The Microblading Bible Page 7
One esthetician I spoke to about this subject told me of her theory, which I liked a lot. Since both methods seem to work (and sometimes not work), she believes that it might have to do with their skin types. Maybe, it is better for those with oily skin to dry heal since adding more oil to already oily skin equals too much oil and to wet heal. The people with dry skin may need some moisture to help with healing. That made a lot of sense to me but there is no scientific evidence I can provide you with.
AFTER-CARE
This is a wonderful article written by Amie Connors at Beautiful Ink Tattoos on how to properly heal a tattoo. With this method, Amie says her clients never scab and never lose pigment. I love that it’s based on science:
It's SCIENCE!!! The science of healing...
When the body is tattooed, it's basically injured and we are shoving ink into those punctured wounds. We have created lots of cuts. The body reacts by sending blood and lymph to the injured spots, zipping along with them are macrophages and white blood cells (in the blood).
For about three hours (give or take), a tattooed site gets weepy with the lymph. It's all these things that create a crust or scab because that's what the body wants to do to protect itself from infection. However, nowadays, we can protect the wounds from infections with antibiotic soaps and creams (coconut oil is antibiotic and antibacterial).
Scabs pull out color, so we don't need them. Forever as tattoo artist, we send people away from the shops wrapped in plastic and tell them to take the plastic off in a few hours, wash it gently but well with antibacterial soap and start the regimen of grapeseed or any nut oil, like coconut oil; it's natural, easily absorbed into the skin and have many healing benefits. By having it wrapped, prevents the body fluids from drying out and creating the beginning of a scab in those ever so important first few hours.
Well, we certainly can't send our clients home with their heads wrapped in plastic wrap, so you can always put a layer of a&d or aquaphor on the brow. It's a thick enough layer that as the tattooed area is weeping, it will contain that body fluid and it will not dry out. In these important first few hours, clients are instructed not to touch it, and 3 hours later, to wash their brows gently, removing all traces of A&D or aquaphor with the antibacterial soap. Pat dry with a paper towel, then apply a thin layer of coconut oil or your favorite oil. The whole point is to not let them dry out completely and let the body heal. So after the three hour beginning step, they wash at night with the antibacterial soap and moisturize it with the coconut oil. They are to keep doing this until they’ve healed. They'll know when they've healed because their skin will be soft again with no flaking.
Now, why not healing with a petroleum or thick non-breathable gel layer?
The skin needs air. It is a semi-permeable organ and by putting on the layer of A&D or Vaseline or aquaphor while it's healing, it is preventing the very necessary thing needed to heal properly.... Air.
So how do you keep it moisturized, but not suffocated? Coconut oil or any nut oil, This is the best way to heal a tattoo and not get scabbing.
This goes for all forms of tattooing: powder as well as strokes (microbladed and machined.)
A tattoo is a tattoo.
It is biological science.
Makes a lot of sense.
Then there is this method which is a dry heal method:
Water or any other liquids cannot come in contact with the affected area for 7 days after microblading, even a small drop will expand a wound and a scab will appear.
Disinfect the affected area with a small amount (one spray on a cotton round for both brows) of recommended disinfectant 2-4 times a day. If your skin is oily, make sure you keep your brows clean and dry. You can disinfect more times if needed. If your skin is dry, choose a non-alcohol based disinfectant to avoid additional dryness, you will only want to disinfect 2-3 times a day, over disinfecting will cause dryness.
Examples: alcohol-based disinfectant is a cutasept, otctenidine based products such as octenisept or octidept won’t cause itching (70% alcohol based)
If itching occurs, you can use Bactine, and it will also disinfect the area. Bactine contains lidocaine and benzalkonium chloride.
If dryness occurs and ONLY AFTER the 4th day, you can disinfect the area by using a small amount of coconut or grape seed oil. Make sure your brows are not greasy, just slightly moist; no residue of oil should appear.
After 7 days, you can use a gentle soap or non-greasy cleanser to keep your brows clean.
Do not use any other ointment or creams with vitamins or antibiotics on brows.
No sunbathing, or tanning for 4 weeks.
Do not scratch, touch or sleep on your brows for at least 2 weeks
No heavy workouts for 10 days. Avoid sweating.
Avoid Petroleum Jelly or Vaseline during your healing period. Anything with a petroleum base can cause a reaction, crusting, scabbing and sweating, so the skin is not able to breathe.
It normal to see a little bit of flaking, but not scabbing.
