Should You Try Microblading for Fuller Brows?
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“These days, the most sought out brow look involves full, well-groomed arches,” says Santi Garay, senior brow therapist at BrowHaus in New York City. “With microblading, we can enhance one’s shape and color semi-permanently so they don’t have to worry about putting their brows on everyday.” Sounds like a dream come true, right? Here’s how it works:
First, a consultation with a brow therapist is required before treatment. “You can’t lay someone down and start scratching their skin,” says Garay. Together with your technician, you’ll discuss exactly what you’d like to enhance, and he or she will create brow-like hairs with a pencil first to use as a stencil. It might take 20 to 30 minutes of tweaking to get the exact shape right. Next, you’ll have a numbing cream applied to take away any discomfort. It’ll take around 15 minutes to start working. While most people don’t feel anything at all, others may feel a little sensitivity. “It can feel like really fast tweezing,” says Garay.
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Once numb, the therapist will use a tool that has a handle like an X-Acto knife with a blade on the end that consists of about 15 mini needles to make up the sharp point to begin scratching the skin over the stencil. These mini needles offer the ability to create brush strokes the length of your brow hair so it looks as natural as possible. Once the skin is open, the same tool is used to fill in the scratches with custom blended vegetable dye.
Post-procedure, expect slight inflammation around the brow area. The color of the dye will also appear darker than intended until your brows are healed. It’s important to allow the brows to scab and heal—so you’ll need to stay out of the sun, saunas, steam baths, and pools for about two weeks. Within the first three months, a tune-up is recommended to assess the results and perfect the look. Microblading is costly, though, averaging about $925 (including one touch up), but the results can last for up to two years.
And while the procedure is safe, says Adriana Lombardi, M.D., a dermatologist at the Lombardi Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery Center in Eatontown, New Jersey, there are several things to look out for. “Microblading for eyebrow enhancement can be considered a minimally invasive procedure, and anytime a ‘wound’ or puncture is made in the skin, there is a potential for infection,” she says.
So you should always make sure that the needles being used during your treatment are sterile and brand new. Research the place you go to and the person performing the treatment to make sure they have a significant amount of experience and training.