From Micro to Macro: The Evolution of PMU
 The story of permanent makeup is deeply rooted in Micro’s own story. PMU is the heart of our business and what we do. Many of you don’t know exactly what Micro does and how we got here.

 

From bamboos to blenders to breaking the rules, we’re sharing six defining Micro Moments with you from the past four decades, and how far we’ve come with our historic place in the industry.

 

From Sticks to Strokes:

 

Imagine if you had to tattoo somebody’s face using needles threaded to a bamboo stick (sounds crazy, right?!) This is how our founder, Patricia, started out her career learning PMU and offering her first procedures. It would take numerous applications in order to get any colour retention and saturation of pigment into the skin. It was certainly different times in the cosmetic world – many of the industry’s original artists had to learn permanent makeup this way because of the lack of technology and tools available in those days.

 

But slowly and surely, one stroke at a time, it was through this challenging way of doing procedures that Pat was able to master the art, and build a voice in the industry to help communicate (and later provide) the tools that PMU technicians would need to offer specific techniques and maintain quality work.

 

A Mom & A Blender

 

From these tools came Pat’s MicroPigments. As her passion for PMU grew, she noticed a huge void in the industry: a lack in range of colours. Working with clients of all ethic backgrounds and skin tones inspired Pat to do a little experimenting.

 

 With her baby girl watching closely nearby, Pat grabbed her blender, put on some gloves and began creating! A little bit of science, a little bit of art, and a little bit of joint girl power eventually blended into 80+ shades used by artists all over the world. Not bad for a new mom with a dream!

 

From Micro to Macro!

 

The name “MicroPigmentation” was first introduced and popularized into the industry in 1992 - by us! When the name “MicroPigmentation Centre, Inc.” was first registered, it was initially frowned upon by the industry as many felt that work in our field should be directly referred to as “permanent makeup” or “cosmetic tattooing.”

We took a chance, following a gut feeling that our name would connect with our industry as it continued to develop.

 

Today “Micro-Pigmentation” is a household name that is used to refer to PMU globally!

 

Setting a Standard

 

Micro was of the first official PMU schools to provide a higher standard of learning and enforce hands-on education in the industry – something we’re still proudly doing 38 years later.   

 

 Did you know that revenue in the tattoo removal business has increased tremendously due to the overwhelming amount of substandard training and online training programs? They simply cannot provide new students with the hands-on experience or guidance they need to become expert PMU’s.

 

Skin-Deep

We have curated one of the most comprehensive colour theory training courses in the industry. Our “Colour Through the Skin” course has been taught all over the world, with one goal in mind: to provide PMU’s with an in-depth understanding that goes beyond how colour looks on the skin, but rather how it translates through the skin. This fundamental understanding of colour aims to take a good artist and turn her/him into a great one. It also provides students with raw insights on what’s really inside a pigment bottle.

 

Did you know?

  • Organic Pigment is not organic in the sense that society understands “organic”. Organic pigment that is used in all pigment formulations are actually synthetically made.
  • Tattoo pigment formulations are made from colourants and not from ink. 

Partners in Crime

Micro is one of the largest purchasers and supporters of the SPCP fundamental textbook. The Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals was the first association to provide guidelines for industry code of ethics.

 

We’re proud to work with associations that hold the same values and standards that are near and dear to us.

 

At Micro, our core value is always people first. Whether it’s a student learning PMU for the first time, a client who’s about to do her procedure, or one of our many partners, our goal is to create meaningful and impactful connections with everyone we meet, and to make our mark while maintaining the highest integrity towards others.

Are you ready for your next calling? 

 

Written by Pat Gauthier