You Can Fool Father Time

Beverly Hills Country Club Guide

January 01, 2013

Did you know that one out of every three men in America are balding, and one out of every five women have thinning hair? Are you one of the many people who are suffering with hair loss, but don’t want the rest of the world to know? Many people are turning to something called Scalp Pigmentation, which is a creative tattoo technique that Athena uses to give the illusion of individual hair follicles.

While there are many different options to resolving hair loss through tattooing techniques, Athena’s education, certifications, qualifications, knowledge and artistry place her head and shoulders above the rest. To create a natural looking illusion of hair follicles, it takes an expert with a combination of skill, knowledge and artistry, and Athena is that expert.

Athena Karsant, an internationally renowned Cosmetic & Corrective Tattoo Specialist, is one of the few Board Certified instructors by the State of California. Her experience working with hair loss patients began when she worked with renowned dermatologist Dr. Peter Panagotacos (San Francisco) as a surgical assistant for hair transplant surgeries. After her time with Dr. Panagotacos, she began her work with Corrective and Cosmetic Tattooing. This experience has given her the proper understanding of science and hair, and combined that with her artistic experience to create the perfect solution for hair loss.

West Portal Monthly

October 12, 2012

When it comes to your appearance, is bargaining really an option? Of course, buying makeup at the drugstore rather than at a makeup counter or buying something cute on sale is not what I’m referring to. When it comes to your health and well being, bargaining is not an option I recommend. Many of my clients ask me for plastic surgeon referrals, filler and injection locations and more. My list includes world-renowned doctors - but in this economy some clients feel that price is more important than certifications, licenses and credibility. I always tell my clients that they shouldn’t compromise quality for a lower price when it comes to their face and body. It is very important they go to someone they’ve researched. They should like their preferred doctor’s work, read referrals and testimonials - and shouldn’t hesitate to ask about pre- and post-surgery, recovery, possible problems, benefits and alternatives.

Cosmetic and corrective tattooing, surgery, fillers and injectables are serious. We all desire to look our best; some of us prefer to accompany the process of aging with a little help from a great surgeon. Looking for the cheapest price isn’t always the smartest option because you’ll typically send more trying to correct the unsatisfactory results of discounted fees. Researching the best option might take extra time, but in the end it can only help. When it comes to your face, body or health there is no room for compromise.

Athena Karsant is a Cosmetic and Corrective Tattooist recently featured on the Doctors TV show. Visit foolingmothernature.com or call (415) 412-9700.

Recapo

March 13, 2012

The Doctors: Thin Eyebrow Solutions

Dr. Travis Stork said that “basic aging or over-plucking” can lead to the common problem of Thinning Eyebrows. Rochelle said her mother always told her not to pluck her eyebrows. Now that she’s an adult, her brows have stopped growing back, and she has to draw them on.

Dr. Ken Williams is a hair restoration surgeon who diagnosed Rochelle with Hypotrichosis, meaning her hair isn’t growing back due to all that plucking.

The Doctors: Thin Eyebrow Hair Transplant

Dr. Ken Williams used a system called Neo Graft to take hair follicles from Rochelle’s scalp and transplant them into the eyebrows. He used about 400 medically enhanced follicles to give Rochelle’s eyebrows a full, healthy look that would blend in with her natural eyebrows.

These modern day hair transplants seem like a lot of detail oriented work, but if you really want the results, I guess it’s worth the trouble.

Thinning Eyebrows: Makeup Solution

Dr. Lisa Masterson went backstage to get another eyebrow solution. “The eyebrows are like the frames of the face,” she explained. Warren Tricomi makeup artist Kristie Streicher said you want to find the right product for your skin, as well as working with your face shape to get the best results.

How To Get The Perfect Brow Shape

“The brows should start in a straight line from the corner of the nose to the corner of the eye, straight up,” Kristie said. “And then they should arch in a straight line, from the corner of the nose, just outside the pupil, straight up. And then they should come all the way down from the straight line to the nose, all the way out to the outside of the eye.”

