Popular permanent makeup procedures for eyebrows, such as microblading, nano brows, and ombre powder brows require two sessions and the first mandatory touch up is done 4-6 weeks after the initial treatment.
New artists who have just started offering their services are sometimes not sure whether to include the cost of the first top up in the initial price of the treatment, or to charge separately.
PMUHub has conducted a survey among PMU artists and collected answers from experienced professionals as well as those who still work on building their clientele.
Take a look at what we found out!
Touch up is included
Most beginners include touch ups in the price of the treatment, advertising it as complimentary. This is because they need to attract new customers, and the feeling of paying a lower price or getting something for free is a good way to do it.
However, new PMU artists are not the only ones to have their touch ups included. Some professional, skillful artists with a large clientele, also do this, and some of them explained their reasons:
“I don’t charge for the first touch up, it’s included. Because that’s how I improve my work. If they don’t come back, then I won’t be able to tell if I did something wrong”
Another microblading artist from the UK told us: “I include it in the initial price as I worry a separate charge may encourage a client not to return for a follow up. I wouldn’t want anything less than perfect healed results of my work walking around.”
Extra Tip #1
Bearing in mind that a good work (especially one you can spot easily, since eyebrows are so noticeable) is the best advertisement, this is a great marketing strategy. And even if you are a popular PMU artist, you need to keep a good reputation all the time.
There are occasions when touch up is not needed, but this artist explained why she likes her customers coming back anyway: “I like to be the one to judge if something has healed perfectly in one session, you know. Plus, if they come back and they are healed fine, no touch up needed, I get to take my own healed images with my lighting etc”.
Extra Tip #2
Including touch up in the first price is a great marketing strategy for all the PMU beginners.
However, most of them noted that after some time they start thinking about charging additionally. One artist explained that sometimes, when they have only top up appointments scheduled for couple of weeks in a row, it feels that they work for nothing.
In that case, it’s a good idea to give a heads-up to your regular clients and explain why you need to start charging for the touch up.
Touch up is charged additionally
The survey shows that, once they grow their business, PMU artists usually start charging for the touch up separately. The price of the touch up is equal to approximately 20%-40% of the first treatment. As most of the new artists say, it is “to cover the materials used”.
“When I first started out, I included the touch up, but as I got busier, it was important for me to charge for my time and supplies” says another artist, from Miami, Florida.
Other touch ups
The first top up is obligatory, but the purpose of the other touch ups is to prolong the duration of the brows tattoo. Their frequently depends on the client’s skin type and lifestyle.
Annual touch up is recommended and it is usually around 50% of the price of the treatment. If you want a color boost after 6 months, it usually costs about 30-40%.
The client will pay the full price after 2-3 years, because it is very likely that the pigment completely faded.
Specific occasions
If a client asks for a top up, or correction of someone else’s work, then most artists charge the full price.
To wrap it up
The overall conclusion is that most beginners include the touch up and most of more experienced artists charge separately. Naturally, there are exceptions.
If you are just starting up your PMU business, the best option is to check how the competition in your area does, whether the touch up is included or not.
Including the price of the touch up in the initial price can be a great marketing strategy at the beginning, and you can start charging separately when your business starts growing.
Do you include first touch up in the price of the treatment, or you charge it separately? Let us know in the comments below! 👇
