Aftercare is the most important step in taking care of your brows, post-microblading. It is crucial to follow all of the steps listed below in order to secure retention of pigment. If you don't take care for your brows, by carefully following the steps below, you will experience a decrease in pigment retention as the days go by. Especially if you are doing all of what you're not supposed to do. I can not express it enough, the importance of following the aftercare do's and dont's. It is a crucial part of healing and determining the outcome of your brows because after all, the goal is to achieve beautiful fuller eyebrows!
READ THOROUGHLY! It is essential that you follow these instructions after your Microblading session.
Aftercare steps:
Day 1 (Day of treatment): 2-3 hours after treatment, gently clean the area with a very small amount of sterile water on a cotton pad, just barely damp, NOT wet. Do this 2 to 4 times on day 1 in order to avoid build-up of blood/lymph on the area.
Day 2 & 3: When you wake up, gently wipe the area with a small amount of sterile water on a cotton pad. Be extra careful not to rub the brows hard, tug or scrub the brows. Do this 2 to 4 more times today to avoid any build-up of blood/lymph Using a cotton swab, you may apply a very small amount of Aquaphor to brows (very small amount-like half the size of a grain of rice for both brows). I will also give you a small sized jar of vitamin E oil to apply in between the applications of Aquaphor. This is just to add a small amount of moisture – brows should not appear greasy, glossy or shiny, if they do, you used too much. Do not use aggressive movement/manipulation on the skin- be gentle. Make sure your hands are clean before touching your brows.
Day 4-14: Gently clean the brow area with a damp cotton pad, you may use a drop or 2 of alcohol free witch hazel (added to the damp pad) to clean the brows 2-4 times a day. If your brows feel tight or dry, you may apply an extremely thin layer of Aquaphor after cleansing (brows should not be greasy, glossy, or shiny – if so, you used too much).
The following must be avoided for 10 days post-microblading procedure:
• Allowing any water to touch the brows! That's a huge NO-NO.
No shower stream over brows. Wash face CAREFULLY with a washcloth or cleansing wipes, avoid brow area.
• Excessive Sweating (avoid the gym)
• Exercising
• Practicing sports
• Swimming
• Hot sauna, hot bath, or Jacuzzi
• Sun tanning or salon tanning
• Any laser or chemical treatments or peelings, and/or any creams containing Retin-A or Glycolic Acid on the face or neck
• Picking, peeling, or scratching of the brow area. You will cause scarring of the area or removal of the pigment if you pick or peel scabs prematurely.
• Performing tasks related to heavy household cleaning such as garage or basement cleaning where there is a lot of airborne debris – now is not the time!
• Smoking
• Drinking alcohol in excess, as it may lead to slow healing of wounds
• Driving in open air vehicles such as convertibles, boats, bicycles, or motorcycles
• Touching of the eyebrow area except for when rinsing and applying the post-care with a cotton swab
• Do not use any cleansers or facial products of any kind, over the brow area for at least 10 days.
• Absolutely do not use any ointments, antibiotic creams or gels, or vitamin creams over the brow area – it will draw out the pigment.
*Before showering apply a thick layer of Aquaphor to protect your eyebrows from moisture. During the shower keep your face away from the shower head. And remove the Aquaphor gently after the shower.
Please NOTE: Itching and flaking may appear during the first seven days post-microblading procedure. However, experience has shown that by following these after-care instructions, these symptoms may quickly disappear. Touch-ups and/or correction of the shape-design is recommended only after 6-8 weeks.
If you experience any complications with the healing process please contact us (contact details are in the contact section on the home page) Simply click on the "contact" icon. Contact information is also listed on the consent form given prior to the procedure.
WHAT TO EXPECT AFTER YOUR MICROBLADING SESSION:
Your eyebrows will go through several phases during the healing cycle.
Days 1-4: The pigment will appear very sharp and dark. This is because the pigment is still sitting on top of your skin, and has not yet settled in completely. The color of the pigment will soften gradually. Do not be alarmed if you see some pigment on the cotton swab, as this is excess pigment and/or body fluid that is naturally exiting your skin. Your brows may swell and appear larger also.
Days 5-7: Once the healing of the skin starts taking place, it will look like dandruff flakes or dry skin. This might give you the impression that the pigment is fading too quickly, however, this is just superficial color and dry skin being naturally removed from your eyebrows. Our skin tends to slough off naturally as it's shedding dead surface skin cells. Nothing to be alarmed about.
Days 8-12: Your brows may look as though the pigment has completely faded – do not panic – take a deep breath and trust the process.
Days 14-28: Your brows may still look a little patchy or uneven, but the pigment will start to “reappear” as the pigment settles and the healing continues.
You may get your touch-up/perfecting procedure done at the 6-8 week point NO SOONER to allow for complete healing of the brows.
Pro-Tip: Once completely healed, always apply a layer of sunscreen SPF 30 up to SPF 50 on your eyebrows when exposed to the sun. Sun exposure might cause the color pigment to fade quickly. I'm also huge fan of aloe vera! It has natural healing properties and aids the skin in healing from sun exposure. Therefore, it should be used after sun exposure, not during. So if you know you'll be in an area where sun exposure is at it's highest (ie: on vacation) bring sunscreen and some aloe vera gel (I prefer natural aloe leaf) but a natural aloe based gel works too. Be mindful not to overuse the aloe as it can dry out your skin. As the saying goes, everything in moderation.
**The following picture is NOT my work, however it's a great example of how your eyebrows can heal. This person experienced large scabbing which can happen but the process of healing is subjective to every person's skin type. If you experience scabbing like this - NO PICKING!**
