Two clients, same pigment, same hand, same depth — and two completely different healed results. The variable is almost always skin. Learning to assess it in the first five minutes of a consultation is the single highest-return skill in permanent make-up.
Oily skin
Large pores, visible shine, thicker dermis. Oily skin pushes pigment outward as it heals and blurs fine detail. Hair strokes lose definition within months. Recommend powder or ombre shading, place pigment slightly denser, and warn the client that they will need refreshing sooner than their dry-skinned friends.
Dry and normal skin
The most cooperative skin in PMU. Strokes stay crisp, colour heals close to what you placed, and retention is strong. Any technique works — this is where microblading genuinely shines.
Mature skin
Thinner, less elastic, sometimes fragile. Skin that stretches during work will distort a stroke as soon as you release the tension. Use soft shading with a light hand, keep passes minimal, and avoid aggressive stretching. Mature skin bruises and heals slower, so gentler is genuinely better.
Thin or sensitive skin
Reddens instantly, bleeds easily, and punishes over-working. Bleeding dilutes pigment and pushes it back out. Fewer passes, shallower depth, longer breaks — and stop the session if the skin has had enough. A second appointment always beats a damaged result.
Scarred or previously tattooed areas
Scar tissue takes pigment unevenly and old PMU underneath changes everything about your colour choice. Neither belongs in a beginner’s chair. These are advanced cases that need correction training first.
Build the habit at consultation
Record skin type, Fitzpatrick, undertone and any previous work in your client notes every single time. After a hundred clients, that record is what lets you predict a healed result instead of hoping for one. Our Essentials Course includes the consultation form we use for exactly this.
