Permanent makeup is gaining traction among women in South Korea, despite laws that restrict tattooing procedures to certified medical professionals. Because creating permanent lipliner or eye makeup involves injections via needles, only doctors can perform these procedures, though very few of them actually do so. The restriction has incited many to seek illegal procedures from tattoo artists, makeup artists, and face masseuses. As a result of the underground nature of the industry, 58% of the reported 88 cases of negative reactions to semi-medical treatments between January and September 2008 were due to so-called “beauty tattoos,” the Green Consumers Network (GCN) reports. Among the negative side effects of illegal tattooing were sore eyes, deteriorating eyesight, swollen eyelids, and lip inflammation.
In light of these complications, the GCN national council held a debate recently to discuss the future of tattooing in South Korea. One professor called for greater leniency in the qualifications for tattooing but with tighter government regulation of the rogue industry, especially in regards to education. A spokesperson for the Korean Medical Association added that an educational campaign is needed to warn people about the risks involved with permanent makeup.
