Previously seen as imperfections, freckles are the wave of the moment and now appear in a tattooed version

On a recent June morning in Brooklyn, New York, Chloe Sarre almost fell asleep, lying on a gurney in a cozy living room as a makeup artist used a needle dipped in semi-permanent liquid pigment to carefully prick 20 microscopic dots scattered across her cheeks.

Keila Cummings, a makeup artist and co-owner of Browstress, a cosmetic tattoo studio, used a baby wipe to remove excess pigment. The sound of Ali Gatie singing “Used to You” ran through her studio on the tenth floor of a building in the Dumbo neighborhood.

“It doesn’t hurt at all,” commented Sarre, 35, a women’s fitness trainer and Brooklyn resident. “Honestly, eyebrow waxing hurts a lot more than that.”

Before arriving at the studio, Sarre had used an eyebrow pencil to draw dots on her face, wanting to jump on the latest beauty trend that thousands of people across the United States have been experimenting with: freckle tattoos. Available in the shape of hearts, stars or even astrological signs, melanin-filled brands have become the latest obsession on TikTok – and, in the past, those with freckles were mocked in schoolyards.

The tattooed freckles are created with the same pigment used for eyebrow microblading, another cosmetic treatment where semi-permanent pigment is tattooed into the surface of the skin. The effect of microblading is to make the eyebrows thicker and fuller.

The procedure followed to tattoo the artificial freckles takes one hour and is less painful and permanent than a traditional tattoo. Freckles last between eight months and two years, depending on skin type, sun exposure and how often a person exfoliates. Treatment costs can cost between US$200 and US$500 (between R$970 and R$2,430 approximately), depending on the location and number of freckles.

Tattooed freckles started to become popular around 2018, commented Krystal Cummings, 36, Keila’s twin sister and co-owner of Browstress. She said that she learned to make them at the request of a client.

“He told me to call her when I started making them – no if I started,” said Krystal, who has a nose covered in freckles that she tattooed herself.

A former 911 operator, Krystal started Browstress in 2018. She learned how to microblade when her aunt had cancer and needed chemotherapy, leading to hair loss on her eyebrows. Krystal watched tutorials on YouTube, practiced on herself, and mastered the touch required to make tattooed freckles look natural. “They need to be lightweight with very soft edges,” she explained.

Throughout history, freckles have often been seen as imperfections. But that view changed between the mid- and late-20th century, when a tan — and the freckles that went with it — became a status symbol, something that signaled a life of leisure, said Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, a fashion historian specializing in the period. early modern.

In the 1990s, thanks to model Twiggy and singer Jane Birkin, as well as the “youthquake” cultural movement of the 1960s, freckles began to be associated with a youthful appearance. In the early 2000s, they became well-regarded on catwalks and advertising campaigns. And in 2018, Meghan Markle’s decision to go more natural for her wedding to Prince Harry led to a wave of female imitators seeking to sport freckles.

In recent years, the rise of TikTok and the transparency of influencers who do cosmetic treatments have brought procedures like freckle tattoos to a wider audience.

In the case of Browstress, Krystal said, most customers heard about the tattoos through word of mouth, internet searches or social media.

Of course, not all the repercussions are positive. There are several posts from women sporting bright red dots right after the procedure, which some people might mistakenly think will be the end result. Saki Lee, a Brooklyn-based artist who also does freckle tattoos, said that’s why on her Instagram account she only shares images of the final results, when the holes have closed.

The worst inflammation usually goes away within 10 minutes, Lee said, but in people with fair skin, the redness can linger longer. For many clients, immediately after the procedure, the only thing you notice is that their cheeks appear to be slightly sunburnt.

Once the procedure was over, Keila advised Sarre not to expose himself to the sun and not to exfoliate his face for between five and ten days.

And Krystal highlighted one more thing: “Keila told you that you won’t be able to work for like three days?”.

“You didn’t mention that,” replied Sarre, who, dressed in black leggings, Crocs and a sweat-wicking T-shirt, looked like he was on his way to doing just that. “Why?”

“If you sweat, the pigment will come off,” Krystal said.

Sare reached a compromise: she could work out, but in moderation, and a sauna would be out of the question. She posed for a few photos, admiring her new spots.

The tattoos take about 15 days to heal and, from the first week onwards, they begin to lighten until they reach a tawny brown tone, said Keila. Some may disappear completely.

“One or two may be gone, but we can remake them,” she said.

The twins often opt for a shade that’s too light, before adding more freckles or darkening them, as the client wishes.

I ask if anyone has asked to remove them. “Never,” Krystal said. “In reality, people almost always want to do more.”