To the average person, the word pearl tends to conjure up images of a lustrous gem that comes from an oyster, turned into remarkable jewelry. To us in the field, we might rather think of pearls as an ingredient or base of a cosmetic designed to enhance – perhaps – the skin’s glow.

There are pearl face creams and there are pearl-enhanced cosmetics, the luster and glow of which are undeniably gorgeous when applied to the skin. On top of this, there was a trend that popped up in the beauty world several years ago, which to a large extent has filtered out – wearing pearls on the face itself.

 

Pearl Jewelry vs Pearl Adornment

Pearls have been worn by people as jewelry for as long as recorded history. In fact, there is a 4,000 year old pearl and gold earrings that is the pride of a museum collection. (Source). As a hair piece, crown jewel, necklace, bracelet and anklet, as well as on the hilt of swords and in rings, these lustrous stones have made their mark on the culture of beauty. Pearls themselves define elegance, grace and beauty. Even the famous painting, Girl With a Pearl Earring, by Vameer, has evoked mystery and Hollywood’s fantasies. So it should have come as no surprise to anyone that people might start attaching pearls directly onto their skin.

The Headline in 2017 by GH ran, “Gluing Pearls to Your Face Is the Next Weird Beauty Trend Thoroughly Confusing Us.” Flat backed pearls, available to buy through such sources as Amazon, could be applied to the skin using eyelash glue. And people were going for it! At TSLMS we watched this with interest. We were actually waiting for people to start coming to our members asking to have pearls surgically implanted into their skin. For those reading who are not completely up on their pearls, and the different types, we love the following resource (though we are not endorsing them as a proprietor or business, just as a source of information): Pearl Paradise’s page. It  is a virtual catalog encompassing the different pearls that one might find of interest.

At this point the concept of surgical pearl implantation has not yet taken off, but it would not surprise us if we still see it emerge at some point. And if it does, we will make sure to provide you with the information you need to stay educated on the techniques that will help you help your clients fulfill their wishes. If it happens to take off this year then it will surely be a topic of our annual SCALE Music CIty Conference and Meeting in Nashville, TN in 2020.  

 

Pearls and Lasers Make For More Beautiful Skin.

Pearl and Pearl Fractional Laser treatment are really interesting techniques that are making a big difference in the way we do skin treatments. As noted by UPMC, a major medical group in Pittsburgh, PA:

The Pearl laser procedure can help renew your skin’s surface — in one or two treatments — minimizing wrinkles, uneven texture and discoloration… During Pearl laser treatment, the top layer of skin is treated with pulses of light and the deeper layers of skin are heated… A natural “dressing” immediately forms on the skin… The dressing peels off, three to four days after treatment, to reveal new, healthy skin.

Pearl Fractional is a deep fractional laser used to treat moderate to severe sun damaged or aging skin on the entire face. Ideal candidates for Pearl Fractional treatment are those with light to medium skin tones and skin imperfections due to acne scars, deep wrinkles and sun damage… [The] laser treatment stimulates [the] body’s own collagen-producing process to plump the skin, reducing the appearance of wrinkles and other imperfections. The laser pulses place tiny holes in the skin and selectively remove columns of damaged tissue.

In reality, these technologies do not use pearls, they just have trademarked names that involve the gem.

 

Lower Face and Neck Pearls

This surgical technique is a fat graft. Albeit a glamourize name for a fairly simple procedure, this method helps with bringing shape and formation, allowing the tightening of the lower face and neckline to provide restoration of aesthetic beauty.

As pointed out in the Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery, republished by the National Institutes of Health, “For more than a century, clinicians have attempted to utilise fat for the treatment of tissue deficiencies and contour abnormalities. Autologous fat transplantation for soft-tissue augmentation has become increasingly popular in recent years. The popularity of tumescent liposuction has brought renewed interest and accessibility of fat for transplantation. Newer techniques and approaches to augmentation have provided more predictable and reproducible results. Fat augmentation has become an effective, safe and reliable method for restoring volume and correcting the atrophy that accompanies senescence.” (Source).

So called a pearl, because of the size of the fat ‘drops’ that are removed and implanted where they make a difference. So, while they are not adding luster and shine, they most certainly are working to make people as beautiful and full as a pearl itself.