Referrals

Athena has received many endorsements from clients and medical professionals alike. If you are a prospective client, you may wish to read the client testimonials.

MD Endorsements

Timothy J. Marten, MD, FACS

I have known and worked with Athena for over ten years during which time she has provided the highest quality cosmetic micropigmentation services to my patients. Athena is widely regarded as one of the pre-eminent permanent make-up artists in North America and her client list includes a mix of business and professional people, political figures, and people from the arts and entertainment industries from around the world. Athena is also and expert at revising poorly done cosmetic tattoos, and treats a variety of very difficult reconstructive cases.

Patient satisfaction with Athena’s work has always been very high. She has an artistic eye, she is empathetic and supportive, and has a gentle and caring touch.

Athena receives my highest recommendation without reservation, and she is the kind of person I would want to care for a family member or me. I encourage you to consult with her regarding any permanent cosmetic, cosmetic tattoo revision, and reconstructive micropigmentation services you might need.

Dr. Dore J. Gilbert, M.D.

I was privileged to meet Athena Karsant when she agreed to demonstrate her permanent cosmetic tattooing technique in my facility and graciously allowed my staff members to observe. I was immediately impressed with her professional behavior, flawless technical style and artistic skill. She has a true "artistic eye."

Dr. Stanley Poulos, M.D.

I am a Board-certified Plastic Surgeon in Private Practice in Marin County, California. As a surgeon with more than 20 years of experience in cosmetic and reconstructive procedures, I see many patients requiring or having had medical micropigmentation procedures. This is especially common for correction of scars after breast surgery or nipple areolar restoration following breast reconstruction.

It is my pleasure to recommend Ms. Karsant as an expert technician in regard to these procedures. I have had the opportunity to observe patients whom she has treated and the results are excellent. I recommend her without reservation to my patients requiring micropigmentation.

Robert M. Kachenmeister, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Ms. Karsant has been working out of my office over the past several years, helping my patients in many different avenues. She handles all my post-breast reconstruction cases with areolar restoration, as well as scar camouflage. She also takes care of my cosmetic patients who desire permanent make-up for brows, lips, and eyes.

Athena has always maintained a very professional level with my patients and she continues to strive to offer the very best to my patients. I would refer her highly to any of my colleagues.

Dr. Gary N. Miller, D.C., FAFICC

I have known Ms. Athena Karsant for many years, both socially and through the medical community. I am very familiar with her work. She has created beautiful faces for many of my patients as well as performing corrective eye brow work on my lovely wife. We both are thrilled with the results.

Client Testimonials

Gene H. Zaglin, MD.
Athena Karsant bills herself as a "cosmetic & paramedical tattoo specialist," but she is a compassionate goddess with the eye and hands of an artist and the knowledge of a medical specialist. Her years of experience in treating the disfiguring results of injuries or previous medical procedures make the faith that physicians, especially the plastic surgeons and dermatologists who regularly refer their patients to her, understandable and well deserved. Her fair one price approach for a year of treatments. easy access in either San Francisco or Los Angeles, and thorough preoperative prep for a painless treatment ensure the faith her clients have in her as well. And the results assure the satisfaction of both the clients and the physicians who referred her.

My professional relationship with her began almost a year ago when my plastic surgeon, whom I had seen for face and neck scarring secondary to multiple medical procedures, suggested that this might be the answer to my problems. He had previously sent me to a well known San Francisco dermatologist who had tried using fraxil laser treatments on the affected areas. Not once, but on six occasions. After cost and pain yielded negligible results, he suggested that I see Athena, two floors down in the professional office building in which he practices, probably the premier private practice office site in the city. My initial consultation included reviewing photographic examples of her work. from birth defects to post-mastectomy areolar enhancement; her analysis of what could be done for me; and an initial treatment. We set up the second appointment for three weeks later. When I got home, I immediately realized that this single treatment had yielded more noticeable effects than the entire series of laser treatments. Although scurrying back and forth to her Beverly Hills office, an appointment has never been more than three weeks away. So, now, almost a year later, I make my monthly visit to her pleasant office on the 24th floor and enjoy its view of the San Francisco Bay while the numbing salve which she concocts herself does its job. After thirty to forty five minutes, perhaps spent in friendly conversation with another client being numbed. she works her magic. She takes her time artistically blending and completely camouflaging the scars, sending me on my way with my next appointment scheduled. And once again' am gladly surprised that I look better than when I arrived. If I need to change the appointment, no problem. Whether in LA or here at home in San Francisco, Athena is always there to answer her phone with appointment book in hand.

