Maximum Commitment
Full Lip Colour is the most technically demanding archetype and the highest commitment for both practitioner and client. It delivers permanent lipstick-level saturation across the entire lip surface, achieved through 3-4 sessions spaced 6-8 weeks apart. Each session builds density progressively. There are no shortcuts — attempting full saturation in a single session creates excessive tissue trauma, poor retention, and colour distortion.
This archetype exists at the far end of the spectrum from Aquarelle. Where Aquarelle requires restraint, Full Lip Colour requires patience — the patience to build density across multiple appointments rather than chasing the target in one sitting.
Diagnostic Gate
Not every client who requests Full Lip Colour is a candidate. The diagnostic gate is intentionally narrow. Suitable candidates present with healthy lip tissue that can tolerate multiple healing cycles, realistic understanding of the 4-6 month treatment timeline, financial commitment to 3-4 sessions, absence of conditions that interfere with repeated healing (particularly HSV-1 without prophylaxis compliance), and genuine desire for a permanent lipstick effect rather than enhancement.
The client who says they want full lip colour but cannot commit to multiple sessions needs to be redirected to Lip Blush or Ombré. Attempting Full Lip Colour in fewer sessions than required produces an inferior result and damages the professional relationship when expectations are not met.
Multi-Session Strategy
Session 1 establishes the base layer — even, light-to-moderate saturation (40-50%) across the entire lip. This session defines the shape and confirms the colour choice. Expect 30-40% retention after healing. Session 2 (6-8 weeks later) builds density to 55-65%, focusing on areas that retained less from session 1. Session 3 achieves target saturation (70-80%) with particular attention to evenness and border precision. Session 4, if needed, addresses any remaining inconsistencies and perfects the final result.
Document meticulously between sessions. Photograph under identical lighting conditions at each appointment. Note areas of high and low retention on a lip diagram. Map the pigment formulation including any adjustments. Each session should be planned based on how the previous session healed, not based on a predetermined protocol — the lip tells you what it needs at each stage.
Colour Evolution Across Sessions
The same pigment formula applied in session 1 and session 3 will produce different visual results because it is layering over different base conditions. Session 1 layers over natural lip tissue. Session 3 layers over two previous pigment deposits. This cumulative effect shifts the perceived colour warmer and deeper with each session.
Anticipate this shift — if your target colour is a true rose, your session 1 pigment may need to be cooler and lighter than the target to account for the warming that occurs through layering. By session 3, the cumulative deposit reaches the target shade. Document your pigment formulation adjustments at each session so you can refine the approach across your practice.
Tissue Trauma Management
Full Lip Colour produces the most tissue trauma of any archetype because it requires the most passes at the highest saturation level. Use minimum needle depth for pigment deposition — there is no benefit to going deeper than the papillary dermis, and excessive depth increases trauma without improving retention. Maintain consistent speed and take stretch breaks during the procedure to maintain hand precision.
Monitor swelling throughout the session. If the lip swells beyond the point where you can see your mapping accurately, stop and continue at the next session. Working on a significantly swollen lip produces inaccurate placement — the tissue is distorted, the landmarks are displaced, and the border you are following is not where it will be when the swelling resolves.
Case Study: The Single-Session Request
A 27-year-old client books for "full lip colour — I want it done in one session because I'm travelling and can't come back for months." Assessment reveals healthy tissue, Fitzpatrick III, well-defined borders, no contraindications. She is a strong candidate anatomically but her timeline expectation is the problem.
The diagnostic conflict: attempting full saturation in a single session requires 5-6 passes across the entire lip surface. By pass 4, the tissue is traumatised — swollen, bleeding in zones, and no longer accepting pigment efficiently. The passes beyond this point create damage without proportional pigment deposit. The healed result will be uneven: over-saturated in areas that held pigment and patchy in areas where tissue trauma prevented uptake. She will need correction work that takes longer than the original multi-session plan would have.
The response: explain the multi-session rationale using the tissue trauma framework. Offer two alternatives: Lip Blush at 45-50% saturation in a single session (a result she can enjoy during her travels), with Full Lip Colour sessions scheduled for after she returns. Or Ombré, which creates a more dramatic single-session result than Lip Blush because the gradient effect adds visual impact at lower overall saturation. Both alternatives respect the tissue's healing capacity while giving her a result she can be confident in.