ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION Decorative tattooing is a custom thousands of years old that has gained popularity and visibility for the past 20  years. However, tattooing has also earned its path with medical applications such as radiotherapy eld marking, corneal tattooing, endoscopic tattooing, or simply forensic medicine. Cosmetic tattooing, also called permanent makeup (PMU) or micropigmentation, has become popular since the end of the 1970s [1]. Nowadays, not only physicians but also nurses, cosmetologists, beauticians, makeup artists, and of course tattooists perform cosmetic tattooing. Cosmetic tattooing is a broad term that mainly includes tattooing of the eyebrows, the eyelids, and the lips. However, cosmetic tattooing is also used in the setting of plastic surgery for the reconstruction of nipple and areola after breast surgery or camouage of vitiligo, especially mucosal, or alopecia. Unfortunately, cosmetic tattooing has its possible drawbacks and complications that have to be known.