Athena Karsant has my eternal gratitude for the difference she has made in my life and my unqualified recommendation for the treatment of the variety of problems and needs in which she specializes.

Joelle Jacobs, R.N.

I am one of the students who has had the pleasure and opportunity of studying permanent makeup from Athena Karsant. Athena is an incredibly gifted, talented, profesional, and hardworking technician. Over the 60 hours of training and instruction, Athena has shown me that artistry and creating balance and design of the face through tattooing is the most important perspective of approaching your work. She has also taught me the many different aspects of tattooing, including the different machines, equipment and why she uses what she does, saving me years of trial and error. She has taught me about business and client relationships, paperwork, ethics, and set me up with vendor contacts. She watched me work, never judging me, always supportive and encouraging. Her patience endless, and her attitude always positive and professional. Athena will always be my mentor and my goal. She has inspired me to do quality work, not quantity, to always focus on good work and the rest will come. With Athena's guidance, my confidence has grown, my skills are constantly being perfected, and my business is blossoming. I feel so fortunate and blessed to have received the type of training that I have with Athena. I know that I have been given the proper instruction to lay a firm foundation for years to come.

Benjamin C. Byers

The purpose of this letter is to attest to the high quality of work and professional level of service that I have received consistently from Ms. Athena Karsant. In particular:

Quality of Work & Fees: For most of my adult life (male, late 40s). I have carried unsightly acne scars on my chest. All over-the-counter treatments that I have tried have been ineffective and plastic surgery has not been an option due to its very high cost. However, Ms.· Karsant's cosmetic imaging approach has more than exceeded my expectations for the restoration of normal skin tone and has done so at a price that, while certainly not inexpensive, is affordable. Based on fees that I've paid for related dermatological procedures. I find her fees very reasonable.

Professionalism: The research that I did on cosmetic imaging prior to becoming a client of Ms. Karsant's revealed her extensive background and depth of credentials, including instructor level certifications, in cosmetology and intradermal technology. With her over 30 years of industry experience, including at least 15 as a sole proprietor. and extensive professional affiliations, I had no reason to expect anything less than a high level of dedication to her craft and commitment to her customers. Indeed, that has been my experience and, moreover, I've neither experienced nor observed in her interactions with other patients anything to suggest that I should continue to expect any less of her.

Customer Service: Much to Ms. Karsant's credit, and from the standpoint of customer service, my own volatile schedule has required me to cancel and reschedule appointments on several occasions. Each time, she has been fully accommodatIng of the change and I've never felt that the services I continued to receive were in any way diminished by the lack of regularity in my sessions. To the contrary, my preference would be for shorter sessions if only the technology allowed for it; but it doesn't: Setup time (including initial paperwork) typically takes 20 minutes and the treatment itself, once it's begun, simply cannot be rendered in under an hour if it's to be done at all.

In short, Ms. Karsant meets my highest level of expectations for quality of work, professionalism, integrity, and fairness of prices charged.

Kate Warner

I became a client of Athena Karsant after doing rigorous research and consulting with medical professionals as referral sources. I had hoped to obtain correction of a congenital issue for years, but was hesitant because the process was permanent, and there was an appreciable risk of a bad or unacceptable outcome.

My initial consultation with Ms. Karsant supported the accuracy of the research and the referrals.

She was serious, professional and skilled. She explained her billing and fee structure right up front so that I could determine if I was financially able to proceed.

