TREATMENT + AFTERCARE

 

The results and longevity of the eyebrow tattoos will depend greatly on how you take care of your brows during the healing process and beyond. Each client’s skin responds differently, both in the length of time it takes to heal, and the number of sessions required to achieve your desired results and colour retention. This information acts as a guideline only; I cannot guarantee your results.

+WHAT SHOULD I NOT DO AFTER MY PROCEDURE?

AVOID THE FOLLOWING FOR 10-14 DAYS OR UNTIL HEALED:

  • DO NOT get wet. You may shower or bathe normally, but avoid getting any soap, shampoo or water on your brows.

  • NO Sun, UV exposure (including tanning booths), or laser light therapy, as it can darken/lighten of distort the pigment.

  • NO soaking head under water, swimming pools, jacuzzis, saunas, steam rooms, hot tubs etc.

  • DO NOT pick, scrub or scratch at the dry skin/flakiness; let the skin fall off naturally. Picking can cause scarring and premature loss of pigment. IMPORTANT: Once the flakes have fallen off, a shiny layer of healing skin will completely cover the hair strokes. It may appear as though the tattooed area has completely disappeared. This is just new skin forming. Within 1-2 weeks, the hair strokes will slowly reappear at a lighter shade as your skin regenerates.

  • DO NOT apply make-up to the tattooed area for the first 10 days. Cosmetics of any kind may interfere with the healing and color of your tattoo. After 10 days it's fine if you need to gently apply makeup to any light spots.

  • NO exercising and/or excessive sweating one day prior to getting tattooed and for 10 days after. Heavy sweating will cause the hair strokes to blur and detail to be lost.

  • AVOID smoke, dust, dirt and debris

  • DO NOT use Neosporin, Vaseline (or any other petroleum based products), vitamin e, coconut oil, aloe vera or anything that has antibacterial properties as these things can pull pigment out of skin.

  • DO NOT use products containing AHA's on or near pigmented areas including glycolic, or lactic acids or Retin A products as they will cause the color to fade.

+WHAT SHOULD I NOT DO DURING THE REST OF THE HEALING PROCESS ?

NO sunbathing or tanning for at least 3-4 weeks
NO tinting, chemical peels, dermabrasion, laser or botox for at least 3-4 weeks
DO NOT use Vaseline, Neosporin or other petroleum based products while healing.
DO NOT bleach, tint or dye the tattooed area for one month following the procedure.
DO NOT apply any anti-acne products (e.g. Benzoyl Peroxide, Salicylic Acid, Proactiv, etc.) or lightening creams (skin bleaching creams) such as hydroquinone to the treated area while healing.
NO anti-aging products or facial products containing Alpha Hydroxyls (AHAs), Retin-A, Lactic or Glycolic Acids
DO NOT thread, wax, or use hair removal products on the treated area while healing.

+WHAT SHOULD I DO ONCE HEALED?

  • Exposure to the sun over time can cause fading and discoloration of the pigment. Once completely healed, I recommend applying sunscreen daily on the treated area. Wear large sunglasses and a hat for further protection. Rinse and dry the area thoroughly when in contact with chlorine.

  • Glycolic acid, microdermabrasion, chemical face peel products and laser treatments must be kept away from the tattooed area as continued use could lighten or discolor the pigment.

  • If you are having laser resurfacing or laser hair removal after your tattoo has healed, please inform the laser technician. Continue at your own discretion. Laser procedures may darken, lighten, or discolor the tattooed area.

  • Once the treated area is completely healed, any changes or additions that need to be made can be done at your follow-up appointment no sooner than 4-8 weeks later. It takes about 4 weeks for the brow area’s skin cells to completely regenerate and settle in.

There are no implied or written guarantees if you do not take care of your tattoo, and everyone will heal a little differently.

AFTERCARE

It's all in the aftercare.

The treated area is an open wound, and can become infected easily if not taken care of properly. Wash your hands with an antibacterial soap before touching your brows, washing your eyebrows or applying the post care cream to avoid infection.

DAY 1 (The day of appointment) :
One hour after the procedure, gently clean the area with saline wipe to remove excess lymph fluid and plasma. Do this again at end of day/before bed and/or until oozing has stopped.  Removing this fluid prevents hardening of the lymphatic fluids (scab). Apply given aftercare gel with cotton swab.
Avoid showering today, if possible.

Days 1-9 :
Apply aftercare gel AM + PM until product is gone.

For oily skin, apply a VERY THIN layer of healing gel with a cotton swab only ONCE a day (pm).

For dry skin, apply a VERY THIN layer of healing gel with a cotton swab only TWICE a day (am/pm).

*once the skin feels smooth with no rough patches, you are “surface healed”
and can now begin applying sunscreen daily to protect your new investment!

+Important Reminders
Use a fresh pillowcase while you sleep.
Let any scabbing or dry skin naturally exfoliate away. Picking can cause scarring or loss of color.
No facials, botox, chemical treatments or microdermabrasion for 4 weeks.
Avoid hot, sweaty exercise for one week.
Avoid direct sun exposure or tanning for 4 weeks after the procedure.  Wear a hat when outdoors.
Avoid long, hot showers for the first 10 days.
Avoid sleeping on your face for the first 10 days.
Avoid face-down swimming, lakes, and hot tubs for the first 10 days,
Avoid topical makeup and sunscreen on the area.
DO NOT rub, pick, or scratch the treated area.
Important note about showering:
Limit your showers to 5 minutes so that you do not create too much steam. Keep your face/procedure area out of the water while you wash your body, then, at the end of your shower, wash your hair. Your face should only be getting wet only at the end of the shower.  Avoid excessive rinsing and hot water on the treated area.

+WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT DURING THE HEALING PROCESS?

MICROBLADED BROWS GO THROUGH MANY PHASES WHILE HEALING!

EVERYONES HEALING PROCESS CAN DIFFER.

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE SCABBING.

DAY 1
On Day 1, you're excited. You get to go into your artist’s studio with patchy uneven brows, or no brows at all and voila, you come out with legitimate hair strokes that you want to show off to the world, literal #browgoals. They look textured, dense, a little bit red, but it’s a world of a difference, you feel like a changed person. Your brows are bold in color with a hint of warmth. If you aren’t used to filling them in a lot, they will look slightly more dramatic in appearance than normal, tender, slightly swollen, and you may even experience some slight bleeding. The day you get them done you may be in awe of your fresh set of brows.

If you’re used to filling them in and are used to bolder brows, you may be in love. If not, do not panic. The permanent makeup has been applied to compensate for fading of 20-40%, so if they look darker than you normally wear your brows, stay calm, the color will fade over the next week.  

DAY 2
You will try really hard not to sneeze, because of the multiple tiny paper cut-like wounds on your face, but I had mine done during allergy season, and there’s no avoiding it. Your brows will be reddish, still quite tender, and maybe even a little bit thicker in texture than the day before with a light pigment film. You may really notice the difference in your brows and feel like people are looking at them, but chances are you’re more self-conscious about it rather than people noticing them being darker than normal. At this point, you can still see every hair stroke that was made and the redness should subside a lot. They have not started to form hard thick scabs yet. Day 2 is pretty easy.

DAY 3-4
By Day 3, you shouldn’t notice a huge difference from the previous two days, if anything, the pain and tenderness will start to subside, and the brows will get slightly dark or thicker, but nothing major. At this point, you’ll probably be loving the convenience of getting up and having instant brows without the hassle of having to create them yourself. You’ll likely find yourself daydreaming about beach days with completely waterproof brows, but don’t act on this at LEAST until day 10!

DAY 5
Day 5 is when things start to change. This can be the turning point in the healing process, where your brows are getting itchy and it is advised to NOT scratch them, as the wound may still be open. A thick layer of scabbing may form, and the fine hair-strokes that were created may be hidden. You may feel like you want to start panicking. RESIST the urge to blow up your artist’s phone firing off questions and accusations alike. You have a wound on your face, therefore your body is trying to repair itself, hence the scabbing. It’s all apart of the healing process, and if you’ve had any other kind of tattoos in the past, it heals very similarly. Just know that this is totally normal and even if it doesn’t look pretty, you shouldn’t worry, they’re going to be #browgoals again in no time.

DAY 5-7
This is the scary time period when the serious scabbing will start, and begin to peel away from the skin. You might be extremely tempted to pick or peel the scabs. Don’t give in to this temptation, it could affect your healing very negatively. If you pick it, you could lose pigment that was deposited into the skin and could end up with a holy, patchy eyebrow, in some cases scarring. By gently rinsing the area regularly the scabs will slowly start to fall off - when they’re ready. This phase is definitely the hardest of the process. As a client looking on social media, I haven’t seen anyone talk about or show this side of the microblading healing process. All we see is perfectly fresh strokes, but scabbing? Who knew your entire eyebrow would shed and go through this transformation? It’s so important for clients to know and truly understand the whole process, and really be assured by their artist that what they experience is perfectly normal, and necessary for their eyebrows to heal properly. In the end, you will have the brows you always wanted.

DAY 7-10
Your scabs will probably be all flaked off or flaking off on their own by this point and you’ll start to see the light at the end of the healing tunnel.  But because the skin has not completely mended itself back together, there may still be some cause for concern. The color during these days may seem way too light or even gray and missing in spots. You might feel like your skin didn’t take the pigment, but that’s not the case. They’ll almost look like you’ve filled them in with a powder, so again just remain as calm as possible and begin to start enjoying the fact that your eyebrows are done for you every morning. It’s important to note that at this stage, the wounds should be closed so if you’re feeling self-conscious about the light look of them, you are able to apply some makeup to fill in for the time being.

DAY 14-21
Healing is almost complete! Yay! You’re almost there. The color and definition of the hair-strokes will return at this point. The color is beginning to even out and look more natural and brow-like. People you tell about the procedure won’t even believe that it’s a tattoo. It’s truly amazing. You’ll be settling into your new shortened makeup routine - oh and those waterproof brow beach days? Amazing.

DAY 30
Guess what? Your healing process is complete! Your skin is completely healed and all color is looking great. They should look soft and natural. This is the point where you’ll be able to tell if there is anything you want to add or change, there could be a couple spots from loss of pigment, which is all dependent on how well your skin took the pigment, but this is OKAY because your follow-up appointment should be just around the corner!

This is a two step process. Brows look really finished after the 2nd appointment!
I recommend that a client does not come back for a follow-up microblading procedure until the skin is fully healed, and suggests no sooner than 6-8 and no later than 12 weeks after their initial procedure as the optimal time to come back for their follow-up!