International Institute of Permanent Cosmetics
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    About IIPC And Our Permanent Makeup School, Classes And Training

    About IIPC And Founder Susan Church Known as The Godmother of Permanent MakeUp

    IIPC is a nationally recognized educational organization, specializing in the education and training of Permanent Cosmetics Technicians. We teach the procedures, applications and care encompassed by the Permanent Cosmetics Industry. IIPC is arguably the most prestigious and successful Permanent Cosmetics Institute in the world, and has been setting and exceeding industry standards since its inception.

    The International Institute of Permanent Cosmetics has educated thousands of beauty industry physicians, nurses, medical personnel and technicians on all aspects of Permanent Cosmetics and Permanent Makeup application. IIPC continually updates its course content, most recently adding courses in Lip Volumizing with the Hya Pen Genius, Plasma Skin Tightening, BB Glow Camo and Advanced Skin Needling™. Other updated classes are for Skin Needling™, Scar Relaxation, Melanocyte Restoration, Areola Repigmentation, Microblading Ombré Brows, 3D Brows and Corrective Pigment Camouflage – most of which are innovative, some are medically-influenced procedures developed to help people with skin irregularities.

    IIPC boasts an impressive record of driven students, successful graduates, skilled technicians and top-tier instructors. Some of the most well-known and profitable Permanent Cosmetics Technicians have been educated at IIPC, and many of them have even returned to teach at our institution.

    IIPC’s founder, Ms. Susan Church, is a world-renown artist, educator, lecturer, and successful practitioner in the fields of Microdermal Pigmentation and Cosmetic and Paramedical Tattooing. She is the ultimate pioneer in Permanent Cosmetics, and continues to develop and educate on innovative products, techniques and business practices for the industry she loves. Her clients have given her the honor of being called ‘The Godmother of Permanent MakeUp’.

    Ms. Church has been in the beauty industry since 1967. After opening 3 salons she gave it all up to focus strictly on Permanent Makeup in 1989.

    Transitioning  from Traditional Makeup to ‘Permanent Make Up’

    After attending her first permanent makeup class in 1988, the company she took a class from hired her to become an educator for them and rewrite their educational manual.

    Working with several physicians (Plastic, Cosmetic and an Ophthalmologist) she was fortunate to work with Dr. Grossman of Sherman Oaks Hospital in Los Angeles, CA. Here she felt ‘right at home’ working on burn patients to restore their skin tones to some semblance of colour normalcy, create and define lip contours, create brows on burned tissue to mimic life-like hairs and more.

    In the process of working on these burn patients, she discovered that while using her traditional tattoo coil machine, the patient’s skin became smoother and had softened the fibrous bands of scar contractures creating maneuverability in that specific procedure area. Her patients also experienced plumping up of their indented surgical sites and in wrinkles.

    Some of the burn patients as well as the plastic surgery patients had hypo-pigmented tissue from surgical incisions. As she would soften these areas prior to repigmenting them, many of them would end up repigmenting themselves.

    Skin Needling, Melanocyte Restoration & Scar Relaxation

    After many successful cases of these procedures, she gave them each appropriate procedure names. ‘Skin Needling’ for the wrinkles, ‘Scar Relaxation’ for softening the scar tissue and ‘Melanocyte Restoration for the repigmentation of the hypo-pigmented areas of tissue.

    Ms. Church wrote research articles on each of these procedures and lectured at medical conferences and burn conferences, in 1990 and 1991. Sharing her photographs of the burn patients and protocols with physicians. Articles were published in the SPC Newsletters describing techniques as well. She lectured for many individual support groups from alopecia groups, burn support groups, different medical conditions groups, acne with other skin conditions groups, and cancer support groups.

    The biggest disappointment was that she was not permitted to have any of her research published in ‘medical journals’ as she was not a physician. Years later, the physicians started taking credit for what she showed and lectured on years previously, even saying they coined the terms that she used in her articles and lectures.

    When interviewed on how she felt about this, Ms. Church stated “My patients from Dr. Grossman and Dr. Rose, my assistant Marty and the staff at the medical offices, the insurance companies that were billed for these services but most importantly God, knows what I did as I was working on their patients”.

    Dr. Rose asked Ms. Church to Author a Chapter in His Medical Textbook

    Rose, E.H. (ed) Aesthetic Facial Restoration. Philadelphia: Lipincott-Raven; 1998.

    Synopsis:

    …illustrated with over 400 patient photographs and lifelike color drawings…demonstrates restoration techniques, methods of repairing defects in every part of the face, and the use of cosmetic camouflage by experts in the field.