After I gave my consent to the fee, she went on to fully explain not only how she would assess my specific needs, lifestyle and facial and skin structure the procedure, but she also explained how critical it was that I take be prepared to care properly for the corrections and to come in for
the adjustments during the pre paid adjustment period.

Her presentation was professional and thorough. If it had not been for the experience that she brought to the process before I even walked in, I would not have engaged her. Before we even began the numbing process, I knew what she would be doing where and how she would be doing it, and why she had elected that particular approach for me over others. My input was requested, and I believe it was given due consideration.

I paid $5,000 for the first service I came in for and did not need any follow up for that. I was very satisfied with my results. I have had other procedures done since then and for each of those, took advantage of the two pre-paid follow up appointments. The results for all the procedures were well worth the price.

Even more important than that cost though, is what I saved in terms of getting a botched job and chasing corrections and not having to suffer the embarrassment that I would have had if I had obtained the process from a less experienced, artistic and skilled practitioner. They are out there
and their work is frightening.

I have been in Ms. Karsant's presence when clients with botched jobs came in to thank her for helping them and have heard from them first hand the amount of angst, time and money spent before they fount Ms. Karsant and finally got their procedure done well.

Over the years I have referred and accompanied a few others to Ms. Karsant.

I have been present (in an adjacent numbing station) when she has had the initiating conversations with prospective new clients. I was impressed that her presentation did not vary appreciably from the one I received.

On one occasion that I recall after the preliminary fixed fee payment requirement was discussed, the client decided that they were not able to pay the fixed fee for the service, and there was no issue, pressure or rancor when they elected not to proceed with the rest of the initiating consultation.

In sum, Ms. Karsant impressed me as a responsible and caring professional, who keeps her word, and does exactly what she says she'll do. Her services can't be broken down into price-able elements; each is an essential part of the whole and they are all part of the entire effect that she achieves for clients.

Anonymous

I’m a 24 yr old male that’s been suffering from alopecia since the age of 4. I have been penciling my eyebrows in. Its really frustrating and embarrassing having to use make up to have eyebrows for a guy. I felt so self-conscious walking around and doing daily routines. I couldn’t even look up when walking; that’s how embarrassed I felt. I did a lot of research about having something done about my eyebrows. After my detailed research, I can confidently say that I have found the one person that has undoubtedly changed my life and the way I feel about myself. Her name is Athena Karsant. I visited her and felt so comfortable right away. She was really warm hearted and listened to everything i had to say and didn’t rush through anything. She took her time and the entire process was completely painless. I cannot begin to tell you how great my eyebrows look now. I CANNOT BELIEVE IT. No one would ever think I have lost my eyebrows. If you’re looking to have any cosmetic tattooing done for yourself, whatever it may be, you will not regret going and seeing her. She’s a professional and an artist!! If you’re wondering about the price, it was a little expensive, but then again, PERFECTION HAS ITS PRICE!

J. Rush

If you are looking for permanent make-up through a very professional, caring individual, then you have found the right person. I have been a client of Athena's for along time and I have always trusted her judgment. During my last visit Athena noticed some light spots on my lower lip. She chose to be cautious and have them checked by my dermatologist before we went ahead with the lip color. I am so glad that she did. As it turned out I have skin cancer on my lower lip and am now going through a course of chemotherapy treatments. Luckily it was caught very early, and after this treatment, I should be fine. If Athena had not had such a high degree of integrity, and cared so much for her clients, I might have gone much longer before seeing the dermatologist. It might have been to late at that point. No wonder so many Dermatologists and Cosmetic Surgeons refer their patient's to Athena.

Lovely in Los Angeles

Remember in Star Trek when the doctor would use a dermal regenerator to instantly heal a skin wound flawlessly. God! how I desperately wish there was such a gadget! However, for anyone suffering from acne scars in the real world, I've found the the next best thing, it's called needling.

Needling is a simple and safe procedure that can break up the scar tissue and allow the scar to rise. I have some rolling scars on my face (due to acne), along with it, major depression and social insecurities. Believe me, I've tried everything: lasers, chemical peels, collagen, and saline injections. The lasers and chemical peels helped with my uneven skin tone, but did nothing for the deeper scars. The collagen would only last a couple months and it always looked lumpy to me. The saline gave some results but not enough to justify the cost of driving one hour on the freeway and paying a ridiculous amount of money for some simple saline injections.