Athena Karsant is a cosmetic tattoo artist, and she showed off how her eyebrow treatment solution works, to Tattoo Your Eyebrows on. She said that it is semi-permanent, like a typical tattoo, with results lasting up to three years.

Athena and Dr. Lisa cautioned that you select a reputable tattoo artist who follows proper safety procedures. For best results you should probably look for a cosmetic tattoo specialist near you, rather than a typical tattoo parlor.

Now we know multiple ways to tackle enlarged pores and the scourge of thinning eyebrows. Maybe one of these solutions will work for you.

The Doctors

March 13, 2012

Master in cosmetic and corrective tattooing, Athena Karsant is highly recommended by many of the top doctors and surgeons to enhance plastic surgery results, scar repair and camouflage, as well as permanent makeup. In this video, watch Athena Karsant show her solution to thinning eyebrows on The Doctors TV show, which aired on 3/13/2012.

Beverly Hills Magazine

June 06, 2010

I was recently introduced to Jessica Fisher, and she educated me about the benefits in having permanent makeup. I had preconceived ideas about this and they weren’t too positive! However, she looked so incredible and the effect was so subtle that I decided to keep an open mind. So off I went albeit a little apprehensively to try this out. Now bearing in mind when you tattoo there is no room for error, so I am probably potentially the worst patient you could imagine.

I was astounded at the quality of work they achieve. They cover scars and balding spots. And they also have this strange procedure called needling, where they flatten and diminish scars, then match the color of your skin tone. The results were amazing.

Previously, I had been under the impression that makeup that was tattooed on was something similar to Coco the Clown - but no, this was something different.

Jessica is a perfect example of the absolute natural image that tattooing can create. Her mouth is so lightly defined you could not even tell - just a natural rose color. That youthful hue unfortunately diminishes as we get older, but can be replaced with a slight definition. I have to say it looks incredibly natural - that will be my first venture.

I am not brave enough to go the whole bug, but the eyebrow and lips were the most impressive. I’m always a huge advocate of keeping it real, but when I wake up with my face closely resembling a corpse, I think a light color on the lips, faint eyeliner and maybe some brows would be a fantastic idea. They are on Bedford Drive. Call to make an appointment at Athena: (415) 412-9700...

-Lisa Vanderpump

October 12, 2001

The phrase, “the bloom of youth” brings to mind fresh faces, bright eyes, defined brows and lips with a colorful blush. However, now that baby boomers have hit middle age, and senior citizens are active into their later years, demand is skyrocketing for cosmetic services to keep us looking younger longer. The answer for more and more people today is permanent makeup.

Permanent makeup is a cosmetic tattooing procedure. Pigments are implanted in the skin to restore natural color and simulate conventional makeup. Lashes can be made to look darker and fuller. Missing, damaged or badly shaped brows can be given a more youthful appearance. Finally, lips which have thinned or lost their blush color can be recreated to look fuller and more vibrant. On younger clients, permanent makeup adds a professional polish which is truly dressing for success. On older clients, permanent makeup can visually take years off a face - with less trauma and at far less expense than cosmetic surgery.

Because it is long lasting and difficult to remove, it is essential to have permanent makeup applied by a highly qualified technician. As the field is generally unregulated, consumers need guidance in choosing a technician. Today, most professional permanent cosmetic technicians are members of the world’s leading, non-profit society devoted to the permanent makeup field, the Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals. This organization sets standards of practice for its members which assures the public of the highest levels of professionalism. However, technicians do vary in their backgrounds so potential clients may wish to interview several technicians, just as one would when choosing any professional service.

Athena Karsant of the Cosmetic Imaging Center in San Francisco is a member in good standing of the SPCP who can be reached at 415-412-9700. For more information about permanent cosmetics, visit www.spcp.org.

