Microblading: The Pain, Cost, Healing Time, Risk, and More

Microblading is a semi-permanent form of cosmetic tattooing. But unlike traditional tattoos, which use a tattoo gun, microblading uses a ... Search Subscribe ExclusiveReads CosmoTrips Celebrities&Entertainment Celebs TV Movies Books Music Beauty&Style Beauty Style Sex&Relationships SexPositions Sexopedia Astrology Lifestyle College Health&Fitness Home Politics Food&Cocktails Travel Opinion Social Instagram TikTok Youtube Clubhouse Newsletter Facebook Twitter Pinterest Shop EaudeJuice TheCosmopolitanShop Apparel Accessories HomeStuff ObsessedwithAstro AboutUs Win Promotions UnitedStates US UK España Italia Nederland 台灣 Japan DoNotSellMyPersonalInformation Editions: US UK España Italia Nederland 台灣 Japan Celebs Style Beauty Lifestyle Shopping Subscribe SignIn MyAccount SignOut ReadThisBeforeTryingMicroblading,Pls Typekeyword(s)tosearch GettyImages IfIhadadollarforeveryminutespentmeticulouslyfillinginmyeyebrowsinfrontofthemirror,Iwouldbeavrich—yetstillvannoyed—lady.Mydisdainforhavingtouseacombinationofbrowpencils,browgels,browpomades,andevensoap(hey,soapbrows)everysingledayiswhatledmetofinallytrymicroblading,asemi-permanentformofbrowtattooing.Iknow,Iknow;thinkingofmicrobladingasa“browtattoo”soundsalilscary,butitdoesn’tlastforeverandhasasurprisinglyeasy(andalmostpainless)healingprocesswhendoneproperly.Soifyou’reevenslightlyintriguedaboutmicroblading,you’reintherightplace.BecauseIchattedwithcosmetictattoospecialistPiretAava,browartistAlixandriaCapparelli,anddermatologistTracyEvans,MD,tofindoutwhatexactlyismicroblading,howpainfulitis,howmuchitcosts,andhowquicklyitfades.Keepreading,thencheckoutallthebefore-and-afterpicsfromwhenoneCosmoeditortrieditthemselves.Microblading101Whatismicroblading?Microbladingisasemi-permanentformofcosmetictattooing.Butunliketraditionaltattoos,whichuseatattoogun,microbladingusesablade-shapedtoolwitharowoftiny,barelyvisibleneedlestocreatehair-likestrokesalongyourbrowswhiledepositingpigmentintoyourskin.Theresult?Realistic-lookingbrowhairsthatdon’twashoffforayearormore. Notreadyformicroblading?Trythese4browproducts FentyBeautyBrowMVPUltraFineBrowPencil&Styler sephora.com $22.00 SHOPNOW BenefitCosmeticsPreciselyMyBrowPencilWaterproofEyebrowDefiner sephora.com $24.00 SHOPNOW PersonaCosmeticsSwipeUpBrowGel ulta.com $19.00 SHOPNOW RefyBrowSculptShapeandHoldGelwithLaminationEffect sephora.com $24.00 SHOPNOW ThiscontentisimportedfromInstagram.Youmaybeabletofindthesamecontentinanotherformat,oryoumaybeabletofindmoreinformation,attheirwebsite. ViewthispostonInstagramApostsharedby🚨EyebrowDoctor®️PiretAava(@eyebrowdoctor) Ismicrobladingatattoo?Microbladingisatypeoftattoo,butit’snotpermanentlikeatruetattoo.Notonlydothetwousedifferent“inks”—traditionaltattoosuseconcentratedtattooink,whilecosmetictattoosusesmallerpigmentparticles—butthey’realsoapplieddifferently.Withmicroblading,thepigmentisappliedsuperficiallytoyourskin(soyourbodyeventuallymetabolizesituntilitfadesaway),ratherthanplacedintoyourskin’sdeeperlayers(whereitbecomespermanent).Becauseofthepigmentusedandthewayit’sappliedtotheskin,microbladingproducesasemi-permanent“tattoo”thatlookssoftandsubtle,insteadofopaqueandbrightaswithtraditionaltattoos.Overtime,thepigmentonyourbrowswillalsolightenashadeortwofromitsoriginalcolor,whereasatattooonyourbodycanhaveablue-greentintontheedgeswhenitstartstofade.Whoisagoodcandidateformicroblading?Agoodcandidateformicrobladingisn’tnecessarilybasedonhowlittle(orhowmuch)browhairyounaturallyhave—it’smorebasedonyourskintype.Isyourskinsuperreactiveandsensitive?Doyouhavekeratosispilarisonyourforehead?Doyoucurrentlyorconsistentlydealwithbreakoutsorcysticacnearoundyourbrows?Thenyoumaynotbeagreatcandidateatthemoment,sincemicrobladingwillinitiallycausesomeinflammationthatcanexacerbateskinconditionsandaffectyourtattoo’shealingprocess.Similarly,oilcanmakemicrobladingfadefaster,soyou’llgetlesstimewithyourmicrobladedbrowsifyourskinisveryoily.“Itrytowarnpatientsagainstmicrobladingiftheyhavesensitiveskin,orifthey’repronetoallergieswithothertypesoftopicals,”saysDr.Evans,notingthatsomepeoplecangetallergiccontactdermatitisaftermicroblading,resultinginanitchy,scaly,crackedrash.Ifareactiondoesoccurafteryourappointment,seeyourdermatologistasapwhocanprescribeasteroidtobringdownsymptomsandpreventdamagetoyourtattoo,thencallyourcosmetictattooartistandinformthemofyourreaction.FYI:Mostbrowartistswillnotmicrobladedpregnantorbreastfeedingclientstoavoidrisksofinfection(sry!).Clearitwithyourdoctorfirst,andwaitsixweeksaftergivingbirthandstoppedbreastfeedingbeforebookingyourappointment.YoualsoneedtowaituntilafterfinishingAccutanetogetmicrobladingbecauseitmakesyourbodypronetoexcessivesensitivityandbleeding. ThiscontentisimportedfromInstagram.Youmaybeabletofindthesamecontentinanotherformat,oryoumaybeabletofindmoreinformation,attheirwebsite. ViewthispostonInstagramApostsharedby🚨EyebrowDoctor®️PiretAava(@eyebrowdoctor) Ismicrobladingonlygoodforthinbrows?Microbladingcanbegreatforthosewiththin,sparsebrowstogetsomedefinitionandfullness,butCapparelliwarnsitmightnotlookasnaturalassomeonewhodoeshavehairbehindthedraw-onstrokes.Butifyou’reworriedaboutyourmicrobladedbrowslookingtoodrawn-on,yourbrowartistcanaddshadingbehindthehair-likestrokessotheemptyspacesbetweenthestrokesisn’tsonoticeable.Thosewhoalreadyhavesomeeyebrowhairandjustwantalilfill-inorenhancementtotheirnaturalbrowscangetaverynaturallookwithmicroblading,saysCapparelli.However,microbladingmightnotbegoodforsomeonewithlotsofnaturaleyebrowhair,becauseallitwilldoismakeyourbrowslookfuller,notbrusheduporgroomed(onlyabrowgelorbrowlaminationcandothat).Whatisthedownsideofmicroblading?Therearepotentialdownsidestomicroblading,astherearewithanycosmeticprocedure.Capparellisaysthatthebiggestconcernherclientshaveishowbrowtrendsmayshiftinthefuture.Example:thethick,bold,Instagrambrowsof2016thatwereliterallyeverywhere?Basicallynonexistentayearlater,whichmaynotbeidealforsomeonewhogottheirstattooedonandnowwantsachange.And,unfortunately,microbladingcantakeanywherefrom1-3yearstofadeonitsown,soifyou’resomeonewhotendstoadaptyourmakeuptocurrenttrends,youmightwanttoreconsidermicroblading,orinsteadoptforareallysoft,naturalbrowthatyoucanstillfillinandchangeupwheneveryouwant.Howpainfuliseyebrowmicroblading?Microbladingcanbesomewhatpainful,butthelevelofpainyoumayfeelwilldependonyourownnaturalpaintolerance.Theupside?Yourbrowartistwillslatheronanumbinggelbeforetheybegin,andmayalsoaddanextralayerofgelbetweeneachpass.Butingeneral,Capparelli(andmanyothers)likensthepainofmicrobladingtoacatscratch,notingthat“onascaleoftweezingyourbrowstogettingabikiniwax,microbladingismoreliketweezingyourbrows.”Basically,expectthepaintobealittleuncomfortable,butnotunbearable.Howlongdoesmicrobladinglast?Microbladingcanlastanywherefromonetothreeyearsdependingonyourskintype(oilierskintypestendtofadethefastest),saysAava.Inoneyear,you’lllikelynoticesomefading,butyourmicrobladingprobablywon’ttotallybegone.Bythreeyears,though,youcanexpectyourmicrobladingtobenearlyuntraceable.However,consistenttouch-upsevery12-18monthscanhelpyourmicrobladedbrowslookfreshthroughouttheyears.Howmuchdoesmicrobladingcost?Howmuchmicrobladingcostsdependsonalotoffactors,likewhereyoulive,theexperienceofyourartist,etc.,butexpecttopayanywherefrom$500to$2,000dollars(brb,startingamicrobladingsavingsfund).Thatsaid,browproductsaren’tcheap,andtimeismoney,soitcanbeworththecostforanyonenotfeelingtheirnaturalbrows.Canmicrobladingruinyoureyebrows?Generallyspeaking,no,microbladingwon’truinyoureyebrows,aslongasyourartistusespropertechniques—i.e.,nottattooingtoodeepintoyourskinandcreatingaccidentalscartissue,which“candamagethehairfollicle,”saysCapparelli,andinrarecases,preventnewhairgrowth.Dr.Evansalsonotesthat,althoughveryuncommon,it’salsopossibletohaveanallergicreactiontothedyethatcouldcausearashoraninfection,which—ifsevereenoughandleftuntreated—couldaffectyourhairgrowthinthefuture.So,unlessyouhaveareaction,youshouldn’tworrytoomuchaboutyoureyebrowsbeingnegativelyaffectedbymicroblading.Infact,microbladingmayevenhelpyourhairgrowth,becausethe“littlemicro-traumatothebrowsbringsfreshbloodtotheareaandstimulateslymphaticfluid,whichcanencouragethehairfollicletopotentiallyhelpsupportsomehairgrowth,”saysCaparelli.HowdoIprepareforamicrobladingappointment?Beforeyourmicrobladingappointment,reachouttoyourstudioandaskhowtoprepareaheadoftime,aseachartistcanhavedifferentguidelines.Capparelli,forexample,asksclientstonotgroomtheirbrowsfor6-8weekssoshecandoafullreshapingalongwithmicroblading.Youshouldalsostopusingretinol,chemicalexfoliants,andphysicalexfoliatorsatleastoneweekbeforemicroblading,sincetheycanmakeyourskinextrasensitive.You’llalsoneedtoskipanythingthatcouldhaveathinningeffectonyourblood,soavoidtakingaspirinorvitaminEfor48hoursbeforeyourappointment,andskipdrinkinganycaffeineorcoffeethedayof.Notonlythat,butifyou'reonantibiotics,you'llneedtowait14daysafteryourfinaldosebeforegettingmicroblading,asantibioticscanmakethepigmentchangecolorwhilehealing.TheappointmentWhathappensduringamicrobladingappointment?Whathappensduringamicrobladingappointmentmaydifferdependingontheartist.Butgenerally,yourartistwillfirsttakeyouthroughafullconsultation,chattingthroughcoloroptionsandyourstylepreferences(don’tforgettobringinspoimagesofwhatyoudoanddon’twant).They’llthenapplyatopicalnumbingcream,lettingitsitfor30minutes,beforedrawingonyournewbrowshapewithadarkpencil. Aavaoutliningmybrows. Cosmopolitan.com