What To Expect During A Microblading Procedure

Microblading is a semi-permanent tattoo that can make your eyebrows look thicker and fuller. However, it’s important to understand the process before booking an appointment! After discussing brow goals with your esthetician, they will apply a topical anesthetic. This will numb the skin for about 20 minutes. Next, they will draw the brows with a waterproof brow pencil. This will create a guide for them to follow during the procedure.

Prep

Professional painters understand the importance of “prep.” When painting, they spend time sanding, filling holes and making sure their canvas is ready for the painting. Microblading at a beauty salon in Florence, Kentucky, is much the same; the client’s skin is their canvas and must be prepared correctly for the best results. You must not wax, pick, tint or tweeze your eyebrows for a week before the procedure. You should also avoid consuming alcohol, caffeine, aspirin, and fish oil supplements the day of the course, as these are known blood thinners and can cause excessive bleeding during the treatment and slow healing. While this is a painful process, most clients find it very tolerable with the help of numbing cream and their body’s natural pain response. You will feel a scratching sensation and sound, but this is normal.

Numbing

Microblading is an invasive procedure, but it is not painful. Technicians use a topical anesthetic to numb the area before beginning work. The drug consists of ingredients such as tetracaine, prilocaine, lidocaine and benzocaine. Your technician will then make a pass with the tool (without pigment) to mark where the “hairs” should be and then do two more keys with lacquer to create the final look. You may feel a scratching sensation during the process and hear an occasional scratching sound. After the procedure, it’s important to follow your technician’s aftercare instructions. This includes keeping the area dry — no swimming or sweaty workouts, for instance. You will also need a touch-up appointment within 6-8 weeks. At this appointment, the technician will fill in any scabs and adjust the color if necessary.

Microblading

For the microblading, the artist will draw on the eyebrows with a waterproof eyebrow pencil, which will serve as the guide. The artist will then begin the process of etching in the pigment according to the drawing they agreed on with their client. During this time, the skin will feel scratchy and may be uncomfortable for some people, but it is not very painful. Some clients compare it to light cat scratches. After the procedure, the brows will develop scabs, and it is important to avoid picking at them or getting them wet. That could lead to granulomas, which are inflammatory knots that can be quite dangerous. The scabs will eventually fall off on their own, leaving behind the brows with an even color and shape.

Microblading is much like embroidery, only using ink and skin. Embroidery is a decorative art that uses needles and thread to make patterns on textiles such as clothes, shoes, tableware, draperies, and other fabrics. Both hand embroidery and machine embroidery are used to make these patterns.

After numbing the eyebrow area, your technician will draw on the eyebrow lines with a waterproof brow pencil to outline what they want to do. They will start with the dominant side of your face first (for example, right-handed people will do their left eyebrow). Then, they will use a microblading pen to make tiny emulated hair strokes into the skin. You may feel a grating sensation and pinpoint bleeding when the pigment is applied. It is normal for the color to appear extremely dark initially, but it will lighten 30-40% as the scabs heal.

Cleaning

Microblading is considered a tattoo; therefore, following aftercare instructions is important. First, the eyebrow area should be kept clean. Avoid using exfoliating products or treatments in the area, as this can cause the color to fade faster than it would naturally. The microblading pen needs to be sterilized after each use. Soak it in an antimicrobial solution for one hour. Also, avoid taking any blood thinning medications before your appointment. This includes aspirin, vitamin E, ginkgo biloba, St. John’s wort, and omega three or fish oil supplements. Doing so can increase your risk of bruising and swelling. Lastly, avoid getting your eyebrows wet (swimming, gym workouts) as this can expose them to bacteria and could lead to infection.