    She is the featured author of Chapter 8 “Microdermal Pigmentation”.

    https://www.mountsinai.org/profiles/elliott-h-rose
    http://permanentmakeuptrainingandtips.com/skin-needling-melanocyte-restoration-and-scar-relaxation/

    Founder of

    Susan Church is a Co-Founder, past president and former board member of the Society of Permanent Cosmetics (SPC) later to be changed to the name Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals (SPCP). As a result of her success as founder of IIPC, she was chosen as the SPCP’s Education Advisor for 2004 – 2005. She wrote many articles for their newsletter, sat on the ‘Panel of Experts’ and was a lecturer for many conferences.

    She later founded with Pamela Abshear the ‘League of Permanent Cosmetic Providers’ (LPCP). For more info on the LPCP -a non profit organization, please visit  https://lpcp.org/who-started-skin-needling/

    Representing ALL PMU Artists in the State of California

    Susan Church is the only Permanent Cosmetic Makeup Technician in the state of California to have been appointed to the task force of the California Conference of Local Health Officers by the Society of Permanent Cosmetics) SPC. Ms. Church was chosen to represent all of California’s Permanent Cosmetics industry, and in 1999 was honored with the organization’s Distinguished Service Award for Industry-Supportive Work.

    California Legislation Update

     

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    Did we have an exciting year! California passed a law to regulate the permanent cosmetics, tattoo and body piercing industries as of January 1,1999. The law required the creation of a task force with one member from a non-profit trade association for the permanent cosmetic industry on it. That of course, was the Society. We elected to put Susan Church (my SPCP co-founder) on the task force representing not only the Society but the entire permanent cosmetic field. And what a wonderful job she did in a very tough situation.

    The law says all permanent cosmetic technicians, tattoo artists and piercers must register by 1/1/99. Therefore many counties will start to require people pay for either a license or registration in early 1999.

    Beyond that it is not clear how the law is going to be enforced. The state could advise the counties on model guidelines or the counties could pass their own legislation, an option not very likely to happen. Therefore we felt it was important to let all California technicians know some of the state’s proposed guidelines – such as their suggestion all businesses have two sinks and that technicians be required to take CPR. We mailed an information packet written by Susan Church to almost 1500 people from the three industries in California and did they respond! The State of California did not know what hit them and suffice it to say no more has been heard on the two-sink idea! However many technicians did not mind the idea of CPR which is why we are offering a class prior to the convention.

    by Susan Preston

     

    http://web.archive.org/web/19991004231501/http:/www.spcp.org/newspage4.htm

    Products For Permanent MakeUp

    IIPC provides a comprehensive selection of permanent makeup products, manufactured in FDA-approved labs right here in the United States. Our cutting-edge machines, equipment and supplies are sought out by those who strive for success in Permanent Cosmetics.

    By continuously establishing and exceeding the standards held by the Permanent Makeup Industry, IIPC and Susan Church remain the authorities in Permanent Cosmetic Education and Products. Join us, and see what the buzz is all about!  https://www.permanentmakeupproducts.com/newproducts.aspx

    The History of International Institute of Permanent Cosmetics by Susan Church

    In 1988, the relatively unknown phenomenon of permanent makeup made its way into the beauty industry. That year, I took my first permanent makeup class – a two-day seminar that provided information on how to market my business and how to put a few dots of pigment into an eyebrow. For this minimal course, I was charged about $5,000.00.

    There were over 40 students in this class, all of whom will tell you that we were given no hands-on experience. I did not learn how to implant pigments into the skin, anything about skin undertones in relationship to permanent cosmetic makeup, the depth the pigment should be inserted or any pre-procedure preparation or aftercare.

    With the end of that two-day “course” I came to realize that the surface of permanent cosmetics had barely been scratched, but I didn’t let this discourage me from continuing on. As a traditional makeup artist I knew that, if I used tools to apply makeup and paint and worked with chalk to draw, I would be able to conquer this new tool – this noisy, cumbersome tattoo coil machine – and learn to apply permanent makeup with it. On my own, I learned how to place pigment into the dermal layer of skin. You could say that I actually graduated from the School of Hard Knocks, but in the first few weeks after my initial class I had worked on dozens of clients. The results were OK, but I knew there was much more to this innovative art form.

    As I continued to practice, there were no professionals that could give me straight answers to all of my questions – and believe me, I had a million of them. I persisted in discovering how to make the whole permanent makeup application work, and soon I was asked to head the ‘Instructor Assistance Line’ for the company that had originally trained me. I took phone calls for at least 5 hours a day, trying to help new technicians with the information and experience I had gained on my own.

    Due to the invasive application of the permanent makeup application process, I knew that anyone performing these procedures would need insurance. I discovered Susan Preston, who was an insurance broker. We both knew, from all of the problems that we had witnessed, that this neophyte industry needed a proper education system and source for technical assistance.