Westside Observer

October 12, 2000

When Athena Karsant, a native of St Francis, was spending time in a gym near her home at Laguna Beach, south of Los Angeles, she met an actress from the TV series Baywatch. The young woman had a problem: how to keep her makeup looking beautiful as she ran from the waves onto the beach.

For Athena, a member of the Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals, the answer was easy - a cosmetic tattooing procedure. Pretty soon the actress and another Baywatch babe had been given the face treatment for eyebrows, eyes and lips.

Athena’s business is the Cosmetic Imaging Center (now at 450 Sutter St #2422 San Francisco, CA 94108 & 450 N Bedford Dr #202 Beverly Hills, CA 90210), and elegant salon that she has run for more than (now 20 years). It is not the sort of place where Popeye would seek an “I love Olive” tattoo, but more a focus for a blend of artistic inspiration and paramedical expertise.

We are in a category of our own,” says Athena with a smile. Apart from the Baywatch actresses, she did similar work for women working with Don Johnson’s team producing the TV series Nash Bridges in the Bay Area.

Demand for beauty services is rising, now that Baby Boomers have hit middle age and senior citizens are active into their later years. For many women, and even some men, permanent makeup is the right answer. It can also help people with allergies caused by conventional cosmetics, those who have physical difficulty in applying their own makeup, women who are active, sports minded, have hair loss or want to save time.

Athena also does work to complement the surgical reconstruction of damaged features. She can bring some normalcy to the appearance of faces of people injured by burns and animal bites, and to mastectomy and other cancer patients. She can redefine the drooping eyebrow of a stroke victim. Another skill is to correct the mistakes of other less precise operators, such as improving a lip outline.

“I was an art major, but no one wanted art teachers in the 70s.” She worked in stained glass, metals, jewelry, and clothing design, before turning to cosmetology. She worked with Dr. Peter Panagotacos... on hair transplants. 

Accepted by the American Institute of Permanent Makeup, she started her venture: “I just got lucky when I worked on a couple of people had grown up with. My brothers (three of them, all dentists) were doing precision work, and I wonder if I inherited precision skills and an artistic eye.”

Tattoos go back at least 10,000 years - the Ice Man uncovered by melting ice on a European mountain had simple tattoos. There is a theory that Cleopatra had permanent makeup, and the Chinese were familiar with this form of body decoration.

“What has made it a new frontier is the introduction of color pigments into the skin, coupled with knowledge of body chemistry,” says Athena. She really loves the work.

Westside Observer

January 01, 2000

At the turn of the millennium, the demand for beauty services continues to rise. Permanent makeup is at the leading edge of the demand, according to Athena Karsant, of the Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals. A healthy economy, more disposable income, our media driven culture and the graying of the Baby Boomers has led to an explosive increase in the demand for cosmetic services to help us look our best.

Permanent makeup, also known as intradermal cosmetics, is a cosmetic tattooing procedure. It is used to create a lasting, beautiful enhancement of the lips, eyes, brows, and to compliment the surgical reconstruction of damaged features. When the Society started in 1991 with 61 members, the idea of tattooed makeup was met with skepticism. Today, women are the fastest growing tattooing market and demand for permanent makeup has grown. The society has more than 700 members worldwide who perform thousands of permanent makeup procedures annually.

Permanent makeup is for people with allergies to conventional cosmetics, those with difficulty applying their own makeup, women who are active, sports-minded, have hair loss and busy women who don’t have time to apply makeup. Anyone who wants to look attractive is a candidate for permanent makeup, including misplaced pigment, poor color choice, accidental injury or infection. All these problems can be avoided by going to a properly qualified technician. Technician members of the Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals receive continuing education and conform to the highest levels of professional practice in the industry.

Athena Karsant is a permanent cosmetic specialist who has been in business for over 10 years in the San Francisco area, and is a member in good standing of the SPCP. She can be reached at 415-412-9700. For more information on permanent cosmetics, contact the SPCP at 888-584-SPCP or visit www.spcp.org.