I read about needling on the web, but was a bit tentative about trying it. When nothing seemed to help my deep scars, I started doing more research on the subject. Everything I read seemed to be very positive and everyone had excellent results. So...I took the plunge!

I found Athena in Beverly Hills, a permanent makeup artist, who also does needling on scars. Athena was so positive and caring form the start. She gave me hope, a factor that was missing in my other scar treatments. (What a concept!) We tried it on one scar that day, just to see how my skin would react. there was a relatively short healing period (about 4 days). After that, I was amazed to see that the scar improved almost 50%. I'm not kidding, the scar looked so much better in one needling session than in all the other procedures I have had done combined. I was ecstatic, and couldn't wait for my next session, which are scheduled about a month apart.

Another nice thing about needling is that, unlike lasers or peels, which will strip your skin, needling builds new skin and collagen from underneath. Theat means: 1) it's permanent 2) you can keep on needling every month till you get the results you want and 3) your scar becomes more shallow each time. Oh, one more glorious thing, everyday the scars look better and better, so it continues to heal and rise, it seems. I've had some saline injections in between needling sessions, and the saline works a lot better.

I haven't finished my sessions yet, but some of my scars are almost level. I feel so much better about myself and I love Athena for her honesty and meticulous work (she doesn't miss a thing!). She is an angel here to help. there is hope, so hang in there, do your homework, and go for it!

Robert C.

from Yelp

Athena is a true life saver - I regrettably had a hair transplant ten years ago and the large scar it left on the back of my head was very visible and upsetting. I went to Athena and sought her advice on permanent make up solutions. I wanted to keep my hair cut short and diminish the scarred appearance.

My first session of Athena was immediately positive, she was honest and caring. She took the time to sit with me and talk about my options, the pros and cons and listen to what it was I was trying to accomplish. As I sat in her presence I became more at ease - she truly has a calming demeanor and a very positive aura about her. She was different than any other provider i had met with. She was genuinely concerned with helping me feel comfortable and solving my problem, this was not just a sale or a service, she was interested in helping me heal and finding happiness with my appearance. If you have a scar due to a hair transplant or an accident i would highly recommend talking to Athena, the odds are she has seen your situation and has a solution.

The idea of permanent make up seemed strange to me at first but as I saw more of her work I became more comfortable. I have never ventured onto the internet to recommend anything or anyone else, but the difference Athena made in my life was so positive I needed to make sure it was shared.

She is the best and I am glad I came in touch with her, she truly has fixed a problem I suffered with for a long time. I know there are other guys out there who have the same issue, hair replication' simulation via cosmetic tattooing can help you with the issue. I looked allover the internet - met with multiple people' groups and ultimately chose Athena Karsant. After you are burned by a bad cosmetic procedure, you tend to do your due diligence and everything I was able to learn about Athena was positive and I am now truly grateful. Thank you Athena.

Sarah T. | California

from Yelp

I spend no less than 10 minutes per day filling in my eyebrows. Add that up and that's over 60 hours. I knew the insanity had to stop. Not to mention I have a toddler who gives me approximately 5 minutes to get my makeup on in the morning, so efficiency is key.

At my last appointment with Dr. Ellis at Gentle Spa (see my separate review of GS, it's the shit) I told him about my eyebrow plight. Dr. Ellis mentioned that some of his other patients had gotten their brows tattooed by Athena (I think the professional term is "permanent makeup"). I trust Dr. Ellis, but I still wanted to check out Athena's reviews. So, I "yelped" her and was thrilled that all of the reviews were amazingly positive. I was, admittedly, a little apprehensive about getting my brows tattooed because I know some people say it hurts really bad and not all my friends who have done this procedure have been satisfied. But, I have 3 tattoos so I figured I could deal with the eyebrows and didn't think that all of Athena's enthusiastically positive feedback could be off.

I called Athena on a Monday and she answered her phone immediately. She booked me for that Friday (this past week) at noon! I seriously had no idea what to expect when I ventured into the city for my appointment. First of all, Athena is on the 24th floor of her building with views of North Beach and the Golden Gate Bridge. The lighting in her place is amazingly perfect. Athena was super warm and made me comfy in her stainless steel tattoo shop meets barneys with some lounge-y music playing in the background type of office. Athena talked to me about what I wanted - color, thickness, height of arch, length of brow, etc. She was very thorough and took a lot of pictures each time she outlined my brow as a guide for the ink. Once we settled on the perfect brow she went to work. Athena applies a topical anesthesia so you're fairly numb during the procedure. I was a little worried it would feel just like a tattoo, but it wasn't bad at all. A couple of the brush strokes made me wince a little, but nothing bad. Athena had me check out her progress and involved me in the process. Once she was done and handed me the mirror I almost started crying because she made my brows more symmetrical and the arch was perfect. Seriously, they look freaking great.

Athena charges a flat rate for her services and you can get touch-ups as much as you like for a year. I didn't even bother to ask how much it was because I knew she was the best. You'll definitely spend more than other places, but Athena really is an artist and it's your FACE!

My brows are healing perfectly and although I don't think Athena will have to tweak anything, she's still called me 2 times already to check on my progress.

This morning it took me 90 seconds to do my makeup. 90 SECONDS! My face and my toddler are both indebted to Athena forever!

Sue U. | San Francisco, CA

from Yelp

Athena is more than an artist - and when it comes to her work she is completely knowledgeable about all the latest medical cosmetic enhancement procedures available for men and women. She guarantees her work and consistently strives for perfection. She has done my lips and eyeliner and no one can ever tell that I have permanent makeup. Athena always provides helpful aftercare products and instructions. Most important, she uses topical anesthetic creams that make the experience painless...and believe me...when you are getting your eyeliner tattooed--which is extremely unnerving process--Athena says and does the exact right thing to make you feel comfortable!! She has a good heart and really cares. You will pay more for her services, but you GET more.

Jennifer V. | San Francisco, CA

from Yelp

Nobody can come close to the art of perfection when it comes to permanent make-up. Athena takes the cake. Her work is simply amazing. You have to see it to believe it. I "shaved" (yes shaved) my eyebrows off when I was about 13 years old. And a number of years later I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid. Needless to say, my brows never made a full recovery! Dealing with my brows, or lack thereof, was a nightmare. I drew them on when I woke up in the morning, when I was done working out, when it rained, when I exited the shower and/or got out of the pool. It was embarrassing and time consuming.

Finally, in December of 2008 I decided to investigate hair restoration surgery. After meeting with a number of hair restoration surgeons, I was referred to Athena (by a top hair restoration surgeon). He raved about Athena's work and said I should definitely make an appt to see her; he told me I wouldn't be sorry. From the moment I contacted Athena she was incredible. She returned my call within minutes and, from what I understand, she wasn't even in SF at the time - she was returning home after the holidays -from Paris! I made an appt and I went in to see her the very next weekend. I left her office that day with a huge smile on my face. After a few short hours, I had incredible looking brows. They didn't look fake or drawn on; they looked completely natural - they looked similar to tiny strokes of hair, I couldn't believe the work she did. Athena is so very talented. She is so more so than a tattoo specialist or permanent makeup guru - she is truly an incredibly talented artist. My new brows have earned me a number of compliments including from my dermatologist, Dr. Vic Narurkar; they have made my life so much more enjoyable. They have saved me time in the morning and have saved from embarrassment at the gym or when exiting the pool.

Athena is honest and ethical and does not push her clients to do anything that is unnecessary. She approaches her work in a professional, honest, manner and takes her time to ensure the job is done just right. In addition, she is more than happy to answer questions and address your concerns. I am deeply committed to Athena and her practice - I would never think of going anywhere else! I owe her .. so much. Thanks for being great, Athena