But in the past year, a new form of gender-affirming cosmetic tattooing has emerged: facial hair.
They worked at non-profits for less than a year after graduating from college.
As a trans non-binary person, Reeve always loved using makeup toplay with gender expression.
Courtesy of Miche Reeve
Until I started tattooing, I always felt my art was best expressed through makeup, they say.
I loved the transformative nature of it.
I loved playing with angles of the face, highlights, and shadows.
Courtesy of Miche Reeve
Within the first year of tattooing, I started offering gender-affirming cosmetic tattoos.
As the years went on… it just became my specialty, they recall.
I developed techniques that can alter the face through masculinization, feminization, or a combo of the two.
Courtesy of Miche Reeve
(More on those techniques in a minute.)
This contributes not only to the realism of Reeves facial hair tattoos but also to how well they age.
Instead, they use pigments that are specific to cosmetic tattooing, which arent totally permanent.
Courtesy of Miche Reeve
That timeline truly varies from person to person.
Sun exposure and the use ofretinoidsand some skin care products can make the tattoo fade faster.
One similarity these facial hair tattoos have to traditional body tattooing is costnot all services are priced the same.
Courtesy of Miche Reeve
Reeve also offers sliding scale pricing, with up to 50 percent off for transgender clients seeking gender-affirming services.
Facial hair tattoos can provide the same benefits, which reach far beyond the surface.
I have had clients say the impact from these services is greater than surgery, Reeve says.
Ask Reeves clients and theyll tell you the same.
These tattoos have opened my eyes to how I truly see myself inside, they say.
I think it can help a lot of people.
We are planning on releasing our trainings on gender affirmation later this year.
These are not services to wing, they say.
True gender affirmation comes from the environment, language, and bedside manner of the tattoo artist.
There are few things in this world that compare to the joyous euphoria that gender affirmation can bring.
