I am always in close contact with my guest during their healing process. YES, this is a process. Since I receive so many questions on healing, I thought it would be a great topic to touch on, also letting you know what to expect before you come in for a procedure. I will answer my most frequently asked questions for the main procedures of Permanent Makeup. I will touch on 3D Hair Stroke Eyebrows, Microblade Eyebrows, Eyeliner and the Lips. First let me hit on the things to AVOID for any of the procedures you may be considering.
• Tanning, swimming, applying makeup to area – 2 WEEKS
• Compressing your face into the pillow while sleeping- 48 hours
• Workouts or strenuous activity- 2-7 days (depending on procedure)
• Exposing the area to full water pressure in the shower- 3days
NO WATER FOR MICROBLADE EYEBROWS -7 DAYS
1.
With the Hair Stroke Eyebrow procedure, you will expect the pigment to fade around 20 - 30% and soften a bit after healing of the 1st session. You will be able to ice your brows the 1st few days after the procedure to reduce any swelling or discomfort you may have. I advise you to use a thin layer of Aquafor on your brows 2-3 x’s per day for around 5-7 days. Scabs that dry out or are rubbed, picked, scratched or pulled off will take longer to heal and could result in pigment loss. For the most part this eyebrow healing really is very simple for guests. Here is a Before, Immediately After and Healed Photo of the 3D brows.
2.
With Micro blading, it is important to follow aftercare instructions carefully. Microblade Eyebrow pigment will fade around 40 -50%. You CANNOT get the brow area wet for 7 days, post procedure. Water may expand your lines resulting in thicker lines than desired. I advise not doing anything to them for 48-72 hours. After 72 hours, you may use a VERY THIN layer of Aquafor on the brows 1-2 times a day. You want the brows to breathe but NOT dry out. (If you have oily skin or feel the need than you may want to use a dab of alcohol or witch hazel to cleanse the eyebrows and remove excess oil.) Oily skinned guests need not do anything else with them for 7 days. After the 7 day, healing you may use grapeseed or jojoba oil on them sparingly. Here is a diagram I found online that documents the healing process well. You will start by thinking “Uh oh, maybe too dark?” than day 5-8 “WHOA WAY TOO DARK” on day 8ish you’ll think “I think it all fell off?” Around 2-4 weeks the color will finalize and you will feel Happy! Due to natural skin regeneration healing differs in everyone. You will need a 2nd and possibly a 3rd session to perfect your microblade eyebrows.
3. Eyeliner
Eyeliner healing is a little trickier one. Due to the sensitive eyeline skin and swelling the lines will shrink, settle and look softer than immediately after your procedure. Usually if you want a nice thick liner line you will need to look thicker the day of your procedure. You may select to build them up with starting basic at your 1st session and building it up at the touch up session, or elect to go all in right away. You can expect to ice your eyeline the first few days after your procedure. (being careful not to overdue icing on the fragile eye area) I like to tell guests it will feel like you had a real good cry for the 1st and possibly 2nd day. I recommend using a thin layer of Aquafor on the eyeliner 1-3X a day for 3-5 days. Scabs that dry out may pull off pigment. Here’s a photo of immediately after the procedure and after healing.
4. Lips
Lip healing is also one of the more complex procedures. 1st and very important thing to know with any lip procedure you should be pretreating with a fever blister/cold sore medicine before your procedure. Even clients that do not typically get cold sores (if the virus lives in your body), you will expect to see it come out with a little lip trauma. I recommend ALL my clients to pretreat. Lip healing is different for everyone. You can expect to lose 50-60% of your color after healing. Icing your lips the first few days will feel amazing as you will feel swollen and DARK (you may like the way the swollen Botox look, looks!) Day 3-4 the peeling process will begin, color can appear orangey or pinkish. Day 5-6 Lips dry out and feel chapped. Day 7-14 Color will look as if it is totally gone.(THIS IS NORMAL) Day 15-21 Pigment will return and settle to final result. Lips may feel dry for some time after your procedure. Use of a good lip balm will help. I recommend using Aquafor on lips for the first 10 days. Here's a before, after and healed picture of lips.
I hope this helps with knowing what to expect during your healing process. Just remember everyone heals differently and healing times vary. It important to follow the aftercare your technician recommends carefully! Happy Healing!