My Lip Blush (aka Lip Tattoo) Experience & Saline Tattoo Removal

Let me tell you the story about how I almost messed up my lips for life. Lucky for me, all the stars aligned and I was able to get help ASAP (no thanks to the actual internet, but thanks to IG) - so I figured I'd write this up in case someone out there either (a) needs a reason to stay away from lip blushing, or (b) got a botched lip blush/reaction and needs to remove it ASAP.

First, it's important for me to say that I am not one of those people that gets beauty things done to myself often, if ever. I bought myself a lip blush session before the pandemic hit because I thought it was pretty, and would be a great way to save time getting ready and money on lip gloss, etc. A year after COVID, places started opening up in my city and I decided I didn't want to waste the deposit I put down (even though I wasn't as hyped on it after a year of waiting)...so I went anyway.

Always trust your instincts.

The lip blush artist gave me bad vibes. I should have known better way before I was able to look in the mirror and see it for myself...but that is a different story path. I am here to help you, not to talk smack about her. After all, it was my choice to do this stupid lip blush. As she was tattooing my lips, I didn't feel as much pain as I thought. That is probably because I was having a VERY BAD REACTION to the lip pigment. Eventually, she said—in a very weird, unprofessional way—she was going to stop. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I looked like an inflated Bratz doll. My lips were like 7 times the size as usual. I took a photo of myself and when I looked at it later, I noticed my eyes were also swollen.

I went home that afternoon in shock. I gave it a few hours and then looked up some stuff on Google only to find that my lips were...not...normal looking after this lip blush session. Immediately, I went to the lip blush artist's competition and wrote to them on IG. They laid out point-by-point all the things they saw wrong with the application. Not only did she aggressively apply the pigment, which totally inflamed and bruised my lips very badly, but she also over-drew my lip-line. For reference, if they overdraw your lip-line, the pigment will stay on your skin longer than your lips. It would give you the old, crusty lipliner look without the pigment inside your lips to match.

I freaked out.

They referred me to a studio that does "Saline Tattoo Removal." I never heard of it before (obviously did not have a reason to look it up before) but some lip blush artists will offer to "correct the overdrawn line" or remove the ink but it will leave your lips bloody and raw. Saline tattoo removal is a more gentle way to remove tattoos. It involves a natural elixir/solution created by her as well as saline removal with the tool. You can try it at any time after tattooing (it may take many sessions) but since my lip blush was so fresh I was able to get 75% of the pigment off the first time. Your lips scab over but are not actively bleeding. It takes about 4-7 days for the scabs to fully slough off. In about 10 days your lips will be almost back to normal.

While I was in the room with her she said I should go to the doctor because it looked like I had a rash on my upper lip (and yes, on top of it all, she said the botched job could've given me herpes) and that I was actually having a bad allergic reaction. I went to the doctor immediately after the removal session and got blood tests done (no herpes! thank goodness) as well as confirmation that I was, indeed, allergic to the pigment used.

So. If you ever have a botched tattoo job and it is within 24 hours, put vaseline or Aquaphor on it and book yourself an emergency saline tattoo removal session. If it is past the 24 hours, you can still get it though you may have to wait 4 weeks to heal. After those 4 weeks, you may need multiple sessions since the pigment likely set in.

My mistake is your future wisdom.