Microblading

{{short description|Tattooing technique}} {{pp-pc}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2016}} thumb|Before and after microblading '''Microblading''' is a tattoo technique used on eyebrows to create, enhance, or alter their shape and color. To apply this form of semi-permanent makeup, a technician uses a small handheld tool made of several tiny needles to add semi-permanent pigment to the skin.<ref name="TODAY.com">{{Cite news|url=https://www.today.com/style/what-microblading-everything-know-about-eyebrow-trend-t101425|title=What is microblading? Everything to know about this eyebrow trend|work=TODAY.com|access-date=2018-09-21|language=en-US|archive-date=December 14, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221214170116/https://www.today.com/style/what-microblading-everything-know-about-eyebrow-trend-t101425|url-status=live}}</ref> Microblading differs from the most common process of tattooing as each hair stroke is created by hand with a tiny needle that creates fine slices in the skin,<ref name="TODAY.com" /> whereas eyebrow tattoos are done with a tattoo machine. Microblading deposits pigment into the upper region of the dermis, so it fades more rapidly than machine tattooing techniques.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Hubbard |first=Lauren |date=June 9, 2017 |title=Permanent Makeup Has Come a Long Way Since Its '90s Heyday |url=https://fashionista.com/2017/06/permanent-makeup-tattoo-microblading-eyebrows |access-date=25 April 2026 |website=Fashionista}}</ref> Microblading is also referred to as '''eyebrow embroidery''', '''eyebrow feathering''', '''microstroking''', '''3D eyebrows''', '''nanoblading''' or '''hair-like strokes'''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Suleman |first1=Saba |last2=Villegas |first2=Maria |last3=Davis |first3=Thomas |last4=Stevens |first4=Charles S |last5=Castaneda |first5=Patricia |date=2023-08-24 |title=Chronic Granulomatous Reaction to Semi-permanent Eyebrow Tint |journal=Cureus |volume=15 |issue=8 |article-number=e44070 |language=en |doi=10.7759/cureus.44070 |doi-access=free |issn=2168-8184 |pmc=10449613 |pmid=37638261}}</ref>

==History==

Eyebrow tattooing was originally developed for eyebrow restoration, as a medical tattoo to minimize the appearance of hair loss in the eyebrows (madarosis).<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /> Along with other forms of permanent makeup, cosmetic eyebrow tattooing became more common in the 1980s and 1990s in the United States and Asia, including in Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Ellin |first=Abby |date=February 23, 2011 |title=Tattoos as Makeup? Read the Fine Print |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/24/fashion/24SKIN.html |access-date=October 23, 2024 |work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite news |date=10 February 1997 |title=How trend started |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19970210-1.2.54.6.2 |access-date=25 April 2026 |work=The Straits Times |pages=3}}</ref> Some dermatologists offered early forms of this service for both medical and cosmetic purposes, and trained cosmetologists on it.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1989-10-05 |title=Beauty Marks: Permanent makeup draws women |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-times-advocate-beauty-marks-perma/196308125/ |access-date=2026-04-25 |work=Daily Times-Advocate |pages=41}}</ref> Practitioners used a tattoo machine or a fine needle to apply dye by hand.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lee |first=Dinah |date=23 January 1992 |title=A brow-raising experience |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19920123-1.2.62.14.2 |access-date=25 April 2026 |work=The Straits Times |page=10}}</ref>

The microblading technique for eyebrows, typically called eyebrow embroidery in its early years, became popular in Singapore by about 2007.<ref>{{Cite news |date=4 January 2007 |title=Where to Get Your Brows Embroidered |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes20070104-1.2.104.17 |archive-url= |access-date=25 April 2026 |work=The Straits Times |pages=89}}</ref> Microblading became a popular method of filling in eyebrows in the United States and Canada by the mid-2010s.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hersey |first=Linda |date=2015-10-09 |title=Lorraine Cormier is the "Eyebrow Queen" |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-transcript-lorraine-cormier-is/196308703/ |access-date=2026-04-26 |work=The Times-Transcript |pages=D6}}</ref> Technique names such as 3D or 6D eyebrows were also popularized.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Marwah |first1=Manjot Kaur |last2=Kerure |first2=Amit S. |last3=Marwah |first3=Gurjot S. |date=February 2021 |title=Microblading and the Science Behind it |journal=Indian Dermatology Online Journal |language=en-US |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=6–11 |doi=10.4103/idoj.IDOJ_230_20 |doi-access=free |issn=2229-5178 |pmc=7982014 |pmid=33768017}}</ref>

==Application== thumb|293x293px|After microblading Microblading is performed in medical clinics and cosmetic studios. The technician performing the microblading procedure first consults with the client to explain the procedure and potential side effects, then measures the eyebrow area and plans the eyebrow shape informed by input from the client, ensuring symmetry.<ref name=":6">{{Citation |last=Thomas |first=Mohan |title=Manual of Cosmetic Medicine and Surgery: Volume 3 - Non-invasive Procedures |date=2025 |work= |pages=727–738 |editor-last=Thomas |editor-first=Mohan |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-9754-7_53 |access-date=2026-04-29 |chapter=Microblading and Micropigmentation |place=Singapore |publisher=Springer Nature |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-981-97-9754-7_53 |isbn=978-981-97-9754-7 |last2=D'silva |first2=James |editor2-last=D'silva |editor2-first=James|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The most common pigments (tattoo ink) used for microblading are based on iron oxide, which produces a dark brown or black color.<ref name=":6" /> Pigments are sold in pre-mixed shades for different skin tones.<ref name=":6" /> The technician typically applies the pigment using a microblading "pen" that holds a disposable set of tiny needles; there are many options available for the number, flexibility, and fineness of the needles.<ref name=":6" /> The technician must ensure the equipment, pigment, and application process is sterile.

