Microblade Your Way to Beautiful Brows with ElleBrow NYC

Thin eyebrows are now a thing of the past! THANK GOD. No more scrummaging through pencils and gels to achieve a fuller, more beautiful appearance. Microblading is a modern miracle for your brows. This semi-permanent solution delivers the perfect arched and feathered look that so many of us are trying to master.

Similiar to traditional tattooing but much more precise, Microblading starts with drawing on the new look with a removable pencil. This is when the shape and thickness of the brows are designed to meet the exact desire of the client. After, an anesthetic cream is applied to ease any discomfort that may be experienced during the process.

The alterations are made permanent with a Microblading pen, used to draw on each individual line over a span of 2-2.5 hours. Some may have to return for a second treatment a few weeks later to add the finishing touches. Healing time can range anywhere from 20 days to a little over a month and all patients should take the same precautions as you would after receiving a traditional tattoo. Avoid excess sweating, direct water when showering (break out the dry shampoo) and make sure to apply Aquaphor or Vaseline. Wondering how bad it hurts? Well, that really depends on each person’s individual pain threshold- toughen up, buttercup!

Smudge-proof and waterproof, most clients only have to touch up once a year due to regular color fading. Once is all said and done, the coast is clear for up to 3 years.

The price of this beauty-saving hack ranges from

$300 & Up

Of course with any type of beauty procedure- permanent or not- we always recommend fully researching what it entails.

Time to bring in the professionals.

One of elleBrow NYC’s owners, Rob Falco, gave us the 411 on Microblading your way to beautiful brows.

IB: What makes a person a good candidate for Microblading?

ElleBrow: Generally speaking, almost anyone who is in reasonably good health and has whose skin is also healthy in good condition is a potential candidate for microblading. Since microblading is technically a tattoo process, the contraindications to microblading as well as any potential issues and risks associated with it are the same that would be encountered when getting any sort of regular body tattoo.

The first and most important thing that must be considered when determining whether a person is a candidate is to rule out any of the absolute contraindications to microblading. Certain severe medical conditions such as diabetes, malignant diseases (cancer, leukemia, etc), bleeding disorders, circulatory disorders, autoimmune disorders, epilepsy, etc. would in most cases make a person ineligible for microblading. There are a few exceptions such diabetics who have obtained a doctor’s approval. Any woman who is pregnant or nursing would also not be considered to be a candidate.

Additionally, there are other conditions and circumstances which may make a person either not a candidate or a less than ideal candidate, with some considerations to be had. Anyone who is undergoing acne treatment with Accutane or retinoids must wait at least six months after finishing such treatment before having microblading done. Those who are taking blood thinning medication would need to stop (with a doctor’s permission of course) taking the medication for a week beforehand. Thyroid conditions or the taking of certain thyroid medications can cause the rate at which ink pigments fade to be faster than normal; therefore this person must weigh whether they are willing to accept this potential issue.

While oily skin is not a contraindication per se, a client who has oily skin does need to weigh the potential issues that it may bring. Oily skin (at least in the brow area) may lead to a less than ideal outcome. The oils in the skin can cause the “hair strokes” to appear less defined and sharp looking than it does on those with more normal or dry skin. This is due to the oil causing the ink to spread or “fan out” out slightly under the skin, giving it a blurry appearance. The extent of this occurring is not predictable. Additionally, the ink may fade at a faster rate for oily skin types.

IB: Does Microblading have any effect on the hair growth of the brow? If so, how do you suggest your clients upkeep their brows?

elleBrow: Based on our experience, microblading does not affect the growth of the natural brow hair. Brow upkeep should be very simple. For client’s whose natural brow hair growth it outside of the perimeter of the brow that we designed, they may simply just need to shave such growth periodically.

IB: Tweezing, waxing, plucking, threading? Are any of these advised against? How do they affect the Microblading?

We generally advise against plucking, tweezing, waxing and threading as these actions will likely eventually kill the hair follicles. For those wanting to use these grooming methods anyway, they should not be done within about a month of getting microblading done.

IB: On average, how many sessions does it take to achieve the client’s ideal look? Touchups?

elleBrow: In most cases, it requires two sessions, the initial session and a perfecting session which is done 4-12 weeks afterward. We do find that about a third of our clients have good enough outcomes after just the first session.

IB: Are there any skin types you would advise against Microblading?

elleBrow: Oily skin has already been addressed. Another skin type which can be problematic is the very dry, flaky type. Of course, the skin is the canvas and is very, very important to (equally if not more so than the skill of the artist/technician) the process. With each person being unique, there will be variation in outcomes. Generally, the healthy skin usually leads to the best outcomes. Of course, the eyebrow area must be free of any blemishes, rashes, or other problems at the time of the microblading procedure.

IB: What kind of complications have you seen, if any? How were they resolved?

elleBrow: We do our best to avoid any complications before they arise. Making sure that our clients are good candidates and that they know the process and what they can and cannot expect from microblading is very important. We also do our best to ensure that our clients understand and will follow the very simple after-care instructions, which is also essential. Once in a while, we encounter a client who is a “bleeder.” There is usually no or very minimal bleeding during the microblading process. We instruct our clients to stop taking any supplements or products with blood thinning properties for three days before their microblading appointment. Bleeding during the process will usually lead to poor ink retention as the blood will push the ink back out of the skin. This happens rarely, but when it does, we usually stop the treatment and re-evaluate.

Bye-bye brow kit, sorry Sephora! The days of filling your makeup bag with a million brow beautifying tools are gone! Beautiful brows are just an appointment away, thanks to the discovery of Microblading.

Book your brow beatification with elleBrow NYC.