5 shocking facts you MUST know before getting microblading
1. Microblading is actually slicing
Microblading, also known as ‘feathering’ is still the most widely known brow tattoo technique in Australia,
yet unfortunately not everyone knows what the technique actually involves…
Microblading uses a hand tool that looks a lot like a mini scalpel.
The hand tool or ‘microblade’ is actually comprised of a row of needles.
The technician uses the microblade to slice the skin in the brow area.
Tattoo pigment is deposited into these slices to mimic the look of brow hairs.
It’s a smart marketing ploy to call this technique ‘feathering’.
A more apt term would be ‘cutting’ or ‘slicing’!
A microblade.
2. Microblading doesn’t last
Because microblading involves making cuts in the skin, it must be done VERY superficially. The cuts should only be made just into the bottom layers of the epidermis which is quite superficial for tattooing. If cuts are made deeper, they won’t look fine enough to resemble hairs and there is the potential for bleeding. Due to skin cell turnover this means that microblading doesn’t last very long and touch ups are generally needed every 6 - 9 months. More sessions = more trauma to skin AND your wallet.
3. Microblading causes scarring
Due to microblading being a manual method, it is far too easy for the technician to make cuts too deeply and inconsistently in the skin. Which leads to the immune system reacting strongly to the procedure. Your body reacts to the pigment as a foreign substance and tries to get rid of as much of it as possible. And the more trauma the cuts have created in the skin, the more the body will attempt to repair the area by quickly laying down scar tissue. So microblading clients can be left with little to no results and scars on their brows.
4. Microblading goes blurry over time
Clients that do manage to get a result from microblading will still be unhappy with these results over time. This is because microblading cuts soften and blur over time. The manual method of microblading doesn’t place pigment precisely or at a consistent depth in the skin. So the pigment migrates over time and makes the cuts look blurred.
Oily/combination skin types also don’t get good results from microblading. Oilier skin has larger pores and excess sebum which can’t retain the pigment when it is microbladed. The sebum literally pushes the pigment out or the strokes becomes blurry due to large pores. As microblading must be done very superficially to create fine crisp lines, your skin type also affects the result.
5. Microblading can turn pink
After time your microblading can take on a pink/orange tone. This can be due to scar tissue but more often is due to iron oxide pigments being used. Iron oxide pigments are still the most widely used type of pigments and why I get so many pink brows needing correcting! There are two reasons for iron oxide pigments turning pink - a chemical reaction that occurs in the body with iron oxides and the size of the colour molecules. All pigments are made up of a combination of red, yellow, black and white. The black iron oxide molecule is often the smallest sized particle so it is absorbed by the body the quickest. Which means you are left with a combination of red, yellow and white which equals…. you guessed it! Pink or orange.
So now you know the scary truth about microblading!
These are the facts that microbladers don’t want you to know because it would literally put them out of business.
As a cosmetic tattooist I was trained in microblading, as it is part of our curriculum.
However once I understood the devastating effects it can have, I never put my clients through it.
Not when there is a far safer and longer lasting technique available…
The Soft Powder Brow Tattoo.
For longer lasting results that are better for your skin, the Soft Powder Brow Tattoo technique is the best option. Using a cosmetic tattoo machine, a single needle places dots of pigment throughout the brow.
The skin heals far better around dots of pigment, as the overall integrity of the skin is better preserved.
A tattoo machine can also place pigment at a precise, consistent and deeper level in the skin
which means it will last longer. You’ll get at least a year out of your tattoo before fading begins.
And fading happens more evenly than it does with microblading, due to more consistent placement of pigment.
So even when the Soft Powder Brow Tattoo fades, it still looks good!
Colour can be built up and graduated with machine techniques, meaning results can be tailored to
your unique brows. This can’t be done with microblading, as you can’t build up cuts!
I also use iron oxide FREE pigments, known as organics. Organic pigment molecules fade at a similar rate,
so the resulting colour is more stable. They are the only pigments I use,
so you never have to fear your brows turning pink!
And if your brows have turned pink from previous microblading? I can fix that for you!
If you’d love to find out more about what the Soft Powder Brow Tattoo can do for you,
book in for a free no-obligation consultation with me!
Hi! I'm Elise Louise, the Soft Powder Brow Tattoo Specialist.
You can read all about my story and see my qualifications here
(so you know I really am a specialist!)
For your free consultation we can chat over the phone or you’re welcome to visit me in my salon in North Fitzroy. There’s no obligation to go ahead with tattooing, I just LOVE talking brows! It’s really hard to find out information about cosmetic tattooing so I love offering a safe space where you can ask everything you’ve ever wanted to know.