Cookie Cutter Training - and why we don’t follow this approach at Dermace

We had an interesting situation last week where we were training a Medical Tattooing student on one floor and a Microblader on another. They both had friends that had gone to other companies for their training at the same time and were checking in with each other over the week, so we were fascinated to compare the experiences of the trainees.

The medical students we were working with had a portion of online pre-study before coming for practical training, and then worked on Areola and MCA models we provided. Amazingly, the trainees from the other academy had not had the opportunity to work on any live models at all! They were not trained to understand the different oncology treatments their clients may have been though (and how it affects how to proceed with a treatment), and they were creating Areola designs using pointillism - which went out with the Ark! They were taught the theory and then told to go out and find their own models/clients. Really?? The first Areola they produce on real skin is done without the trainer there? On a client that has been through traumatic cancer treatment? That’s not a great foundation for success or confidence-building.

And we’re not talking about a small company here - we’re talking about one of (if not, THE) largest training academies in the UK!

It was a similar story with the Microblader. Her friend was also stuck with a practice pad for most of her training, and learned a very “cookie-cutter” style of brow mapping. It’s not a huge surprise really, as this company has a trademark brow - which is great if you’re looking for that, but what about the vast amount of clients that don’t suit their that style due to age, skin type, facial proportions, or the fact that they don’t want the same old style as everyone else!

We try to focus on the ‘why’ during our training. We give our trainees the whole story so they can understand the rules of the treatment - and then bend them if they need to. We also insist on live models. Our online Pre-study replaces the old paper based booklets. It doesn’t replace ANY of the practical instruction you NEED on a Micropigmentation course.

We are taking our medical training to the next level over the next few months. We’ll be launching a course for techs that have been trained in basic Areola Tattooing but feel as though there’re gaps n their knowledge. I’ll update you closer to the time.