If you keep your brows clean and dry, only a thin film (not a scab) will appear after 4-7 days. It will peel off itself in 7-10 days (do NOT peel it off). After the film peels off, you can still feel some dryness, in this case clean or disinfect the area with a small amount of coconut or grape seed oil. Be careful with any cleaning in the affected area. The full healing period is 28-45 days.
If there is any contact with water, sebum or sweat, the wound will expand and cause a scab. The scab will result in itching and peeling of the pigment. If you scratch the scab, a scar or white spot can appear and no pigment will be left.
Everyone’s skin heals differently. It is important to remember that this is a two-part process and the second touch-up will complete the procedure.
Whichever way you choose to heal your client’s brows, these are the points everyone agrees on:
Absolutely never try to fix or add strokes during the healing process. (This can cause permanent scars).
No creams, makeup or products on treated area for a minimum of 10 days.
4-5 hours after the procedure, clean the area with sterile water and a cotton pad or gauze (debatable: using a mild cleanser or antibiotic soap).
Avoid heavy sweating for the first 10 days.
No rubbing, picking or scratching of the treated area. Let any scabbing or dry skin naturally exfoliate off. Picking can and will cause loss of pigment.
Avoid direct sun exposure or tanning for 3-4 weeks after procedure.
No facials, botox, microdermabrasion, laser or chemical treatments for 4 weeks after procedure.
Avoid sleeping on your face for first 10 days.
No Retin-A, Renova, Alpha Hydroxy or Glycolic Acids ever on microbladed brows
Lightening/Removal Client After-Care
It is critical to follow all aftercare instructions to prevent complications, scarring and to achieve optimum results. Please read carefully.
KEEP AREA CLEAN and open to the air. Do not cover with a Band-Aid or anything else, leave open to air. Air/oxygen provides good and faster healing. You should not be touching the area at all, but if you find yourself needing to, please make sure your hands are exceptionally clean.
DO NOT SOAK the treated area in water. You can shower as normal, but keep the area out of the shower spray the best you can and do not let the area stay wet for more than a few minutes.
NO BATHING, SWIMMING, SAUNAS, HOT TOBS, TANNING, OR INTENSE EXERCISE.
DO NOT disrupt the scabbing process (i.e. no picking, scratching, etc.) All scabbing needs to fall off naturally. If you force or pick a scab off, you will disrupt the process and possibly cause scarring.
TREAT AREA WITH TLC. DO NOT DO ANYTHING AT ALL THAT COULD CAUSE ISSUE OR PROBLEMS TO THE TREATED AREA. IF YOU ARE NOT SURE OR HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE CALL OR EMAIL US.
ONCE ALL SCABBING HAS NATURALLY FALLEN OFF, apply one drop Vitamin E Oil 4 to 6 times throughout the day for a minimum of 4 weeks, or until next lightening session. DO NOT start app
lying the Vitamin E oil UNTIL all scabbing has completely fallen off. It is our goal to keep the area as dry as possible until all scabs have naturally fallen off.
It is important to the process and integrity of the skin that 8 full weeks of healing take place before another lightening session can be done, no exceptions.
Lightening and/or removing unwanted pigment is a long process and patience is required. This is true whether you are choosing a lightening product service or laser. Please be patient and give the process a fair chance to work. Expect visible and wanted results in 3 to 6 sessions. How many sessions needed will depend on how saturated the pigment is, how deep it was implanted and how much needs to be removed for the desired result. In many cases, only a percentage of the density needs to be lightened/removed and then we can continue the correction process by color correcting. In those cases, where we have pigment misplaced or in an unwanted area, color correcting will not be an option and removing as much of the pigment as possible will be our ultimate goal.
Results cannot be foreseen, predicted or guaranteed.
Chapter 12
The healing process
It is definitely a process. The clients almost always gets nervous during this time and will need some hand holding no matter how much you explain the process. It's understandable. Looking in the mirror and seeing yourself with eyebrows that are too dark and too thick is a scary prospect that would send even the most confident person into bouts of uncertainty.
I think there's not a client out there who didn't wonder, during the healing process, if they hadn't just made a huge mistake. Fortunately, by the time the healing process is done and they come back for the touch up, they are happy, relaxed and fully confident.
WHAT TO EXPECT DURING THE HEALING PROCESS
Your new temporary eyebrows will go through several phases during the healing cycle.
Initially, your brows may seem to be too red and too large. Don’t be alarmed. We have just worked the skin and it is natural for it to be red and swollen. It will calm down in a day or so.
