Looking to get those perfect eyebrows but sick of having to always pencil them in? Microblading might be just what you are looking for. Not really a plastic surgery procedure but definitely a cosmetics procedure, and because I am all about minimally invasive procedures this one is particularly interesting to me.
What is Microblading?
Eyebrow microblading is a semipermanent shallow tattoo or “permanent makeup” made with thin hair-like strokes used to give the appearance of additional eyebrow hairs. This makes the eyebrows look thicker and possibly darker with more shaped and well defined brows. Microblading uses multiple tiny needles, or “blades,” arranged in a row on a pen-like tool (think razor sharp paintbrush) to cut the skin with streaking motions. Pigment is then applied to these small cuts. This differs from the standard tattoo that more or less injects pigments through a larger needle with repetitive stabbing motions into the skin.
Depth is important for microblading. Too shallow in the skin epidermis and the pigment will be removed with natural skin turnover. Not sexy. If the pigment is too deep in the dermis then the crisp strokes will widen and can become hazy and “gray”. Also not sexy. So a perfect sweet spot has to be achieved. Because microblading is shallower in the superficial dermis, they slowly turnover which is why they are “semi-permanent ” and only last 1-3 years. Standard tattoos aim for pigment to be placed into the deep dermis which makes them more permanent. See here for a refresher on the layers of the skin.
*Excuse me while I nerd out a bit but the name is a bit of a misnomer as micro means “one millionth of a meter” or 0.001mm. The smallest needles used for microblading are about 0.16mm but I think in this case micro is meant to mean “small”. The standard needle for standard tattoos is 0.35mm. The more you know!
Before You Get Microbladed
Remember your eyebrows are on your face… While semi-permanent, 1-3 years is still a long time. Similar to any plastic surgery procedure, make sure that you fully understand the process before embarking on this journey. Also make sure that following the aftercare is something that you are willing and able to do. Microblading is an art so make sure that you pick an artist with good technical skills and a good sense of symmetry and eyebrow shape. I recommend someone with lots of pictures of their work with an aesthetic that matches your eye. For me I wanted someone with experience in shaping guy-brows because the majority of microbladers have only female eyebrow pictures, which can be a different aesthetic. Those that have pictures of their work a year or more out from the initial session give an idea how the microblading has “aged” in their hands and shows that they have happy clients that return for their touch-ups.
The Process of Microblading
Typically the first appointment is a consultation. There your artist will talk with you about your goals, the process and after care, and answer any questions that you might have about microblading. Artists will ask about medications and herbal supplements that can increase bleeding such as aspirin, Coumadin, ginkgo biloba and others as bleeding can dilute the pigment and give a bad result. If these medications cannot be stopped you may be a bad candidate for microblading. They may also want you to stop medications that can change the quality and healing of the skin such as tretinoin, retin-a or latisse. Finally you should not drink alcohol 24 hour before microblading because it can also increase bleeding. I know, no fun zone.
The actual microblading appointment will last 1-3 hours. At this appointment the desired shape of the blows will be mapped out. This is one of the most important parts of the procedure where you work with your artist to get a brow shape that you like. Most artists will next apply numbing cream to the skin this takes a few minutes to work. Next you will lie down and the procedure will begin. The artist will make meticulous, fine, hair-like cuts into the skin just until it bleeds at the goldilocks depth, not too deep and not too shallow. Direction, curve, and density of cuts are all the artist aesthetic. When I had mine, I only felt 2 or 3 of the strokes near the end otherwise it was mostly a scratching sensation with some pressure. For me this was less painful than Botox or lip injections for sure. Once the cuts were made, the pigment was rubbed onto the cuts and was left to “soak” in. This process was repeated as needed until the desired brow was attained. At the end the pigment is wiped off and the final eyebrows are revealed!
I was not nervous at all for my appointment as I did my research I already loved the previous work of my artist, Christine, at Mirror Mirror Artistry. I trusted that she could give me a great result and she did.
After Care Instructions
These will vary from artist to artist. For mine I was basically told to not get them wet for at least 2 days, do not work out or do any activities where you will sweat, stay out of the sun, and don’t touch them with your grubby hands. These activities can remove the pigment from the skin before it is locked in. This makes sense to me as surgical wounds are closed or re-epithelialized by 24-48 hours after incision which is analogous to the cuts from microblading. At day two the brows will look very dark and the lines less crisp as some of the pigment has mixed with healing body fluids. This forms a scab which is larger and darker than the original pigments alone. You have seen a scab before. This is a scab; your eyebrows are fine. Don’t pick these as this will open up the cuts again, and the pigment can once again escape. These scabs will fall off on their own with time (5-10 days) and very gentle washing. They will also be itchy as hell. Again, keep your grubby hands off them and no picking.
After the scabs have fallen off the brows look lighter. There is not a paper that describes this but my educated guess is that the wounds heal from the edges and in microblading the edges do not have pigment, which is why they look much lighter. Once the wound is closed, normal skin turnover continues from the lower layers where the pigment is located. The pigment comes back to the surface and the microblading color returns after a few weeks. Most places will have a touch up session 4-6 weeks after the microblade to do any final adjustments and fill in any lighter areas.
Long term care includes wearing sun screen which you should be doing anyway because it is very important, refraining from chemical peels or laser treatment on the brows which will increase skin turnover and removing your microblading pigment. Typically, yearly touch ups are needed to maintain results.
Cost of Microblading
Cost will vary from area to area but very low end at around $200 and the high end $800 but may not include final 4-6 week touch up. Some places will have a yearly touch up fee for returning clients that is less than the initial price. But remember that sometimes you get what you pay for. I’ll reiterate: focus on finding someone that does a good job.
Recap:
- Microblading is a semi-permanent face tattoo to fill and shape your eyebrows, but you are not getting any street cred
- Do your research, know the risks, and pick a good artist
- Follow after care instructions; they are important
- Enjoy treating yourself because you are worth it
Epithelialization in Wound Healing: A Comprehensive Review
Bioactive dressings to promote wound healing
The Cellular Biology of Wound Healing
Prevention and Management of Surgical Wound Complications
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