LOS ANGELES—It seems that having the perfect eyebrows has become a major trend over the past couple of years. You can find tutorials on how to fill in your brows to get them looking amazing all over social media. Ladies, and some gentlemen, you all want to get your eyebrows “on fleek” these days. Now, there appears to be a relatively new way to achieve the perfect brows; the semi-permanent makeup eyebrow tattoo, and it has become quite popular lately.

So, what exactly is a semi-permanent makeup eyebrow tattoo? It’s a tattoo technique that applies pigment under the dermis layer of the skin on your brows by using a fine blade. Thus, it is also called microblading. Since the blade is so thin, the result is very fine hairlike tattoo strokes.

The process

If you decide to get a semi-permanent makeup tattoo, you should know the ends and outs of the procedure. First, you’re going to want to set up your initial appointment. At this time, you’ll be given some pre-appointment instructions, like what types of medications to avoid before your appointment and whether or not you should avoid specific types of eyebrow maintenance (i.e. threading, waxing, etc.)  within a specific time frame before your appointment.

At your appointment, you’ll meet with your eyebrow technician and you’ll decide on a shape. It’s really important to make sure you are happy with the shape before proceeding because although the tattoo is only semi-permanent, the results can last anywhere between one to three years depending on several different variables like pigment shade, skin color, sun exposure, etc. So, you’ll want to be happy with the shape of your brows.

The next step is to get your tattoo done. The procedure can be potentially painful so you might want to hold onto a pillow or stress balls which may be provided by the facility that you are getting your procedure done at. This is up to you though, because you might not find the procedure to be very painful; it’s really all dependent on each individual. Once the tattoo strokes are complete for your brows, your technician will apply the pigment and let them sit for about 15 minutes. After this, your technician will wipe the pigment off of your brows and you can go home. The total amount of time spent at your appointment should be around 1 to 2 hours.

After the procedure

The most important part of the procedure in my opinion is the after care. Your eyebrows are likely to scab up over the next day or two and will take anywhere between 1 to 2 weeks to heal. This is when you’re going to need to pull out your favorite hats and beanies because your brows are probably going to look bad. This is also very individualistic, as not everyone is going to form very thick scabs. But for those who do, prepare yourselves to have some very unsightly brows.

Your technician should give you some information on how to take care of your brows during the healing process. However, you will probably need to use some type of ointment like Aquaphor or Vaseline to keep your brows moisturized and help with the healing process. You should apply this over your brows and leave it on for about five minutes or however long you are instructed to and then wipe it off. Oh, and you’re going to want to avoid wetting your brows like you would want to avoid getting water in any open wound. This means that taking a shower is probably going to be a struggle.

Should I get a semi-permanent makeup eyebrow tattoo?

Honestly, I think that this is completely up to you and whether or not you feel that the benefits outweigh the cons. To help you decide for yourself, let’s list some of the pros and cons.

Pros

  • You may not have to constantly fill in your brows on a daily basis.
  • The results typically lasts about one to three years.
  • You don’t have to worry about your eyebrow makeup coming off in the pool.

Cons

  • It can be expensive.
  • It can be painful.
  • You will probably look silly for a couple of weeks after the procedure.
  • There is a chance that you may not like the results.

That last point that I mentioned on the cons list is something that you are really going to want to consider carefully! If you do decide to get this procedure done, you have to remember that you are tattooing your face and the results will last for a relatively long time. So, you should do your research before getting this procedure done. Make sure that you choose a reputable company with properly trained technicians that thoroughly communicate all of the risks associated with the procedure.