Little Magazine 20
Microblading Myths!
I’ve done about 10,000
Microblading Procedures thus far in my career. I still feel like I’m a student, and I will always be learning, but in the spirit of sharing what I’ve learned and observed so far, I’d like to debunk some myths with you guys. I came into this industry during an interesting time, and it’s crazy to see how quickly it’s burgeoned into a staple beauty service in the last six years. With that said, there’s still a lot of ambiguity surrounding what actually happens during the service, after, and what to expect. So, let me over a few things and hopefully it will help clarify the silliness from the truth.
Here are some myths:
1. If you get too much Microblading done, it will scar your skin. FACT: If you’re getting it done properly, you’re only staying in the portion of the skin that shouldn’t cause scar tissue, so while overdoing it may cause over-saturation (like over-dying hair), it shouldn’t cause your skin harm. Your artist should advise you on the frequency that’s appropriate for your lifestyle. We recommend every 6 months.
2. It hurts. FACT: It should not hurt. We reiterate this all the time to first-timers, but most of our clients fall asleep. There are great topical numbing creams and gels out there for pre and during procedure. It’s expensive stuff, but it exists to make you comfortable! It used to be thought that the numbing agent affects the healing process. I heartily disagree. We use a plethora of this stuff. So should every other artist out there IMHO.
3. If you get Microblading done, it will affect your existing hairs/ damage hair growth. FACT: It doesn’t affect your hair follicles at all. If anything, I’ve had clients report more hair growth over time! While there’s no proof that there’s a direct correlation, I do think that the cell turnover during the healing process may stimulate new growth.
When I was first starting
out, there was very little information available to the artists, let alone the consumers. I’ve come to learn a lot from error, unfortunately, as I’m sure many experts in any field come to know their respective fields—as this is the only true way to become thoroughly familiar with a subject. As much as I tried to, it was inevitable. Subsequently, here are a few CAVEATS I’d like everyone to know about Permanent Makeup before they dive in, including Microblading. (Photo to the left is of a correction of someone else’s work).
1. I’ve always and still continue to say that nothing is guaranteed. It is true, that, there are so many variables that come into play, that we’re taught to not guarantee anything. We simply cannot predict what any person is doing at home—with their skincare, diet, medication, lifestyle, etc., before/ between/ after coming in for their appointment. All of these things affect the outcome of permanent makeup.
One important thing
I learned, was:
2. Color will never stay consistent. I have always tried to be as transparent with my clients as possible, out of decency, and as a general personal rule. In the beginning of my career, I was taught and told that a particular brand’s pigment color stayed true—and so I passed along this information to my clients. This was the most harrowing experience of my life. I didn’t sleep well for at least an entire year. I still get sad at the thought of all the clients that were upset and perhaps didn’t feel comfortable coming back to communicate their disappointment. After doing my best with due diligence with what I had at the time in the industry, my world came crashing down when client after client came back to me reporting pink eyebrows my second to third year in business.
I then received a call from the reputable, world-renown pigment company’s President offering me a personal apology. FACT: color does change. At this particular juncture in the industry, it either turns warm (pinkish) or ash (grayish). The GOOD news is that now I know that this is standard, I can correct the color, and manage my client’s expectations. As I always say, we work with skin, not paper. It’s alive and constantly in flux. Luckily I know how to address it now.
I didn’t do corrections as a general policy, a couple years ago, but I changed my mind because I realized that it was inevitable that there would be corrections—with color, shape, you name it. We’ve had people reach out to us just to ask for help because they didn’t know where to go. If this is you, please email us. We’ll do our best to get you feeling whole and happy again. Even if we can’t help you, we’ll refer you to someone who can.
I still believe
that PMU is here to stay. It’s just too awesome. It saves so much time every day. It adds so much confidence. Not because you’re unworthy without it, but I think we can all agree that we feel self-conscious if we have zero eyebrows vs. when we have ‘em snatched. The value it adds to the quality of life is irrefutable. I’ve heard countless times that “this has changed” a client’s life. This is why I do this. Brows are cool, I always say, but people are why I do this. I care about people. I want you to feel great and beautiful—every day—and see all the beauty that I see when I look at you.
Things have a way of coming full circle. I was chatting with Cori recently when I mentioned that I understand, now, why the “O.G.’s” do it as they do—soft and powdery (Hybrid method). This is the easiest to correct while giving a flexible yet definitive shape and addresses all skin types and hair types.
3. I believe the future lies in Hybrid—or the machine. The fact is, microblading is a trend, but it’s to Hybrid as threading is to waxing. Both do the same thing, but some prefer threading, but in my opinion, waxing is more effective. Also, as an increasing number of clients need to get color corrections, this needs to be done by machine. The soft, powdery effect rendered by Hybrid is blowing up on ig for a reason right now. People are no longer intimidated by the idea of Permanent Makeup, and people are familiar enough with Microblading now, but want something that lasts a little longer, and will do a little more.
With that said, I hope we’ve helped debunk some myths for you today. And if you happen to be one of our clients whose brows turned pink—we got you! Please contact us. We’ll offer a complimentary color correction.
I’ve always been relieved that our SHAPING has been on point, because that is the ONE thing you cannot change. Color correction is pretty standard now. It’s like toning your hair. If we do it regularly, you won’t have to deal with pink brows.
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See you next Tuesday, friends! ”