    We discussed starting an association that would help to unify and educate technicians, as well as the public, about permanent cosmetics. We not only established the Society of Permanent Cosmetics (SCP), but put the first SCP conference together with the help of my son Scott, who had just graduated from culinary school. He told us exactly who to contact to set up the conference at the hotel, what to order, how to handle the vendors – basically everything we would need to do in order to have a successful conference. In just a few short weeks we planned the very first SCP conference, which was incredibly successful! How awesome that so many technicians joined us for our 1st ever PMU educational conference! Years later Pamela Abshire and I founded the LPCP (League of Permanent Cosmetic Providers) for technicians in the PMU, tattoo and piercing industry.

    Susan and I pushed to establish standards and hold technicians accountable for their work. We required each technician to sign and follow a code of ethics in order to be an SCP member in good standing. Because of this, we were able to develop a strong foundation for the booming permanent makeup industry that exists today.

    The industry needed appropriate standards for all phases of all of the processes we were carrying out. We all needed to learn about proper sanitation, sterilization, what an autoclave was and how to use it, which products worked and why, what was legal to use, what we should do with our needles once we used them, how to set up a proper tray, proper technique and so much more. The horror stories are plentiful, but I will save those for a future conference topic.

    There was so much misinformation in our industry that any sane person would question everything. Through my own trial and error I discovered how to make permanent cosmetics work. I knew that I could shade in an eyebrow with powder, but I wanted to create realistic looking 3-dimensional eyebrows. I knew I would have to use several colors and different needle groupings to achieve this look. It took a while to perfect, but I eventually got the results I had hoped for. For IIPC, we took the best results from my learning years and complied an educational program to teach both powdered eyebrows as well as realistic ‘eyebrow hair simulation’ – in addition to many other procedural techniques. I had long discussions with tattoo artists, physicians and traditional makeup artists like myself, and through all of this information, have come the successful techniques and protocol we employ today. Each application has its own set of rules; eyeliner procedures are different than eyebrows, and lip color is different as well. We use different needle groupings, pigment colors and techniques to achieve distinctive looks. Everything that we have discovered to be effective, safe and applicable is taught in IIPC’s classes, making our institution a consistent leader in education of Permanent Makeup industry since its inception in 1990.

    In 1990, I found myself in the office of Dr. Grossman, a world-renown burn reconstructive surgeon, where I was fortunate enough to work with some of his burn patients. One patient in particular had a skin graft over her cheek and lip area which had both hypo- and hyper-pigmentation, and I worked with her in attempt to camouflage this discoloration. While performing Corrective Pigment Camouflage (CPC) on the patient, she told me how the contractured bands of the graft’s scar tissue were being released by the needle’s penetration, and that she could now move her jaw and open her mouth wider. http://permanentmakeuptrainingandtips.com/corrective-pigment-camouflage-part-3-of-3/She was amazed at what had transpired with her skin. Many other burn survivors that underwent this procedure noticed the same results. http://permanentmakeuptrainingandtips.com/corrective-pigment-camouflage-part-2-of-3/ The next year, in 1991, I lectured on Skin Needling™, Melanocyte Restoration and Scar Relaxation – the terms developed for these procedures – at our first SPC conference and showed photos of these patients and their results. While moving offices, in 2016 (in the archives) we located boxes and boxes of old records of our patients from Dr. Grossman’s  office.  So many of our old patients files were preserved with old paychecks, payments from patients insurance companies, Procedure Reports, Medical History, burn report chart notes from Dr. Grossman and other forms from the patients. We were ecstatic to view our old patients charts that helped change the face of permanent makeup! In 2021 we will be making a documentary video while discussing the old chart notes and how the industry has changed as well as procedure protocols.

    I have lectured at the many PMU conferences, as a guest on the ‘Panel of Experts’ at medical conferences, to cosmetology boards, colleges, state boards of health, beauty schools, burn foundations and other organizations and associations. Most of these lectures educate attendees on the proper use, sanitation and sterilization of permanent makeup machines and accessories, proper vs. illegal use of anesthesia and the benefits of Skin Needling/Micro Needling, now known as Collagen Rejuvenation Therapy (CRT). https://lpcp.org/who-started-skin-needling/

    I also took a fantastic paramedical class from Marvin Westmore.  I trained Marvin’s staff in PMU and in turn met more burn patients. One of them is featured on my YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BobhuQtf7L8 The ‘Westmore’ name is synonymous with Hollywood glamour.  Much of what he taught me was in direct parallels to permanent cosmetics, and I continue to incorporate his knowledge into the curriculum at IIPC.

