How Is Microblading Done?

Beauty trends are always changing, but there is one fad that doesn’t show any signs of fading: full, thick eyebrows with a gorgeous arch. From Frida Kahlo to Cara Delevingne, bold and beautiful brows are a mark of natural beauty worldwide. But not all of us are blessed with an enviable arch, which is where microblading comes into play. Learn everything you need to know about this rejuvenation treatment before you visit our experts at Skin Renewal of Tulsa at our Tulsa, Oklahoma office.

What Is Microblading?

Microblading is a skin rejuvenation treatment offered by many dermatologists nationwide. This treatment is a highly specialized method to essentially thicken your eyebrows and deliver long-term improvement in your overall appearance.

You can think of this treatment as being similar to tattooing, as pigment is deposited into the skin by a fine, thin blade to achieve a permanent or semi-permanent correction for the shape and pigment of your eyebrows. But unlike tattoos, this treatment aims to achieve a natural look as the strokes of the blade mimic the short, evenly-spaced placement of natural eyebrows.

Benefits of Microblading

This treatment works like a facade. While it does not replace or implant actual hair into your face, it tricks the eye into seeing a fuller shape – just like over-the-counter cosmetics. But unlike cosmetics, you never have to worry about this treatment washing away or needing to be reapplied. After you microblade, you can say good-bye to harsh eyebrow pencils, hard-to-apply powders, and sticky, messy gels.

What about the other benefits of this treatment? We’re glad you asked. Once you have a microblade treatment, you can enjoy several perks:

• Youthful appearance
• Flawless natural-looking eyebrows
• No fuss and no extra maintenance
• Waterproof and smudge-free

Ideal Candidates

Who are the ideal candidates for this painless, quick, and easy treatment? As an oversimplification, anyone who would like to thicken the appearance of their eyebrows can microblade. The truth of the matter is that perfect eyebrows don’t exist without some kind of effort. Whether by plucking or filling in with cosmetics, most women do something to make sure their eyebrows look nice. With a microblade treatment, it’s like skipping an extra step in your beauty routine. If you want to save time and keep a natural beauty look, then this treatment is right for you.

But there are other reasons why you might be an ideal candidate for this treatment. Hair loss from chemo or alopecia can also affect eyebrows, so this treatment is an easy way to replace what was lost. Generally, patients who are in remission and currently no longer undergoing chemo treatments can microblade without any complications. After a consultation at our office, our experts will be able to determine if your current level of health is appropriate for a microblade treatment.

A Short History of Eyebrow Trends

Listen to any beauty expert – eyebrows help frame the face and especially help draw attention to our eyes. If eyes are the windows to the soul, then eyebrows are the window frames. Beautiful eyebrows have been a standard in beauty for a long time, although the last 100 years have seen many eyebrow trends come in go. Whatever the fad, one thing always remains true: eyebrows matter.

1920s: Thin Brows

The Roaring Twenties saw short bobbed haircuts and sparkly flapper dresses, along with the first clear eyebrow trend that many women followed. Actress Clara Bow is a perfect example of thin, rounded arches that were penciled in over thinly-plucked eyebrows.

1930s: Strong Brows

The next decade saw eyebrow trends that took a turn for the slightly-more-bold. Billie Holiday is famous for popularizing a stronger, bolder arch. While the eyebrows of the 1930s were still thin, they were also more natural-looking.

1940s: Natural Brows

By the time the 40s rolled around, icons like Joan Crawford had taken to leaving their natural arches as-is and grooming their eyebrows with a light hand. These natural-looking arches were plucked right above the eyelid to achieve the correct rounded shape but were otherwise combed and left alone.

1950s: Pointed Brows

Marilyn Monroe is famous for many things, including the definition in the arch of her brow. Eyebrows of the 50s were natural except for subtle shaping that left a point at the highest arch.

1960s: Mod Brows

Twiggy is hailed as a fashion and style icon of the 60s, mostly for her mod-style eye makeup, which gave her a wide, doe-eyed appearance. As such, eyebrows in the mod era were treated as an afterthought: kept neat and short but mostly untouched.

1970s: Waxed Brows

In the 70s, a return of the ultra-thin eyebrow arch was made to accompany the vibrant, disco-tech style of the age. Donna Summers and her thin, waxed eyebrows are an excellent reference to this look.

1980s: Thick Brows

In an extreme departure from the previous decade, the 80s embraced full, natural, thick, and even overgrown eyebrows as the top beauty standard. Like many other hair trends in the 80s, the idea was to have a browline that was intentionally thick. Brooke Shields defined this look.

