F.A.Q

AGE AND CONSENT
Unfortunately, there is no legally defined minimum age at which piercings or tattoos can be carried out in South Africa. It is because of the lack of guidance and regulations in this area of expertise that many tattoo studios, piercing parlours and the like, carry and follow their own in house rules and standards.

Step Up tattoo, piercing and permanent make up studio uphold our integrity, moral and ethical code when it comes to the practise of all procedures.

• We do not perform any procedures on minors (under the age of 18 years) without a legal guardian or parent present.
• Should any procedure take place on a minor for any reason it will be at the artists discretion.
• The legal guardian or parent must accompany the minor, and will be required to sign consent on the minor’s behalf.
• The legal guardian or parent must be present at all times during the procedure
  • please note: Legal guardian refers to someone who has been granted and assigned custody/ guardianship by a court of the minor and legally has the authority to make decisions concerning the protection and care of said minor
  • Parent refers to either biological or adoptive mother/father
• Please note: NO exceptions will be made.

As a parent or guardian, you will be signing a portion of our waiver form, that says you state that you are the biological parent or court appointed guardian the above minor you are accompanying, and legally give consent for the procedure to occur.
Should someone falsifying documentation, or imitate the role of legal guardian or parent, (which is an act of fraud), the person who signs the waiver acknowledges that they accept that they will be held responsible should any legal action be taken by the legitimate legal guardians or parents, due to the person falsifying information or imitating and assuming the role of legal guardian or parent.
They also accept that our studio may lay a charge of fraud against them for their actions.

Unfortunately, We currently do not offer the following piercings or body modifications in our studio

• Anal piercings / jewellery changes
• Anal tattoos
• Coral implants
• Cropping
• Elf Ears
• Eye implants
• Eyeball re-pigmentation tattoos
• Genital piercings / jewellery changes
• Genital tattoos
• Magnetic implants
• Nasallang
• Scarification
• Snake tongue/ venom piercings
• Sub-dermal implants
• Suspension
• Tongue splitting

People with Active Lifestyles
– Permanent makeup allows a person to feel more confident when participating in activities that normally cause conventional makeup to sweat off.

If you have Little or no brow hair
– Thinning brow hair is a sign of ageing and gives the illusion of the face dropping. Microblading hair strokes can be applied to the eyebrow area in such a way that it looks as if more eyebrow hair is growing, framing and lifting the face.

If you have Thin Lips
– Lip Liner and Full Lip Colour can make shrinking lips look fuller and detract from lines around an ageing mouth. It helps rebuild the rim of the lip giving a smoother edge to the lips

If you have Little or no lash hair
– Eyelash hair also thins with age. Permanent Eyeliner gives eyes the illusion of thicker lashes.

If you suffer from Visual impairment or wear Contact lenses
– As we get older our vision diminishes. This makes it hard to apply their eyeliner and brows.

If you suffer from Allergies

if you have Unsteady hands
– As people get older their mobility is hindered and it is more difficult to apply makeup in a precise manner. Permanent Cosmetics allow you to to feel assured that your makeup looks good and consistent all the time.

It's perfect for Those who just want to look great all of the time without the hassle

Our Permanent cosmetic procedures are performed using a permanent makeup machine, micro-bladed brows are done with a blade. Your appointment includes a medical overview and a detailed discussion regarding your expectations including design and colour. The application of the pigment is next. You are a part of the whole process during the procedure. Everything is explained to you with total appreciation that you have chosen Step Up and trust us with your permanent cosmetics.

Technically, permanent cosmetic procedures are considered permanent because the colour implanted into the skin cannot be washed off. However, as with any tattoo, fading can and often does occur, requiring periodic maintenance, colour re-enhancement or refreshing.  Just like hair colour, furniture located near a window, or even house paint, the implanted colour will fade over time depending on your health, skin type and how well you care for your skin.

Your comfort is very important to us! We take pride in making our clients as comfortable as possible. Most people experience some discomfort likened to a plucking or scouring sensation. This will vary according to each individual’s threshold. Using various topical anaesthetics that have been medically developed for permanent makeup application makes procedures reasonably comfortable.

