Lip Neutralization: What You Need to Know

Dark lips are a pretty common and harmless thing, but some people just want to get rid of the dark spots, especially if they are a result of trauma, smoking, or some other factor. Even though it is easy to cover it up with lipstick, some people don’t want it there and feel insecure when they want to go makeup-free.

If you are self-conscious about your dark lip and you are looking for the least invasive way to cover it up, you have probably come across lip blushing on dark lips. Let’s see what it does and how.

What is Lip Neutralization?

• Lip neutralization is a specialized treatment for those with cool, or dark-toned, lips. It is a procedure often performed on clients with darker skin tones or those whose lips have darkened over time due to weather conditions, hyperpigmentation, or underlying medical issues. This procedure involves injecting neutralizing ink pigments into the lip area to balance darker tones and enhance the natural lip color, shape, and symmetry. The treatment creates a subtle, rather than saturated, effect to ensure natural-looking results. Whilst injectables (lip fillers) are great for adding permanent volume to the lip area, lip neutralization is perfect for adding definition and fullness.

Why Do People Get Dark Lip Neutralization?

• There are 2 basic reasons why people have dark lips. The first one is genetics, i.e., ethnic lips.

• Here at Elite Enhancements, we think there’s nothing more beautiful than your natural self. But we also believe in the power of the PMU industry to fix anything you may see as an imperfection if you truly believe it’ll make your life better. So, we say, think about it, and if you really feel like you’ll be happier getting lip blushing for dark lips, go for it.

• The second one is some type of trauma caused to the lips, for example, injury, lack of vitamins, hormone imbalance, certain medications, too much caffeine or smoking, etc.

How many sessions are in a treatment series?

• With dark lip neutralization, we include the initial appointment as well as 1-2 touch ups. Each session is spread out at least 6 weeks apart. It may take 1-3 sessions to achieve your look, and there are special cases in which additional sessions are needed. Typically, we will do dark lip neutralization in those who are Fitzpatrick Scale 3 and up.

Am I considered lip blush or lip neutralization?

• If your lips are two-toned, cool, brown, dark looking, you will need to have a neutralization procedure. If you are still not sure, send a photo of your lips in natural lighting via email to elite.enhancements@yahoo.com to confirm.

Can I get lip blush if I have dark/cool toned lips?

• Yes, however, during the first session we will have to color correct your lips to cancel out the cool tones. This means the initial color we tattoo MUST be orange! If we are to tattoo any other color, you risk darkening your lips further or having absolutely no results at all. When healed at 6 weeks, most if not all of the darkness in your lips will be covered and your lips will have a nude/pink even tone. Note that results cannot be guaranteed and lightening, or evening out dark lips may take a few sessions. Under no circumstances will we tattoo a "NUDE" color on dark or cool toned lips. If you are unsure if you have dark or cool toned lips you can send us a picture of your lips in natural light to confirm. Lips too dark or thick will be rejected so please be sure to email pictures if your lips are extremely dark grey or black in color.

Does It Work on Everyone?

• Some people are not good candidates for dark lip neutralization. Those who have excessive lip hyperpigmentation can end up getting even darker lips after the treatment. That is why most artists don’t want to work on melanin-rich lips. This requires a lot of knowledge and skill, and only highly trained artists are able to do it successfully. So be careful if your lips are hyperpigmented – lip blushing may do more damage than good.

What colors can I choose for my new lip color?

• You don’t really choose the neutralization shade – the lip blush artist needs to determine which color to use for neutralization, depending on the nature of your dark lips. This means that they will determine whether greyish, purplish, or brownish hues are dominant and choose the adequate color.

• The result is usually a pinkish and peachy shade that looks natural.

• The artist can put another color of your choice on top, once the lips are healed.

Lip blush on dark lips includes neutralization of dark spots and making the color of the lips even by tattooing them. It is a safe and effective method, but it doesn’t work for everyone. Only a skilled technician can access the situation properly and choose the right pigment color that will neutralize the dark lips. We hope this FAQ sheet answered all your questions!