Eyebrow Microblading

Every day people use makeup to help create the appearance of darker or thicker eyebrows, but there are cosmetic treatments that can offer more long-term solutions.
Thin or sparse eyebrows may have temporary causes that can be corrected with changes in your diet, but often the hair won’t regrow on its own, and you might want to consider cosmetic treatment to restore the thickness of your brows.

When you've tried every pencil, powder, pigment, gel, and stencil at Sephora and your brows are still sparse, microblading—a more permanent solution to thin brows—is the last-ditch-effort treatment that promises to change your brow life. The face tattoo technique isn't as scary as it sounds. Here, we talked to New York City microblading guru Piret Aava, aka The Eyebrow Doctor, to find out everything you need to know about the treatment that beauty insiders (from Olivia Palermo to JR Smith) are already obsessed with.

Microblading is a form of tattooing

Unlike a regular tattoo, "microblading is a form of tattoo artistry where pigment is implanted under your skin with a manual handheld tool instead of a machine," Aava explains. "I draw hair-like strokes with the tool to mimic natural hairs in your brows. Even though it's not as deep as the regular tattoo, it's still a tattoo because pigment is implanted under the skin."

You need to prepare

If you drink a lot, take aspirin, or use retinol, stop one week before your treatment. "Retinol makes your skin thin and then you bleed a little more," Aava says. "Avoid blood thinners, aspirin, and alcohol."

It doesn't hurt (too much)

Pain is relative. "Some feel more than others. Overall it feels like little scratches. You feel it, but it's not unbearable. It's not like having a baby," says Aava, who preps her patients' brows with topical numbing cream and tops up throughout the process to dull the discomfort.

Microblading takes time

"I don't like to rush anyone," says Aava, who blocks off two hours for new clients.

Aftercare is essential

That means protecting freshly bladed brows from all moisture–no sweaty workouts or washing your face with water. Some patients experience itching and redness during the first week, which Vaseline can alleviate. Brows will look slightly darker at first, but the color will fade 30 to 40 percent. Aftercare ointments are provided during your first appointment. "Overall they look great right away and you don't have to hide," Aava says. "Slight redness and mild swelling is normal."

Results last up to three years

Depending on the skin and lifestyle, Aava's clients come back for touch-ups once every six months.

Microblading is an investment

The first treatment can cost up to $900. While lower-priced services are available, Aava cautions against visiting inexperienced technicians. Remember, microblading is a form of tattooing.

Microblading is a semi-permanent cosmetic tattooing treatment that fills in sparse eyebrows. The technique uses a hand-held tool with needles to apply pigments that simulate additional hairs. The color fades over time, and yearly touch-ups are recommended to maintain optimal results

Thin eyebrow causes

Thin eyebrows can have a wide range of causes.

Aging

As we age, our hormones change and sometimes a side effect is thinning hair. While it’s most common on top of your head, hair loss can even affect your eyelashes and eyebrows.

Overplucking

If you want thicker eyebrows, the first thing to do is to put down the tweezers. The first time you pluck a single eyebrow hair it can take up to six weeks to regrow, but long-term plucking can result in follicle damage that prevents the hair from ever growing back.

Other less common potential reasons for thinning eyebrows include:

• Nutrient deficiency: When you aren’t getting the right nutrients in your diet, it can cause hair loss, including thin eyebrows.
• Hypothyroidism: If your thyroid isn’t producing enough hormones, one of the possible symptoms is hair loss.
• Atopic dermatitis (aka atopic eczema): At some point, about 20% of people will have an inflammation of the skin that can make skin itchy, red, and swollen. This can  also lead to thin eyebrows.
• Alopecia Areata (aka spot baldness): An autoimmune disease where you lose hair from some or all areas of your body, usually starting with a small area on the scalp. It’s considered very rare and an unlikely cause for eyebrow hair loss.
• Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy medications are engineered to attack fast-growing cancer cells, but unfortunately they also attack other rapidly growing cells in your body, like those at the root of your hair. Your hair may start falling out at the roots about two to four weeks after starting chemotherapy. The good news is that most of the time hair loss from chemo is temporary. You can expect your hair to regrow three to six months after you finish treatment.

If you suspect that your thinning eyebrows are caused by a health condition, please consult a medical professional.

Preventing thin eyebrows

Eating a healthy, nutrient-rich diet is important to make sure your body has what it needs to maximize hair growth. Talk to your doctor about your diet and make sure you are eating enough iron and protein.
As you take steps to get thicker eyebrows, you can help your cause by cutting back anything that could be slowing down your growth. Put down the tweezers and limit your eyebrow makeup. Eyebrow pencils, powders, and brow gels can block hair follicles and make it harder for them to regrow hairs.

Eyebrow treatments

Over-the-counter treatments

Rogaine

A popular treatment available at most drugstores, Rogaine helps prevent or slow ongoing hair loss, and potentially even encourages regrowth.
While there are beauty blogs and anecdotal stories of Rogaine helping regrow overplucked eyebrows or preventing additional eyebrow thinning, it has not been approved by the FDA for use on thin eyebrows. Experts caution that it isn’t designed to be used that close to your eyes.
Cost: A three-month supply for full scalp application costs about $50, but if you’re only using it for your eyebrows it should last a lot longer.

Prescription treatments

Latisse

A single drop of Latisse applied on your upper eyelashes before bed every night can help you get thicker and longer eyelashes. But can it work for thin eyebrows, too? The answer is tricky: Latisse is an off-label use for eyebrows. That means it hasn’t been approved by the FDA for that specific use, but you can ask your doctor if it might be right for you.“Latisse is only FDA approved for the eyelashes, however there are reports that it can achieve an improvement for brows as well,” says Toronto plastic surgeon Jerome Edelstein in a RealSelf Q&A.
Results should start to show up a few weeks, but it can take up to 16 weeks to see the full results. Unfortunately, hair growth from Latisse only lasts while you’re using the product. If you stop, your eyebrows may thin again.
Cost: The average cost of Latisse is $125 for a supply that can last up to four months.

Permanent makeup

Tired of drawing your eyebrows with a pencil every day? Permanent makeup uses a tattoo gun to inject ink deep into the skin and create a solid line resembling makeup. The ink can be tinted to match your natural hair color and is designed to last decades, though after a few years the ink can start to bleed at the edges or shift color slightly.
Cost: The average cost of permanent makeup is $575. 
https://www.realself.com/microblading



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