Warning about semi-permanent makeup, microblading, etc... (please read if you want to get it done)

[nomicroblading]

I made the mistake of getting microblading done. It's too late for me and I'm in the middle of laser removal process, but if I can help a few people it will not all be for nothing.

Was told by numerous PMU artists that it is not a tattoo, that it uses pigments not inks, not implemented deep into the epidermis, that it would fade away to nothing etc... etc...

The truth is microblading, micro-shading, lip blushing and the like are NOT semi-permanent. They will ALWAYS be on your skin.
They will fade, but they will fade into a merged blurred solid block of ashy/pink tattoo. They will never fade into nothing. Unless your PMU artist made a mistake and didn't put it in enough, which you would know because they would disappear in the healing process within a month, so not the case for 99% of people.

It won't fade nicely because grey and pink residues are just the way our bodies work.
Micro-blading is a tattoo, it's a tattoo that needs maintenance, you need to get the strokes drawn back on every year or so. And after four or five times, your skin will reject it and will stop taking and you will have no choice but to go through laser removal.

Lasers are not advanced enough today to get rid of yellows. Brown contains yellow and once you decide to get them removed, chances are you'll end up with permanent yellow eyebrows.

Please don't listen to PMU artists who tell you that people who got permanent eyebrows just didn't go to the proper place, that their PMU artist went too deep, the quality of the ink wasn't good enough, that it needs to be vegan or whatever. None of this is true. It doesn't matter how good your PMU artist is, this is just how our bodies get rid of these inks.

Stick to henna, tint and lamination instead. Please.

I agree with you, even fillers they look horrid in years but of course people making their living off them or have had them done will be defensive and say they're absolutely fantastic.

Exactly the same here.

I will be listening to absolutely no fucker who says my eyebrows looked better before, or that they are any larger than the average natural eyebrow.

Mine are exactly the same size and natural, just darker
I look like a ghost crossed with a potato without eyebrow tint/gel because my hair is so pale so I just had micropigmentation done

I have spoken to a few laser removal places and had virtual consultations.
They said there was always a possibility of the eyebrow going yellow depending on the formulation of the pigment. But don't let that scare you off, I've read more success stories about microblading laser removal than horror stories. And even in some of those unsuccessful stories, you can barely tell. People who end up with yellow eyebrows can still get fade them through saline or other solutions after the laser treatment, but the recovery is long. But keep in mind, many people are completely fine after a few sessions of laser treatments and don't need anything else.

I am sorry to hear about your microblading, do you know what pigment was used? How long ago was it?

Yes!! I'm not too familiar with fillers to be frank, but I read that whatever they put inside, doesn't actually fully dissolve but merges instead. That's why many people who get it done again and again have no choice but to get it dissolved by a professional eventually.

@nomicroblading
thanks for your reply. I had mine done 6 years ago. No idea what pigment. I resonated with what you said, as I too, had been told it was semi - permanent (it definitely wasn’t)

don’t get me wrong, mine aren’t terrible, but I hate how patchy they are now and the pinky/orangey-ness of them. It washes me out massively as I’m very pale skinned.

I also had two different women do the first and second round of treatment, and so the results were different! (One lady did more feathery, the other more lady more ‘blocky’)

absolute nightmare!

I‘m 6 years in too. I was told they are permanent and you need yearly top ups and I get them. They look great. They faded during the pandemic and looked the same just really pale. I look so much better with them now because they are closer to how they were naturally (before I overplucked them) I’ll never go back to how they were.

Yeah for some people they look really great. Especially in the before and after photos from a PP.

I don’t wear makeup so for me It looks really odd that I have a bare face with two orangey eyebrows. I can’t quite explain it, but It does look strange.

I have two relatives whose eyebrows are now fading and they look horrendous! I don't know why they aren't as nice as before ( I haven't asked) but they look so stupid! Its literally the first thing you notice about them.

Look into Enlighten laser treatments, I have done some research and they are supposed to be really really good.
Tattoo removing places can do a patch test for you for free.
I heard amazing things about Enlighten by Cutera.

Here are a some pictures from a couple success stories from a forum I'm part of:

https://imgur.com/a/YWLgm0R
https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fi98yoe755gba1.jpg

I have been having mine done for over 10 years. No problem. My PMU artist does laser as well so this time I had them laser end off and started again. I've never had problems. I love them. She also does hair stroke brows and you would never tell they are tattooed.

@nomicroblading you say:
“But don't let that scare you off, I've read more success stories about microblading laser removal than horror stories.”

…and the irony is that I would say the same about SPMU. Way more success stories than horror stories.

Do you know what pigment your PMU uses? x

That is fine then. But I just wanted to put this thread out there to encourage people to do their due diligent research like I wish I had and then make a decision from there. To hear about people's past experiences and not just what their PMU told them.

My microbladed brow colour has completely disappeared 4 years later. No trace of it at all.

Mine were done in 2017

Actually think your original eyebrows looked fine. Maybe bit of pencil to draw them in a bit but look natural.

Up to you how you look obviously but heavy drawn on brows look fake Katie Price look to me and scream chav.

Whereas these look great as so natural looking but that's just my opinion

As I understand it the different formulations of pigments fade differently. Pigments with metals in them which are often cheaper for the practitioner to use: these are the ones that fade to purple/ blue/ orange etc.

I had mine done four years ago and they are only just starting to fade- but they are fading away completely, not changing colour.

I went to a very reputable place with a woman who ONLY did eyebrows. It cost a small fortune but looked amazing.

I had mine done 5 years ago, they've totally gone now

@Everhopefulitwillbeok is there really any need for the insults?

It's all about the pigment, I got mine done off the same girls who does my tattoos. My first tattoo is 17 years old and still looks like the day it was done. Foot tattoo is 15 and has just been topped up for the first time.

People who use the word "chav" always think they're something they're not. It says more about them. I'd far rather be friends with a nice lady with thick eyebrows than one with a snobby attitude.