After the initial procedure, you may want to return for a touch-up. A touch-up is a colour refresher. Permanent cosmetic makeup can be a process. It is recommended that you wait at least 6 weeks before your touch-up so your initial procedure has time to heal properly. To traumatize the skin sooner can be uncomfortable and doesn’t allow enough time for the pigment to settle in the skin. For microblading its 4 weeks, as it is a shallower process.

The initial procedure will generally take approximately 90 minutes to 2 ½ hours; there are records to establish; photographs to take; desired design and colour to discuss; the procedure to perform; and the aftercare requirements to discuss.
Follow up or colour refresher procedures usually do not require the same amount of time.

While eyebrows may show little after effect, eyeliner and lips may show slight to moderate swelling.  This is very dependent upon the amount of work performed. As examples; an eyelash enhancement will show very little response to the tattooing procedure compared to a more moderate response when wide eyeliner is performed.  The same philosophy applies to lip colour procedures.  A lip liner or blended lip liner will show less effects of the procedure than that of a full lip colour.  Also, some people swell more from minor skin infractions than others.
During the procedure there may be some minor bleeding.  This again, is client specific.  Many people take blood thinners on a daily basis so some slight bleeding would be expected.  Others show little or no signs of bleeding.  Bruising is rare but again, if a person is on blood thinners, bruising could occur.  What is seen more often is that eyebrows rarely if ever produce any bruising; minor bruising during eyeliner procedures is possible if the skin being tattooed is very thin and close to the vascular system.  This also applies to lip procedures in the event the client is more mature.   If bruising does occur, typically it is minor and subsides in a few days.
There is usually some tenderness for a few days. The colour is much darker than you may expect for the first six to ten days.

Permanent Makeup is long-lasting, but one can still wear fashionable make-up at night or apply makeup for a fresh and natural look for daytime. Permanent Makeup simply builds the foundation for looking perfect without looking made-up. Best option is to choose a subtle everyday colour for permanent makeup and your bolder choices in your makeup bag.

PIERCING FAQ

Studio Piercing Regulations

• All piercings and body modifications are performed by our certified resident piercer
• Our Piercer is OSHA compliant and practices international hygiene and sterilisation procedures and practices
• All piercings and body modifications are performed with individually packaged and sterilised equipment
• All piercings and body modifications are performed with individually packaged and sterilised jewellery manufactured from the highest grade materials for your safety
• All piercings and body modifications which utilise a needle are performed with individually packaged and sterilised one time use surgical grade needles
• All prices include the piercing and standard piercing jewellery
• Should non-standard piercing jewellery be utilised an extra charge will be levied.
• Our piercer will only perform a piercing with jewellery which we know the origin of, i.e we will not use jewellery which does not come from our studio for an initial piercing procedure.
  
  

PIERCING OF BABY'S EARLOBES
At Step Up, we believe that children should have a choice in whether or not he/she/they would like to have their earlobes pierced. Where we understand that there are some cultures and traditions which stipulate whether or not a baby should have their earlobes pierced, we believe that the child should have some say in the matter. After all, it is their body, and they do have the right to say NO!
For this reason, we will only pierce a child’s lobes if:

• The child is old enough to understand the procedure
• The child wants the procedure and is able to ask for it
• The child is capable of understanding the aftercare process and procedures
• The child is accompanied by their parent/ legal guardian and the parent/ legal guardian signs consent
  **For children’s lobes, we do have a medical device/ instrument which is similar to the needle method of piercing.**

Please also note the following when considering getting your child’s ears pierced at a young age:

• While the rest of our body shrinks as we get older, our noses, earlobes and ear muscles keep getting bigger.That's because they're made mostly of cartilage cells, which divide more as we age. At the same time, connective tissue begins to weaken, and can result in jewellery or piercing site migration.
• Most Children sleep on or tug at their ears, this could result in migration of the piercing site or jewellery.
• Children are more susceptible to resistant bacteria as they have many ways of being exposed to germs and infections because their hygiene behaviour is different to adults and their immune systems are not fully developed.

GUN vs NEEDLE
our resident piercer, has undergone professional training to understand human anatomy, piercing procedures and the correct manner in which each piercing should be placed, pierced and adorned.
We understand that many people suffer from Trypanophobia (fear of needles), and when booking a piercing appointment raise their concerns regarding which method is used for the piercing of their choice.
One of the most asked questions is- "do you use a needle or a gun?"
We have decided that it would be best to educate our clients as to why professionals prefer the needle method and instrument method over the gun method of piercing.

