Chapel Hill, N.C. — Many more women are making their everyday makeup applications permanent with the use of cosmetic tattoos.

Aesthetician Sigrid Yorke recently gave Lynn Poole tattoos – or as she prefers to call it, permanent makeup.

“It's simple – I don't have to put on lip stick or eye liner,” Poole said.

When Poole first went to Yorke for a facial treatment, the aesthetician noticed a problem spot on her nose and recommended Poole see a dermatologist. Poole said it turned out to be a squamous cell cancer, which left her with a portion of her lip discolored.

Poole got permanent lip stick to give her lips a natural color.

Fellow client Naomi Goins sought the procedure to darken her eyebrows.

“They were very thin and I always had to pencil them in,” she said.

Goins used to draw in her eyebrows, but perspiration or swimming washed it off.

“Permanent looks much better than penciled in,” Goins said.

Having undergone the procedure once before, she plans another application to make her eyebrows darker and add permanent eye liner.

Before using any application devices, Yorke applies topical anesthetic.

“A lot of people think that this is going to be painful, but at that point it just feels like a little bit of a tickle,” Yorke said.

Cosmetic tattooing is more subtle than traditional tattoos. Aestheticians often work with plastic surgeons to help patients who've had face lifts to cosmetically cover up scars. They also help women who've had breast reconstruction to make their new breasts look more natural – using subtle tattoo work.

Experts recommend seeking cosmetic tattoos in a clinic setting where staff also know a lot about skin types and preventing adverse skin reactions.