Healing Process

  • By Bryce Cleveland
Healing Process

Microblading Healing Process

Learn more about what to expect in the day, weeks and months after your microblading procedure. To get to your final look, you have to go through the microblading healing process.

What's inside (Click on the link to go to a specific step):

Knowing what will happen to your brows in the days after the procedure can help you and your clients be better informed and prepared so it will be a smooth period of healing.

How Long Do Microbladed Eyebrows Take to Heal?

It will take 6 to 8 weeks after the procedure before it fully heals. The main stages of healing that it goes through are: swelling, tenderness, scabbing and color changing.

After the healing process, you must book your mandatory touch up to correct any imperfections that may have turned up after healing. The final look of the microbladed brows will take shape after the pigment is able to set in and when the skin heals.

How long do microbladed eyebrows take to heal

What Can I Expect During the Microblading Healing Process?

The process to full recovery after a microblading treatment can be very demanding– physically and emotionally. It can be emotionally taxing when the client becomes impatient and thinks the color is wrong or finds an issue on the brows while they have not yet fully healed.

There is also resisting the temptation to scratch or pick at the scabs that will appear during the healing process. It can also be stressful to wake up and find out that your eyebrows have faded!

Which is why it is important to know what takes place during the healing process so you and your client know what to expect. This process requires patience and discipline, but it is worth the wait.

Although, each person's healing process may be unique because skin healing can vary per person. Some people barely experience any scabbing while others may take more than 8 weeks for their skin to fully heal.

Recovery can vary based on the following:

  • Age
  • Skin type
  • Overall health

What Are the Stages of the Microblading Healing Process?

For most clients, the healing process takes 6 stages which often overlap. Here are the usual stages with the typical time spans when they occur:

  • Swollen and dark eyebrows (days 1 to 4)
  • Scabbing and flaking stage (days 5 to 10)
  • Eyebrows lighten, might think they disappeared (days 8 to 11)
  • Looks patchy and the colors are coming back (days 11 to 41)
  • Mandatory touch up (after 6-8 weeks)
  • Full recovery comes a few days after touch up procedure

Among the stages, the first few need extra care to ensure cleanliness and to avoid damage to the freshly cut skin in the brows. To some, the stages will be bearable but it helps to get ready for the worst as well as some parts of recovery can be irritating.

Microblading Healing Stages

Day by Day Microblading Healing Process

Days 1 and 2

You will see that the eyebrows are swollen and the area around it shows redness. The surrounding area is tender to the touch and you will notice the strokes are dark and thick. You might start to feel a touch of regret about getting the procedure. But no need to panic!

Take care with the treatment area since it is very sensitive and prone to infections. Make sure to follow the aftercare instructions provided by your aesthetician which include not getting your brows very wet and sweaty, avoiding makeup on the area, not sleeping face down, refrain from swimming, saunas and direct sunlight. It is typical for the color to look dark in the first few days, but it will lighten 30-40% by the end of the recovery period.

Days 3 to 4

At this point, you will start to see the brows are improving and you will feel more satisfied. Typically, clients are getting used to not having to draw or fill in their brows daily. Although they are still too dark, the brows are slowly starting to fade to the correct color.

It's still early in the recovery process so do not be worried about the color of your brows being too dark. The pigments need time to settle into the area that was treated. Additionally, make sure to clean the area properly since it is a fresh wound.

Days 5 to 7

Clients will notice scabbing to start by the 5th day. This may cause the area to become itchy and irritating but the brows should not be scratched to ensure proper healing of the sensitive area.

The procedure is done by inserting the pigment into a shallow layer of the skin (between the epidermis and dermis, under the basal membrane). By scratching the area, you might take off pigment and leave your brows with patches once it heals. Once the scabs form, they will flake eventually.

Being aware of this stage in the microblading healing process will ensure you will stay calm when the scabs emerge, and that you will keep the skin protected by avoiding scratching the area.

