Raechele Cochran Gathers, MD Perfectly arched and groomed eyebrows can set off your look perfectly, making you look well groomed and impeccable. With beautifully groomed eyebrows and glowing skin, you can even look ‘done’ and put-together without a stitch of other makeup. More women are turning to a procedure called microblading for perfect eyebrows.
No More Gels, Powders and Brow Combs?!
Do you have a million brow gels? If you’re craving effortless and well-groomed brows from dawn to dusk—without needing to take the time to draw on perfect eyebrows every day—microblading may be an option worth considering. It’s certainly gaining popularity.
What is Eyebrow Microblading?
Eyebrow microblading is essentially a type of superficial tattoo for the eyebrows. It’s used to shape your brows, fill in areas with sparse hairs and to make your eyebrows look darker and thicker.
Microblading is not the same as eyebrow tattooing. With old school eyebrow tattoos, the pigment was placed deeper into the skin. Microblading uses very fine, thin, superficial cuts in the skin to mimic the look of thin, crisp, natural looking hairs. With microblading, the pigment is placed superficially in the skin with a hand tool that has a curved shape and is tipped with tiny microneedles which create the natural looking hair like pigment strokes in your brows.
Microblades
While the color from microblading may not completely ever disappear, it is expected to fade with time, and touch ups are common. Most of the pigment from microblading lasts from 1 to 3 years.
How Much Does Microblading Cost?
Microblading for perfect eyebrows is not cheap, ladies. The cost will obviously vary depending on where you live and what the skill level is of the person that performs the procedure. Microblading can go up to $1000 for the first session, especially if you’re dealing with a well-known and highly sought-after brow artist. Touch ups are usually in the $100-dollar range.
What Should I Expect at a Microblading Session?
If you’ve decided to get microblading for perfect eyebrows, you’ll first have a consultation with your eyebrow artist. The artist (whom you should have researched well!) will discuss your ideal eyebrow shape, density, color, etc.… After this, your eyebrows will be sketched out for your approval. Your brow area is numbed (typically with a numbing cream) and then the microblading tool is used to insert the hair-mimicking pigment under your skin. The entire process usually takes between 2-2.5 hours.
Healing from the eyebrow microblading procedure usually takes 5-10 days to superficially heal, but there is still internal healing that needs to occur, and the skin should be protected for 30 days from swimming, rubbing, direct shower water and manipulation.
Here’s a video from As/Is that shows microblading form start to finish:
Microblading Is Not for Everyone
Microblading should only be done on healthy skin. If your skin in irritated or inflamed, you should microblading. Avoid microblading if you have a skin infection or problems with eczema or psoriasis. Also, if you suffer from an inflammatory condition like lupus or sarcoidosis, have allergies to tattoo ink, or use certain anti-acne medications, you should probably take a pass on microblading.
There are many other conditions or medications that might make you a less than ideal candidate for microblading. So, in addition to researching your microblading artist and talking to friends or associates that have had it done, you should also get your dermatologist’s opinion about whether microblading is best for you.
