattoo.

You may need several sessions to get your client’s lip to the stage where you can successfully create a lip stick effect, or fewer if the client has good retention. Essentially, you’re using colour theory to neutralise the unwanted tones by adding contrasting warm tones - this is why yellow, orange and red-toned pigments are so popular for this procedure.



PMU pigments for dark lip neutralisation

Carla Ricciardone from Sculpted Studios collaborated with the fabulous Perma Blend Luxe to create this eight bottle set that’s ideal for lip neutralisation. Built on the basis of colour theory, the Carla Ricciardone Embody Set contains four base colours along with three modifiers and a colourless adjuster to ensure that you can use exactly what you need.

This range can also be mixed with the Enhance set of pigments, also from Carla Ricciardone, or the Enhance set can be used for colour after neutralising with Embody. Carla has spent several years developing, researching and testing these pigments to provide the best possible products for this procedure. Investing in the Sculpted Online Education will help you use these colours to the best of your ability!

Perfect for all levels of neutralisation from very dark cool tones to warmer brown undertones, the high quality and long-lasting properties of Perma Blend LUXE pigments are the perfect vehicle for this carefully considered set!



The importance of taking photos

When you embark on a course of dark lip neutralisation, it’s even more important than usual to get pictures of every step.

With 6-8 week gaps between appointments and a more subtle transformation than standard lip tattooing, it can be hard to identify change in the lips over time. Before and during photos will help your client to feel that they’re making progress!



Every treatment and lip neutralisation is unique and will have its own particular challenges, so make sure to take every client as an individual and work with their own skin type to create a stunning finished result!