For some, the skin might flake more extensively while others might not have a lot of scabbing. What's important is to wait for this stage to pass by cleaning it daily and applying the ointment as part of the aftercare.

In case you accidentally scratch and pull out some pigment, it can be corrected and filled in during the mandatory touch up.

Microblading Healing Timeline

Source: @mamajbirdy from Instagram

Days 8 to 10

Your eyebrows will look light and patchy and you may wonder if your skin is rejecting the pigment– but it is not. This is a normal part of the healing process when the scabs are coming off and the brows look much lighter than the final look. If you notice that the new skin growing beneath the new scabs is a bit light, there is no reason to worry since it will blend and heal better in the next few days.

Days 11 to 28

Your recovery is well underway and you have passed through the hardest period of the recovery process. The brows are taking their final shape. While it may still look patchy, the strokes will reappear through recovery. You're almost at the end but you still need to be patient.

Clients feel relieved that the scabbing is over and the skin around the treatment area is no longer sensitive. Although this is the case, always keep your artist's instructions in mind such as avoiding applying certain products to the area and doing certain activities.

After the third week, the brows generally take on their final look and you can check how well the skin has taken the pigment. If it looks patchy, now is the perfect time to book a touch-up treatment to correct any gaps. The touch up is done around the 6-8 week mark.

Days 28 to 42

And you've reached the last stage of the microblading healing process! Some people recover faster due to the following factors: age, skin type, overall health, daily routine and overall lifestyle. The success of the procedure also depends on how well you followed the aftercare tips given by your aesthetician.

If you had the mandatory touch up in the previous step, then your brows will now take their final shape and color.

Tips to Endure the Microblading Eyebrows Healing Process

Tip #1

When you book your microblading appointment, make sure to consider the time it needs to heal. Thus, don't book your procedure within a month of an important event.

You have to keep in mind that it takes weeks for the scabs and the color to heal and reveal the final look.

Tip #2

The first few weeks after the treatment will look very different from the final shape and color of your brows. So avoid excessive mirror time because it will not change the speed of recovery.

Try to distract yourself with other activities such as reading or watching a show.

Tip #3

Scabbing is a normal part of the healing process, so try to keep calm once they show up. If anything happens, such as the scabs get accidentally pulled out, contact your esthetician immediately.

Tip #4

It helps to look at photos of how the brows look immediately after a microblading appointment and after the healing process is over. There are many artists who post photos of their work on their clients and it can help calm down any nerves about how your brows are looking immediately after treatment.

Your perfect brows will reveal itself if you are patient.

Tip #5

Everyone's microblading experience is unique. If you had friends who went through the healing process much quicker than you, don't fret! Your brows will look just as fine if you give it the time it needs to heal.

Tip #6

Observe the symptoms you experience throughout the healing process. If you notice intense redness, swelling and itching that does not subside then it would be best to contact your aesthetician because that might be a skin infection. It would help them assess the situation better if you can send them photos of your brows.

This is why it is important to follow the aftercare instructions of your artist so that the chances of getting an infection will be low.

Microblading Healing Process After a Touch Up

There can be more than one touch-up to your initial procedure depending on the amount of work that needs to be done to patch up the gaps.

The healing time after a touch up can depend on the additional strokes made or even shading done. Scabbing can also show up again depending on the new cuts made on the brow. Generally, the healing process after a touch up appointment only takes a few days for the new incisions to blend with the rest of the strokes.

Your Microbladed Brows Months Later

Once your brows heal, you no longer have to worry about drawing or filling them in everyday. You will be hassle free for around 9 to 15 months without the need for touch ups (but regular touch ups will keep your brows on fleek for longer).

MAIN TAKEAWAYS

The days, weeks and months after a microblading procedure can be emotionally taxing.

But reading and learning about what happens in the healing process can make the journey more bearable. By preparing for it, you won't be likely to be caught off guard when it happens to you.

Your brows will definitely be worth the wait! Just follow the aftercare instructions of your artist and be patient. Once the healing process is over, you get perfect eyebrows for months or even years!

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