1990s: Skinny Brows

Tweezers came back with a vengeance in the 90s, with celebrities like Kate Moss wearing their brows in skinny shapes. Although still natural and not ultra-thin, these brows were meticulously groomed, much like the strong brows in the 1930s.

2000: Pencil Brows

The early 2000s saw a return of the thin, over-plucked eyebrows that marked the 1920s, only this time, the eyebrows were barely-there shapes. Singers like Gwen Stefani and Christina Aguilera are examples of the extreme pencil brow.

2005 and Onward: Natural Brows

This is the trend that seems to be holding on the longest. Natural brows with minimal sculpting and grooming seem to be the trendiest ideal. Natural brows can be done in many ways but are generally kept full with strong arches and defined pigment. Natural brows are easy to maintain and look good on every face shape.

Armed with a full knowledge of what microblading is, who ideal candidates are, and how eyebrow trends have changed over the decades, you can make a decision about what you want for your brows. The only thing missing is to learn how the treatment is done, so you know what to expect.

How Is Microblading Done?

his is a non-surgical treatment that can usually be completed in under 2 hours. Sounds quick and easy, right? That’s because it is. This treatment is also virtually painless and can be completely customized to meet your exact expectations of what your ideal brow shape and pigment should be. With expert guidance, this treatment can be the solution to many eyebrow related woes.

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The basics of the treatment involve determining your ideal brow appearance, planning the depth of the fill, and then using a small surgical blade saturated in pigment to deposit color to your brow with short strokes that, when healed, mimic the shape of natural eyebrow hairs.

The Treatment Step-By-Step

While your initial consultation should answer most of your questions, having a step-by-step glimpse into how the treatment works and what recovery is like is a helpful way to give you an idea of what to expect when your appointment comes.

Step 1: The Consultation

Your initial consultation is a vital step where you and your technician will talk about the current state of your eyebrows, the goal you have for your eyebrow appearance, and then use an eyebrow pencil to draw your ideal shape. It’s important to speak up and make sure that the penciling is done to meet your ideal. This part of the process will be used as a reference for further appointments.

There are three parts of the eyebrow that are usually concentrated on for this treatment. The first is the inner, which is the straight part of your brow closest to your nose and the portion where many choose to concentrate pigment. The second part is the arch, which can be shaped with microblade treatment to your exact specifications, such as being rounded or pointed. The third part is the tail, or the part of the eyebrow that comes after the arch, which can be gently defined or extended to achieve your ideal shape.

Step 2: Penciling

After your initial consultation, you will have a second appointment when the treatment is actually completed. This appointment can last from 1 to 2 hours, and it is recommended you take it easy for the rest of the day to help aid healing.

For this step, you and your technician will again pencil your brows from the reference made at the initial consultation to plan out the exact lines that will be made with the blade. Make sure to take your time and communicate clearly with the technician. Don’t worry if the pencil lines seem really dark – the pencil washes off easily, and your technician will do a better job if the initial pencil is darkly defined, since they trace the blade over the pencil mark. The pencil is carefully drawn on to avoid trimming existing eyebrow hairs.

Step 3: Outline and Fill

After your technician applies numbing gel, which is a short-term topical anesthetic, they will then use the microblade to outline the shape of the brow. Outlining helps give the treatment a clean, defined appearance. After outlining, your technician will then work on filling the brow with the pigment. Depending on how much you intend to alter your brow, you will be given several breaks and reapplication of the numbing gel so you can remain comfortable until the treatment is done.

Step 4: Recovery

The healing time required after a microblade treatment is generally between 4 and 7 weeks, similar to the recovery after tattoos. And just like tattoos, you will have after-care instructions that you need to follow carefully. It is important to keep your eyebrows clean and moisturized, especially in the first few days following the treatment. After 4 weeks, you will return to your technician for a third appointment to check on how well you are healing.

And once you’re all healed, you are good to go! Once you have a microblade treatment, the results are usually long-term, with touch-ups only necessary once every 12 to 18 months. Worry-free eyebrows for a year sounds like a great idea, right? This is why this treatment is steadily growing more popular – it’s low maintenance and fuss-free.

Conclusion

Interested in the benefits of microblading? If you want to boost the visual of your profile pictures and give yourself a more youthful appearance, give us a call and schedule an initial consultation at Skin Renewal of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma, today! Our experts will help you determine the best shape and pigment for your eyebrows that meet your ideal appearance. Reach out today to book an appointment and get started!