    In addition to developing several permanent cosmetics procedural products for the industry, I have also developed two fantastic lines of permanent makeup pigment. One line is for Tri-Lab Products ‘Designer Series Colours’ –https://www.permanentmakeupproducts.com/permanent_makeup_products_pigment_signature_series.aspx the line is over 25 years young and is distributed in 30 different countries. The second line is called ‘Absolute Perfection,’ https://www.permanentmakeupproducts.com/permanent_makeup_pigment_boutique_collection.aspx and is also used and distributed in as many countries. Both color pigment lines have been medically tested, approved and used. Bottles are heat sealed, coded with lot number and expiration dates for safety.

    IIPC has helped to cultivate most of the Permanent Cosmetics Industry’s educators, providing their training, offering guidance and help in setting up their businesses, and answering client’s questions with technical answers. One of our educators shared a poignant fact with me recently: she has taken classes from many different educators at many different institutions, and came to the conclusion that most of today’s successful educators received their education at IIPC or were trained by technicians that have taken classes from IIPC. I find it a great honor that people have used the knowledge gained at IIPC, put their own twist on it and in turn experience great success in the industry.

    IIPC/Susan Church  has been called the ‘Godmother of PMU’ and a Pioneer in permanent makeup training and education. When it all started, I simply saw an opportunity to expand on a course of action that someone else had started. Students revere IIPC and companies are always trying to emulate us. This in itself speaks volumes!

    IIPC is still on the cutting edge of education 33 years later, and continues to develop new techniques and products to help technicians and other schools and instructors. IIPC’s curriculum has always raised the bar for industry’s standards, and we continually update our programs and teachings to exceed the principles that exist in the world of Permanent Cosmetics. For More Information please visit http://permanentmakeuptrainingandtips.com/q-and-a-an-interview-with-ms-susan-church/

     

    An Angel Without Wings

    IIPC’s Alumni Discount Policy

    Graduates of IIPC’s 5-day Comprehensive Introductory Training Course are extended an offer to receive $200. off the cost of each IIPC IN CLINIC* Advanced Course they enroll in.  Each of IIPC’s Advanced Courses is a 1-day class and will provide 9+ hours of continuing education credit with a beautiful certificate.

    Advanced Collagen Rejuvenation Therapy (CRT), Areola Repigmentation, Baby Lip Colour, Colour Correction, Colour Theory, Corrective Pigment Camouflage, Dermaplaning Face and Body, MicroBrows® and Shading (Microblading), Pigment Lightening and Removal, Ombré Brows® for Microblading, Scalp Micro Pigmentation, Smokey and Winged Eyeliner.

    HyaPen Genius – Needleless Face Plumping

    HyaPen Plasma- Tightens Loose Skin

    Hya BB Glow –  Hyaluronic  Acid with a Hint of Colour

    *This discount does not apply to our ONLINE CLASSES.

    Financial Guidance For Permanent Cosmetics Training

    • If you have the drive, dedication and passion it takes to become a successful Permanent Cosmetics Technician, IIPC wants to help you reach your goals.
    • We offer options for financial guidance to help those students who need it. For information about IIPC’s Financial Guidance information, and to see if you may qualify, please contact IIPC at 800.282.0577.

    IIPC's Distinguished Honors and Accomplishments

    Past Memberships

    • American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine
    • American Society of Esthetic Medicine
    • California Alliance for the Promotion of Safe Body Art (CAPSBA)
    • Phoenix Burn Society

    Accomplishments

     

    Awards

    • Received American Motion Picture Council’s “Humanitarian Award” (2003)
    • California Governor’s Task Force “Distinguished Service Award” for industry supportive work (1999)
    • Received the National Cosmetic Tattooing Association’s “Certificate of Merit” for outstanding service (1991)

    Ms. Susan Church is considered one of the most credible and knowledgeable professionals in the Permanent Cosmetics industry. She is consistently invited to conduct seminars and lecture for many well-known organizations and events, and has done so for:

    Gene Vance Jr. Foundation 5th Continuing Medical Education Symposium  ‘Wounded Warriors’- https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/8812309/breakthrough-leading-edge-innovation-gene-vance-jr-foundation•The Phoenix Society World Burn Conference   •The California Burn Foundation   •Murad Skin Research Laboratories   •The Sherman Oaks Burn Center    •The Richmond Tattoo Arts Festival   •The Association of Medical Cosmetic Specialists   •New York University   •The National Tattoo Association    •The Los Amigos Burn Center   • The University of California, Irvine Burn Foundation   •The Arizona State Board of Cosmetology   •The Miami International Esthetics Conference    •The International Esthetics and Cosmetics Conference   • The March of Dimes