Microblading Eyebrows: is that the right technique for all skin types?
If you are a permanent makeup artist for a long time you probably already know the answer, if you are a customer thinking about having microblading done on your brows, this article is for you too. Since 2000 I have been in the permanent cosmetics industry, microblading was included in my business menu 7 years ago and I am humble enough to admit I still have a lot to learn…
Experience is the best way to get knowledge for sure so I decided to share a little bit of what I have been learning over the years about microblading.
At the very beginning everybody coming to my office was asking for manual microblading eyebrows, since the process had as a main goal giving the most natural look… and clients wanted the individual strokes “looking like real hair” kind of brows. Many of us artists just went with the flow: people wanted manual microblading eyebrows so we gave them what they wanted, right? So, were you happy with all your wonderful manual microblading eyebrows work when people started coming back after few or several years? I was not!
Couple of years passed and my clients were still happy with the yearly boost of color touch up outcome, even the ones addicted to sun and tanning beds. We already know: every touch up creates more scar tissue even if you are very light handed in our craft.
Of course, we go over the same strokes and deeper every time, until we reach the deepest and coldest undertone skin layer and then a lot of bleeding happens! While blood comes out, pigment doesn’t go in, then we end up with patchy, uneven, ashy, purplish eyebrows besides the client’s pain and discomfort…
Looking at the big picture at this point I had to come with a plan B: What to do when the gorgeous microblading eyebrows you did on your client’s face years ago turned into a painful patchy bleeding crime scene in your studio? The solution I found to solve the issue was basically this: change techniques and start offering powder brows as alternative to regular microblading strokes touch up!
For my surprise, my clients were thrilled with their brand new powder brows and most of them told me that they were happier with them than with regular manual microblading! Go figure…
The salvation technique became the favorite one: fuller, not patchy, defined and even darker started to be my way to go… even with the “virgin” ones! Yes, exactly!
Many clients started coming and requesting the ombre powder brows as their favorite look because they saw a friend who had them done here at my studio. That changing on clients preference made me think: Who is really a good candidate for manual microblading eyebrows anyway?
I can tell: very few people considering that good and not damage, dry or normal skin is a must! We can still do combo brows (combination of strokes with shading – manual or machine work) which is a mix of techniques, but just microblading will not look good on people with conditions listed below:
Oily or combination skin
The reason is simply: the excess oil production will cause migration. Those initially beautiful hair like strokes will quickly begin to migrate into a softly shaded or blended effect instead of retaining the look of individual hairs.
Additionally, the enhanced oil production means that your skin’s cellular cleanup crew is working overtime. Meaning, your pigment will also fade more rapidly than your less oily bestie.
Dilated/Enlarged pores on forehead and chin area
If you (or your client) have large pores on her forehead, the microblading may not heal as crispy. The idea of microblading is to mimic real hair overlapping and promoting the most natural look like you were born with perfect shaped brows…
Even if your (or your client’s skin) is no longer oily due to menopause or life style changes but the pores are still enlarged, the outcome will not be the same as someone who always had dry skin.
Enlarged pores give texture to the skin surface and microblading will not look as natural.
Sunburned or sun-damaged skin
Sunburned skin needs to heal first, before any procedure can be done. If you love being out in the sun, and especially if you have sun damaged skin microblading will not be a good option for you. Since UV radiation compromises the overall health of the skin and damage is cumulative, it is not likely that the result will be satisfactory.
Sun lovers will need more touch ups than average since the color fades way faster and in the long run, the scar tissue created due to frequent touch ups will make it harder to keep implanting pigments
Skin that bleeds easily
Skin that bleeds easily will have trouble retaining pigment as mentioned before. This includes skin types such as hypersensitive, thin, prone to acne, rosacea and showing capillaries. Bleeding and microblading is definitely NOT a good combination.
Constant shedding Skin
Constant shedding or irritated skin won’t hold pigment well since healing process will happen in different speed than average.
Skin conditions that cause shedding include psoriasis, keratosis pilaris, dermatitis, eczema and clients using Retin-A, Retinol, Tretinoin, AHA (topical), Accutane (internal use) or any other kind of skin care that promotes regular basis “peeling”.
If microblading is still on the table, those products should be avoided for at least 90 days prior to the eyebrows procedure.
Uneven/Textured skin
Skin on eyebrow area that’s raised from scarring, moles, piercings, or breakouts will have trouble retaining pigmentation.
It is harder to implant pigment on scar tissue due to hardness, thickness and bleeding so if you touch your skin on your eyebrow area and you can feel “texture”, microblading is not the best choice.
Due to the reasons listed at the beginning of this article I decided to embrace the craft and started feeling proud of being a tattoo artist!
Manual or machine work, at the end of the day we are all tattoo artists with the powder of making people feel pretty and love themselves even more! That is the magic of this job!
We are wizards and we should learn a little bit every day in order to make people beautiful and happy with our talent! Namaste!
Bea Robinson
Permanent Makeup Artist and Smart Touch Skin Solutions Owner
