The Healing Process of Lip Blush: What You Need to Know.
🔒GETTING THE RESULTS THAT YOU WANT
Lip blush is one of the most rewarding PMU treatments, but it also has one of the most misunderstood healing processes. Your lips go through several temporary phases before the final colour emerges, and knowing what to expect makes the journey much easier.
If you’re planning your appointment (or you’ve just had it done), this guide walks you through the full healing cycle so you can feel confident every step of the way.
THE DIFFERENT STAGES OF THE HEALING PROCESS - Timings vary for each individual
👄 Stage 1: (Day 1-2)
Immediately after your lip procedure I’ll apply some soothing balm and go through the aftercare step by step so you have the chance to ask me any of your questions. Some swelling is to be expected, and the pigment will look more intense for the first few days.
👄 Stage 2: (Day 2-3)
Swelling reduces, colour softens, this is the stage where lips can look uneven, “too dark” around the edges or produce a lighter halo around the lip border. DO NOT PANIC if your lips look uneven as they heal this is due to the swelling, and vascular staining (a temporary tint from the tiny vessels in the lip) which can make areas appear darker.
👄 Stage 3: (Day 4-6)
As the skin feels dry and begins to peel/flake off, your lip colour may vanish. Many clients worry they’ve “lost” the pigment, this is completely normal. The colour loss is temporary and due to the skin forming a protective “cloudy” layer of skin over the tattoo to encourage healing. (Isn’t the human body amazing?)
👄 Stage 4: (Day 7-14)
Flaking is usually gone, the lips look very soft, sometimes almost bare. The swelling is gone and the true lip shape returns. The Colour continues to rebuild invisibly under the surface
👄 Stage 5: (Week 6-7)
The colour will push back through around week 6-7, it will look a little patchy and uneven. This is normal and is the purpose of your complimentary retouch appointment.
👄 Stage 6: (Week 7) The Retouch Appointment
You will come back for a your retouch where I will make any necessary tweaks to the shape/colour. The pigment will be reintroduced to the skin The healing process will then begin again, and the aftercare MUST be followed.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
❓Why does my upper lip look darker or swollen after the treatment?
The upper lip has more tiny blood vessels and reacts more strongly to tattooing. Temporary swelling, bruising, or a darker halo is extremely common and always softens as the tissue settles.
❓Why has the colour almost disappeared?
This is the ghosting phase. The skin forms a new layer, which temporarily hides the pigment. It reappears over several weeks.
❓Is what I’m seeing within the first 6 weeks the final result?
No the true healed colour isn’t visible until between 6–7 weeks.
❓Why does lip blush heal so differently from brows?
Lips are highly vascular and react differently from brows. Lip skin is thinner, and more sensitive. Brows don’t swell or bruise the same way, so the healing is completely different.
❓Can hormones affect my healing?
Yes. Hormonal changes can influence how your lips react in the first few days. This is normal and temporary.
❓What if I want a darker colour?
If you are nervous or hesitant at the first session I always opt for a soft and natural pigment blend to see how the skin heals and reacts to the colour. At the top-up, I will make any necessary adjustments and deepen the colour.
ABOUT CORRECTION WORK FOR UNEVEN / RECEDED LIPS AND ADDING NATURAL VOLUME
Most people achieve their desired result in 2 sessions, but some clients, especially those with very pale, cool, mature, or receded lips may need a third appointment to build enough saturation for longer-lasting colour.
Here’s why:
When the natural lip border has faded or receded
Some people lose pigment around the edges of their lips over time. When that happens, the skin outside the visible pink of the lip contains little to no natural pigment. Those areas will naturally heal softer and may require 2 top up sessions.
When balancing uneven symmetry
If one side of the lip sits slightly higher or lower, or has a softer edge, the first session often focuses on creating a subtle base shape. Session two (and sometimes three) refines the structure as the skin accepts more pigment.
When going slightly fuller
Going fuller requires staying within the vermilion border, but we can work right up to your natural lip edge to create the illusion of more volume. These areas also tend to heal lighter as a result of the lack of natural pigment. A second or third session ensures the colour holds evenly and blends seamlessly into the rest of the lip.
Why it takes time
Building colour and balancing symmetry in these areas is a gradual process, it takes 7 weeks for the true colour to reveal itself because the body creates a fresh layer of skin over the top of the tattoo during the healing process which is pale and milky in colour and it temporarily “conceals” the tattoo colour. Once that layer has cleared the tattoo underneath re-appears lighter in colour than when freshly done.
PLEASE NOTE: Patience is required for the best healed result.
WHAT LIP BLUSH HEALS LIKE (And Why Realistic Expectations Matter)
Lip blush does not heal like lipstick, lip liner, or makeup. It’s not designed to give a sharply lined, crisp edge or a heavy fill because the pigment heals beneath the surface of the skin. That means no matter how precise the work is when freshly done, the healed border will gradually soften.
✅ TRUST THE PROCESS, I’VE GOT YOU COVERED!
By following your aftercare and TRUSTING the process you’ll achieve the most natural results.
