When makeup needs to be permanent

By Rose Sgarlato
SPARTA — As the owner of Salon Di Panache in Newton, Kathy Czerhoniak is in the business of making people look great. For the past 14 years she has been managing the family-owned salon where she developed a passion for permanent cosmetics.
Certified by the American Academy of Micropigmentation (AAM) with an advanced training in areola re-pigmentation and scar camouflage Czerhoniak opened her own business last May in Sparta called Permanent Makeup by Kathy.
“Permanent cosmetics makeup is the art and science of implanting color into your skin. It is putting the right color into the right place so you can look better naturally,” Czerhoniak explained. “Specialized instruments allow the practitioner to place color into the layer of the skin known as the dermis, the outermost layer of the skin.”
There are a number of reasons why people would want permanent cosmetics, said Czerhoniak, including: convenience, aging, lost hair and allergies to normal makeup. And also for the final stages of reconstruction from breast surgery where she specializes in areola re-pigmentation: “This is a specialty area of medical tattooing that requires advanced education, training, and experience. These procedures help improve the appearance and self esteem of both women and men who have undergone breast surgery.”
She believes that the re-pigmentation of the areola, the circular area of skin around the nipple often darker and thicker than the surrounding skin, plays a key role in the aesthetic look of a breast.
“Since a woman’s self-image can depend on the appearance of her breasts, a missing areola can be psychologically devastating. A woman can survive breast cancer after undergoing a mastectomy, and she can regain her figure with a breast reconstruction; however, she may not feel ‘complete’ without an areola.”
Czerhoniak lives in Sparta and has three children and is still actively involved in Salon Di Panache but prohibited to practice the technique there.
“In the state of New Jersey, you are not allowed by law to perform permanent cosmetics in a salon or spa, so that is why I have a separate location,” she said.
The most popular services are eyebrow and eyeliner that some clients choose because they have arthritis and cannot apply their own makeup.
“I perform a special technique called micro-blading. This technique gives you precise hair strokes in the eyebrow area,” said Czerhoniak “I love when I am finished with someone's eyebrows, and they are so happy that they never have to draw them on everyday.”
Czerhoniak is extremely proud of her work on cancer patients and is offering a 50 percent discount on the areola re-pigmentation service. She is looking to get the word out about Permanent Makeup By Kathy and encourages those interested to come in for a consultation fee that costs $50.
“I always take my time with all my clients and looking forward to working with post- breast cancer survivors who have had reconstructive breast surgery and letting me finish their journey with 3D areola restoration.”
Permanent Makeup By Kathy is located at 83 –Woodport Road. Call for an appointment, 973-487-0578. <URL destination="http://www.permanentmakeupbykathy.com ">www.permanentmakeupbykathy.com