The pigment will appear very sharp and dark immediately after the procedure. This is because the pigment is still sitting on top of your skin, and has not settled in completely. The color of the pigment will soften gradually. The scabbing process will also make the brows appear dark. Stay calm, all of this will lighten within a week or so. The color will eventually be 30- 50% lighter and the brow will be 20-30% smaller when fully healed.
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 color pigment is fading too quickly, however, this is just superficial color and dry skin being naturally removed/from your eyebrows.
Some strokes will disappear and reappear in 2 or 3 weeks. Not all strokes will remain. It is perfectly natural to lose between 10-15% of your strokes, they will get replaced at the top up or second session.
You may feel some itching, please try to resist. If you find yourself unable to resist itching, you may apply some Bactine to the area for relief.
Once all scabbing has naturally fallen off and skin is healed, you may apply vitamin E oil to the brow a few times a day, until it is time for your second session.
Picture provided by brow artist Joanna Bieszczad
Chapter 13
Courses and Trainers
Finding the right course and the right trainer is the first and most important step to take. There's nothing worse than paying thousands of dollars for a course that you feel was not the right one for you.
How do you find the right course for you? The facebook groups are a brilliant place to look. You get to hear other people's recommendations and experiences. You can ask them all the questions you want, and yet, there are still no guarantees. There are always so many you hadn't heard about before you took your course. Location is often a consideration, so is the price.
You can find courses ranging in price from $2,500 all the way to $10,000. Since everyone learns differently and has different requirements, you will have to do your own research but here is a list of all the trainers I could find.
You decide who is best for you.
ARTICLE
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What to Look for in a Microblading Training Provider
Vogue Brows / July 24, 2016
Choosing a Training provider is an important first step and can be a daunting experience, especially if you have no idea what to look for. There are so many trainers out there, some great, some not so great. How do we know the difference when we don’t know microblading? Here is an article written by Vogue Brows in South Africa that gives you pointers with what to look for in a training.
But be sure to do your research carefully.
THE MICROBLADING TRAINING PROCESS EXPLAINED
Although Microblading is actually a form of Permanent Makeup, it should be treated as a separate and completely different form of art. When comparing PMU done by machine with Microblading, it becomes apparent that Microblading allows for thinner, more natural looking and realistic hair strokes. It’s worth mentioning that Microblading is a skill requiring months of practice before starting to charge your clients for the procedure. It is vital to achieve clean, crisp strokes and good pigment retention. Drawing strokes mimicking perfectly curved hairs is extremely complex and requires a lot of practice. It is also very challenging to work on different faces, so to immediately practice on live models is rather irresponsible. We advise practicing with the trainer present and then to practice on artificial skin before working with live models. To truly obtain the Microblading expertise, 2-3 months of practicing is required.
One should be capable of:
Identifying skin type
Choosing the right brow shape for face type
Proper numbing techniques
Stretching the skin correctly whilst working
Creating different natural strokes
Know the correct depth for each stroke
Creating symmetry of both brows
Calculating the eyebrow shape based on the Golden Mean Ratio method
Accurately select color pigments and modifier
Understanding proper after care
http://www.voguebrows.com/information/look-training-provider
WHEN DOING YOUR RESEARCH FOR THE ULTIMATE MICROBLADING COURSE, LOOK FOR THE FOLLOWING:
Curriculum
We believe that it is important to have a very strong curriculum that covers everything there is to know about Microblading and safe practicing! Let’s break it down:
1. Structure of the skin
Understanding the layers of the skin, the different types of skin and of the different penetration techniques is very important. Make sure your training covers that in detail. It is also of the utmost importance to understand the different skin types and which products / equipment to use in order to achieve the best healing results. Ask your prospective trainers how much time is spent on skin.
2. Facial areas, features & proportion
It is vital to understand the facial areas, features and proportions in order to offer your client a custom designed eyebrow shape that will compliment and frame her face beautifully. Make sure your training will provide you with some guidance as to which eyebrow shapes compliment which faces.
3. Eyebrow structure & measurement
This is where a lot of artists/students get scared, hearing the word measuring! It is not rocket science – well almost! Measuring is the most important step when it comes to designing the ultimate eyebrow. It’s important to learn the various methods of eyebrow measuring to ensure students find one that they are completely comfortable with. “Eyebrows are not identical twins; they are sisters – but they should also not be distant cousins”
4. Safety & Sanitation
Safety and Sanitation first! Protecting yourself as well as your clients is of the utmost importance! We cannot stress enough how careful one should be when working with blood and cutting into the skin. L
ook for a training that promotes safe practices and proper hygiene when it comes to the Microblading procedure.