Piercing Guns:
Piercing Guns are usually the most cost effective and common method of receiving a piercing, in fact you can walk into many malls and lean over the counter and get a piercing done by a sales representative who has probably undergone 2-7 days of training with said equipment. Most of these sale representatives have little, too no, knowledge of cross contamination or bloodbourne pathogen training, which can be a risk for both the sales representative and the person getting pierced .A lot of piercing guns are made with a spring action release which "shoots" and forces the blunt jewellery through your skin once the trigger is depressed, thus causing blunt force trauma, shattering or tearing to the piercing site. The butterfly is then closed tightly on top of the piercing wound, which doesn't allow for swelling or breathing, which can in turn result in bacteria harbouring beneath the butterfly and possibly lead to infection. Utilising the Piercing Gun incorrectly can lead to misplacement, incorrect angles or piercing complications.

Professional Needle piercings:
Locating a professional piercer may not be as easy and convenient as finding a sales representative to do a piercing, but it is worth the search if you'd like piercings done correctly. Needle piercings may be a little bit more costly, but are definitely worth the money. Not only do you get your piercings done by someone who has undergone the correct training (piercing and health, safety, cross contamination and bloodbourne pathogens training), but you also have someone who specialises in their field on a daily basis doing the piercings for you. A professional piercer will also be able to use the correct jewellery for the piercing, unlike the use of a blunt stud-butterfly combination that the piercing gun is limited to.A professional piercer using a needle, has more control and precision when it comes to body piercings. A needle, although to some may look scary, is a less traumatic experience for your body. The needles are medical grade and extremely sharp yet hollow inside, allowing them to safely pierce the tissue and allow space for the jewellery to be placed, making the procedure hurt less.Many people are worried about having their bodies pierced via needles as they’re worried it will hurt when in reality, needle piercings are much less painful than gun piercings.
Professional instrument/ medical device piercings:
Piercing medical devices or instruments offer a very convenient method of piercing when used by a professional piercer. The instrument is a device which utilises the hand pressure of the piercer and the jewellery replaces the needle in this piercing procedure. The jewellery is sharp and glides through the piercing site without causing trauma.The instrument is limited to specific piercing sites, such as Cartilage-free areas of the ear (ie lobes) and the nostril, and are ideal for children’s lobes.

A tattoo is created by puncturing your skin thousands of times at a rapid pace. This process creates a large area of vulnerable skin and an open wound. When you finish your tattoo session, your tattoo immediately enters the healing process .

The tattoo healing process, while similar to general wound healing, is its own unique progression. In fact, you can break it down into three stages. These stages can vary in length and severity by person, making it difficult to give an exact time line for when and for how long your body will experience them.

What are the tattoo healing stages?
The first stage is essentially considered the ope would stage. This is the period of time in which your body is still trying to seal its open skin and when you are at the greatest risk of infection and complication.
Your body will try to seal its open wound by excreting a substance called plasma, that will help the process. It is natural for our bodies to produce this healing element, which helps break down dead tissue and rebuild new tissue.
Under normal circumstances, these healing elements would dry up or evaporate quickly, creating a scab. However, i tattoo healing, scabbing is detrimental to the design.

To avoid this, you keep the tattoo well- moisturised and covered with the tattoo bandage through out the healing process. This keeps the skin from scabbing ad allows the body to heal without creating a pesky shell that could potentially pull out the ink.

During the second stage of healing, the skin becomes tight and itchy. During this portion of the healing, the top layers of the skin that were traumatised through out the tattoo process loose ad begin to lift off, giving the ski a peeling appearance. It will essentially look like a peeling sunburn. Again, keeping it moisturised during this process can help ease the itching and protect the tattoo from ay additional trauma caused from drying out.

The third stage of healing actually takes place below the skin after the open wound portion of the tattoo has closed up. At this point, the ink begins to settle into the layer of skin called the dermis. Your risk of infection has passed at this point in the healing process, however it is vital to keep the area well moisturized to assist the skin returning to its normal PH levels as the tattoo wraps up the final stages of healing.

Now that you are aware of the healing process of a tattoo, please see our tattoo aftercare page.