microblading
what is microblading?
Microblading is a category of permanent makeup that consists of making very thin incisions into the upper layer of the skin, called the epidermis, and depositing pigment. Unlike traditional tattooing, this process uses a handheld pen with a blade that is made up of a number of tiny needles. These needles, or the blade, are dipped into pigment, and as these tiny incisions are made, pigment is deposited. The skin is made up of 3 different layers, with the topmost being the epidermis, followed by the dermis, then the hypodermis. Our goal with microblading is to hit the “sweet spot” which is the area juuuuuuust above the dermis. Traditional tattooing tends to penetrate deeper, into the dermis. There may be some pinpoint bleeding associated with the procedure* (we are trained to handle bloodbourne pathogens) so don’t be alarmed! We do numb the area beforehand, and most people I’ve seen and spoken with state they cannot feel the procedure at all*
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There are multiple kinds of permanent makeup, but I’ll be focusing specifically on microblading.
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With microblading you can expect the results to last anywhere from 1-3 years, HOWEVER, everyone is different and some may fade completely in 6months and some may never fade*. We count a lot on aftercare! Aftercare is such an important step and can affect the appearance and longevity of your brows!
*please note everyone is beautifully different and unique, therefore outcomes and experiences may vary from person to person! Credit to @pmuhub for some great resources!
are you a good candidate?
There are a few things that you must be aware of before booking. Failure to read thoroughly and not comply will result in poor healing or cancellation of your appointment with no refund. You will be expected to pay in full if you do not read these instructions and we have to cancel during the consultation.
You must avoid:
~Botox or fillers for TWO WEEKS prior to the appointment
~Alcohol or caffeine 48 HOURS prior to the appointment
~Sun tanning or tanning beds ONE WEEK prior to the appointment
~Exercise 24 HOURS prior to the appointment
~Aspirin, ibuprofen, fish oil, naproxen, any type of blood thinner 48 HOURS prior to the appointment
~Retinols, retinoids, exfoliating facials, AHA, BHA FOUR WEEKS prior to the appointment
~Chemical peels FOUR WEEKS prior to the appointment
~Waxing, tweezing, or threading TWO WEEKS prior to the appointment
Microblading is NOT recommended for those who:
~Are pregnant or breastfeeding
~Are undergoing chemotherapy
~Taking iron supplements, taking antibiotics, or those who are taking Accutane
~Are prone to keloid scarring
~Have open wounds, which includes belmishes, in the area
~If you are diabetic, you must bring with you a doctors note saying you are cleared for tattooing
Failure to follow these steps will result in your session being cancelled
what to expect: consultation and mapping
A question I’ve gotten a lot is, how do you know where to go? I’ve had many people say “I don’t want huge thick blocky eyebrows.” Well a good portion of the appointment will actually be the consultation and mapping, where we talk and make sure you’re a good candidate and use your facial features and bone structure to map out your perfect brows!
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The consultation we will discuss pertinent medical history, allergies, lifestyle, medications, etc to ensure you are a good candidate for microblading. We want your brows to last and look good, so this is an important step! 24 hours prior to your appointment you want to avoid alcohol, caffeine, Advil, aspirin, ibuprofen or other blood thinning medications. If you get Botox, you want to make sure you get it done 2 weeks before your microblading procedure, and then wait another 2 weeks after to get another round. No waxing your eyebrows, tanning, eyebrow tinting, etc for 3 days before the procedure. If you are pregnant you cannot have this procedure done for your and your child’s safety! If you’re undergoing chemotherapy you cannot have this procedure done. There are more questions to go through, but this is just an example of some things! Once we fill out the paperwork we will talk about your brow goals, what you love or hate about your brows, what you want out of the procedure, and if you have any “inspo” pics please bring them!
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After this, we will start mapping! I will use a special pencil, some string that has charcoal on, and some special mapping tools to make marks and lines on your face in order to map where we want your brows to be. I will use your features, your nose, eyes, brow bone, face shape, etc to draw on the brows. After this process you will have two symmetrical brows drawn on and you will be able to see and make comments, suggestions, and ask questions about the shape before we start the procedure. You have a lot of say in this process! Nothing permanent is done until you approve the shape and size!
what to expect: what color do I pick?
So we’ve concluded you’re a good candidate and gotten the shape down. Now we need to pick the color! We plan on the brows taking 1-8 weeks to heal, and we are looking for the best healed product! We want to try our best to prevent fading ashy, or wild colors like blue or purple or red! We assess your undertone, skin tone, and skin type using the Fitzpatrick Skin Type Chart. Using color theory, this helps us understand and possibly predict how your color will fade. We learn about the colors in our pigments and take all this into consideration when choosing colors. You’ll see me add an almost reddish color to most pigments, that’s called a modifier, and that helps to ensure the color stays “warm” and doesn’t go ashy on you. I’ll pick 2-4 pigments and swipe some color on your forehead so you can see the differences and we will pick together! Remember, we want to be conservative at first. When you come back in for your touch up, we can always go darker, but we can’t take color away
aftercare
Aftercare is SOOO important! This can make or break how your brows heal. If not taken care of properly, you risk infection, scarring, fading, color shifting, and more. Aftercare is so important, so if you don’t think you can do these steps, microblading might not be for you.
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You want to avoid putting makeup on the area until it’s healed (usually 1-2 weeks), avoid getting the area wet except for cleaning until healed (1-2 weeks), use directed ointment on area 2x day until healed, avoid heavy sweating until healed, avoid swimming, pools, saunas, or any body of water until healed, avoid tanning beds or tanning until healed, avoid laser treatment until healed, avoid exfoliating facials, retinols and retinoids, AHAs, BHAs for one month.
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After your first procedure you can expect the 2-3 day for your brows to be their absolute darkest. Don’t panic! This color will fade 40%-50%! After this you may enter the dry flaky phase, which your brows will almost scab up. DO NOT PICK OR PULL! This can cause scarring! This can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Then as you continue the healing process, as new skin layers form over the newly microbladed area, they may appear much lighter than normal. This is okay and lasts a couple days to weeks. As you continue healing the color will pop back through!
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After 8 weeks, you’ll come back in for your touch up, where we can adjust shape slightly, color slightly, and add if you feel you need more strokes! After this, the same aftercare should be applied. You can expect your brows to last 1-3 years!
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Can’t wait to get started with you all! 💜💙