Notethatagoodmicrobladingspecialistcancreatetheappearanceofnaturallyfullbrowsonanyskintonewithanyshaderange,ifyou’reworriedaboutthecolornotlookingnatural.Forherclients,Aavacreatesacustomcolorusingseveralshadesthatmatchyournaturalhaircolor,soyourbrowswilllookmultidimensionaland~real~. Cosmopolitan.com It’salsoimportanttorememberthattheactualmicrobladingprocessisn’tjustafewsinglestrokesacrossyourskin—itactuallyrequiresafewroundsofnumbing,pigments,andstrokes.First,Capparellisaysshemakesapasswiththetool(withoutanypigment)tolaydownwherethe“hairs”shouldbe.Then,sheaddssomemorenumbing,and,whilethat’ssetting,worksonshapingthebrows(sheusestweezerstopluckanystrays).Finally,she’llgooverthoseoriginalstrokestwomoretimeswithpigmenttocreatethefinallook.Theentireprocesstakesaboutanhourdependingonyourartist. Cosmopolitan.com Itsoundsintense,buttheresultscanbegame-changing.Infact,whenCosmo’spreviousbeautydirector,CarlyCardellino(featuredhere),triedmicrobladingwithAavaforthefirsttime,shewashooked.“Post-microblading,Itookaboutahundredselfiesandwentofftospreadthegospeltoanyonewhowouldlisten,”shesays.Still,don’tbealarmedifyourbrowcolorlooksextremelydarkrightafteryourappointment—it’llfadetoitsfinal,softershadeinabout10-12days,somaybewaitalittlebitbeforetakingalltheselfies. PiretAava Howlongdomicrobladedbrowstaketoheal?Microbladedbrowswillfullyhealinaboutamonth,butCapparelliwarnsthathowwelltheyhealwilldependonhowwellyoufollowyourartist’saftercareinstructions(seebelow!).Redness,swelling,andscabbingareallcommonaftermicrobladinginthefirst5-7days,saysDr.Evans,sodon’tbeconcernedifyouexperiencethem.Butdespitehowtemptingthescabsmaylook,donotpickatthem,oryouriskpotentialinfectionandprolongedhealing.Doesmicrobladingrequireaftercare?Microbladingaftercareisveryimportantifyouwantagoodresult,saysCapparelli.Everyartistisabitdifferent,butingeneral,youshouldn’tsweatheavily,getyoureyebrowswet,orbeinthesunforsevendaysaftergettingmicroblading.Basically,now’sthetimetohitpauseonyourworkouts.Ifyou’re,like,aprofessionalathleteandyouabsolutelyneedtoworkout,Aavahighlyrecommendscoveringyourbrowswithantibioticointmentfirsttoprotectthepigmentandkeepthecutscleanandbacteriafree.Aavaalsorecommendsapplyinganantibacterialointmenttoyourbrowseverytwohoursforthefirst24hours,alongwithalayerofVaselineorAquaphormorningandnightforaweektokeeptheareamoistandprotected.And,ofcourse,makesuretoavoidusinganyacidsorretinoidsuntilyourbrowsfullyheal,sincetheycanfadethepigments.Doyoustillhavetopluckyoureyebrowsaftermicroblading?Yes,youwillstillhavetopluckyoureyebrowsaftermicroblading,ifyou’resomeonewhoprefersaclean,groomedlook.Youreyebrowhairswillcontinuetogrowlikenormal,soifyouliketotouch-upstrayhairsorshapeyourbrows,you’llstillneedtotweeze,wax,orthread.ThefinalwordWherecanIgetmicroblading?Youcangetmicrobladingfromanybrowtattoospecialistinyourarea.BothCapparelliandAavarecommenddoingyourresearchbeforebookingwithatechnician,lookingattheirtaggedIGphotosforrealreviews,askingforphotosofhealedresults,andsearchingthemonYelp,Google,etc.Remember:Everybrowartisthastheirownstyle,socheckouttheirsocialmediaphotostogetafeelfortheirspecialty,whetherthat’sthickblockedbrows,fluffynaturalbrows,oramixofboth.FinalthoughtsIfyouwantabreakfromfillinginyourbrows—orifyouwanttoexperiencewhatfullbrowslooklikeforthefirsttimeinyourlife—microbladingmightbeyoursavior.Still,it’llcostyasomecash,atleastsevendayswithoutthegym,amorningwithoutcaffeine,andaweekofpotentialscabbing.Butifyou’retherightcandidate(andyoucanaffordit),youmaywanttotryitout,justsoyouneverhavetospendmoneyonbrowpencilsagain.Meettheexperts:PiretAavaisacosmetictattoospecialist,makeupartist,certifiedesthetician,andfounderofEyebrowDoctor,astudioforeyebrowshaping,microblading,andlipblushinginNewYork,NY;Miami,FL;LosAngeles,CA;andGreenwich,CT.Someofthecelebritiesshe’sworkedwithincludeSerenaWilliamsandLaraSpencer.AlixandriaCapparelliisabrowartistinOrangeCounty,CA.SheisthefounderofHairyLittleThings,asemi-permanentmakeupstudioformicroblading,nanoblading,lipblushing,andbrowshapinginCalifornia.She’sworkedwithcelebritieslikeParisHilton,GwynethPaltrow,andRobinRoberts.TracyEvans,MD,isaboard-certifieddermatologistinSanFrancisco,CA.SheisalsothemedicaldirectorofPacificSkinandCosmeticDermatology,andshehasexpertiseinmelasma,non-surgicalskintightening,andlasertreatments.WhytrustCosmopolitan?BethGilletteisthebeautyeditoratCosmopolitanwithfouryearsofexperienceresearching,writing,andeditingskincareandmakeupstoriesthatrangefromthebestmagneticeyelashestounder-eyebagtreatments.She’sanauthorityinallmakeupcategoriesbutisanexpertwhenitcomestomicrobladingafteryearsofresearchingandtryingitoutherself.Sheregularlytestsandanalyzesmakeupproductsandtreatmentsforefficacy,whileworkingwiththeindustry’stopmakeupartistsanddermatologiststoassessnewformulasandbrands.BrookeShunatonawastheseniorbeautyeditoratCosmopolitanfornearlyfiveyearsandhaseightyearsofexperiencewritingaboutbeautyandlifestyleacrossprintanddigital,includingthebestmascarasandcastoroilforeyelashgrowth.CarlyCardellinowaspreviouslythebeautydirectoratCosmopolitanforoverthreeyearsandhasseventeenyearsofexperiencewritingaboutallbeautycategories,withstorieslikethereasonsyoureyebrowslookbadandhowtogetridofblackheads. RelatedStory Wait,CanYouGetaTattooWhilePregnant? BethGillette BethGilletteisthebeautyeditoratCosmopolitan,whereshecoversskincare,makeup,hair,nails,andmoreacrossdigitalandprint. BrookeShunatona BrookeShunatonaisacontributingwriterforCosmopolitan.com. CarlyCardellino CarlyCardellinowasthebeautydirectoratCosmopolitan. Advertisement-ContinueReadingBelow MoreFrom MakeupProductsandIdeas TheseMakeupTrendsAreMadeforYourNextVacay BRB,CopyingThese'Euphoria'MakeupLooks Advertisement-ContinueReadingBelow GetInspiredbyTheseDayoftheDeadMakeupIdeas LipBalmsThat'llMakeMy💋Smooth?Yes,Pls MakeupGiftSetsSoGood,You’llWantOneToo Found:TheBestSmudge-ProofEyeliners*Ever* YouCanUgly-CryinTheseGelEyeliners 13NativeAmericanBeautyBrandsYouNeedtoKnow ClearMascaraIsthe*Ultimate*BeautyHack CuteToiletryBagsThat’llMakePackingEasier