So, you just woke up the day after your permanent eyebrow appointment. You take a look in the mirror…and instead of being thrilled, you’re starting to panic. Those don’t look quite right! It might be the colour, the shape, or something else that seems off. Yikes!
While this situation is truly rare thanks to the amount of planning and preparation we do as estheticians, it’s good to have the facts straight in case it does ever happen. Today, let’s talk about how you can fix a botched eyebrow tattoo. It’s possible, but it may not be the best choice, and there are some side effects to be aware of.
Possible Issues with Permanent Eyebrows
Depending on the exact type of application you get – microblading, tattooing, powder brows, and so on – you might experience different issues, like:
Uneven colour
Inconsistent width
Poor design/arch shape
Pigment extending beyond the brows (fanning)
Scarring during healing
Changing skin tones
Adverse reactions, like hives
Infection (very rare)
What to Do When Things Go Wrong
Before you rush to google “how long does it take for permanent eyebrows to fade”, let’s look at some of the options you have available if something doesn’t sit right with you. Obviously, if this situation happened with one of our clients we’d want to find a way to resolve it!
Problems may not surface until hours or days later. The first step toward a correction, then, is coming to a consultation so that we can see what the best course of action would be. Just like we wouldn’t recommend getting permanent eyebrows in the first place without seeing you in person, we can’t recommend the right fix until we take a look ourselves.
If colour corrections are required, they can take multiple appointments to balance the colours and restore a more natural look. We often suggest laser removal as the first thing to do, as this will reduce the complications of trying to tattoo over muddled colours and blend them together. It also keeps a more consistent tone across the entire brow.
Can Eyebrow Microblading be Reversed?
If you’re unhappy with a microblading result, there’s no quick-and-easy fix for it. Since the pigment used is similar to tattoo ink, the only way to remove it is to break it down and get the pigment out of the skin. This can be done by laser sessions or through the use of saline or glycolic acid solutions.
How Do You Get Rid of Semi-Permanent Eyebrows?
The first option (and our fave) is laser removal. Once upon a time, traditional lasers needed multiple sessions – set weeks apart, because the skin needed time to heal in between – and often affected the surrounding eyebrow hair as well. Reddish or yellowish pigments were hard to treat this way, and special care was needed for very dark skin.
However, this is where our new Picosure laser technology comes in. It’s one of the newest, safest, most precise, and most effective tools for laser removal of semi-permanent eyebrow makeup. It can remove the colours listed above, as well as black, brown, and grey shades, too. And did we mention that it’s QUICK? Some people see results after just one session! If we think this is a good option for you, we’ll discuss it at the consultation.
The other main methods – saline and glycolic acid removal – involve depositing solutions in the same incisions used to put the pigment in the skin in the first place. From there, they dry up the pigments and pull them up to the outer layer of the skin, scabbing over and eventually flaking off.
These injections really only have any effect if done within 72 hours of the initial tattoo procedure. Even then, there’s no guarantee that it will be even or effective at all. You’ll also likely experience some unsightly scabs and blemishes for a few weeks, so maybe don’t try to do this right before a big event!
All of these options require booking anywhere from 1-6+ sessions for full removal, which does add more to your overall spending. Ultimately, you can also just wait for the pigment to fade on its own – but remember that this stuff is built to last! It can take years for the colour to disappear.
Professional Permanent Eyebrow Makeup in Calgary, Alberta
Your best bet for having great-looking eyebrows is to entrust yours to a trained and experienced professional that will take every precaution along the way. With the right approach, equipment, and communication, the chances of errors are extremely low. Here at Haven, we’re proud to offer all of those as part of every visit!
Hop over to our IG or FB pages to see more of our work. When you’re feeling ready to take the next step – or if you’ve got more questions about anything even kinda-sorta eyebrow related – reach out and you’ll always find your Haven here!