Along with filling in eyebrows, microblading has been used to address the appearance of thinning hair at hairlines.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dias |first=Tatiana |date=2026-02-09 |title=Is Microblading Your Hairline the Fix for Thinning Hair? |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/hairline-microblading-thinning-hair |access-date=2026-04-26 |website=Vogue |language=en-US}}</ref> A related micro-pigmentation process, hair tattooing, provides the appearance of hair on the scalp.

==Durability== The microblading procedure is a semi-permanent tattoo. Like all tattoos, microblading can fade, depending on multiple factors, including the quality of pigment used, UV exposure, skin type, elements found in skincare products, and/or medications. A treatment may last up to two years.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Migala |first=Jessica |date=2019-07-31 |title=Everything to Know Before You Try Microblading for Fuller, Thicker Eyebrows |url=https://www.prevention.com/beauty/makeup/a23550144/what-is-microblading-eyebrows/ |access-date=2026-04-26 |website=Prevention |language=en-US}}</ref> A touch-up session is encouraged six weeks after the first microblading procedure, and every 12–18 months thereafter.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-12-02 |title=11 Things I Wish I Knew Before Eyebrow Microblading |url=https://www.glamour.com/story/eyebrow-microblading |access-date=2023-10-07 |website=Glamour |language=en-US}}</ref> Over time, pigment may spread and dye may fade unevenly.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kitnick |first=Sara |date=2026-01-08 |title=Natural Brows Aren’t New — Microblading Regret Is |url=https://www.latimes.com/live-well/face/story/how-brows-age-after-microblading |access-date=2026-04-26 |website=LA Times Studios |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Safety== {{See also|Health effects of tattoos}} Safety precautions for microblading are similar to those for any other tattooing technique. The most common complications and client dissatisfaction that result from any form of tattooing are a misapplication of the pigment, pigment migration, colour change, and in some cases, unintended hyperpigmentation.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Goldman|first1=Alberto|last2=Wollina|first2=Uwe|date=2014-08-11|title=Severe unexpected adverse effects after permanent eye makeup and their management by Q-switched Nd:YAG laser|journal=Clinical Interventions in Aging|volume=9|pages=1305–1309|doi=10.2147/CIA.S67167|issn=1176-9092|pmc=4136952|pmid=25143716 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Cuyper |first=Christa de |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Dermatologic_Complications_with_Body_Art/YvN3RYd_QPwC?hl=en&gbpv=1 |title=Dermatologic Complications with Body Art: Tattoos, Piercings and Permanent Make-Up |last2=Cotapos |first2=Maria Luisa |date=2009-12-01 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-3-642-03292-9 |pages=53-60 |language=en}}</ref> Serious complications are uncommon. As with all forms of tattooing, the risks associated with microblading include the transmission of blood-borne pathogenic organisms (e.g. HIV, hepatitis C, staphylococcus aureus, herpes simplex), as well as short-term or long-term reactions to pigment ingredients.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wiginton |first=Keri |title=Microblading Health Risks |url=https://www.webmd.com/beauty/microblading-health-risks |access-date=2022-05-13 |website=WebMD |language=en |archive-date=June 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230609042932/https://www.webmd.com/beauty/microblading-health-risks |url-status=live }}</ref> There is the potential for granulomas to form on the tattooed areas as a result of the pigment, a foreign substance, being injected into the skin.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ibraheim |first=Marina Kristy |last2=Desai |first2=Mansee |last3=Tawfik |first3=Melanie |last4=Elsensohn |first4=Ashley |last5=Furukawa |first5=Betsy |date=July 2023 |title=Microblading-Induced Granulomatous Reaction: Case Report and Review of the Literature |url=https://journals.lww.com/10.1097/DAD.0000000000002449 |journal=The American Journal of Dermatopathology |language=en |volume=45 |issue=7 |pages=487–491 |doi=10.1097/DAD.0000000000002449 |issn=0193-1091|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

In the U.S., microblading is not regulated at the federal level, and there is no standard for testing for the ink.<ref name=":5" /> In Canada, microblading is a personal service regulated by provinces.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fact Sheet for Operators from BC Ministry of Health: Microblading Services in Personal Service Establishments |url=https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/health/keeping-bc-healthy-safe/pses/microblading_factsheet_final_eho_operator_aug2_2017.pdf |access-date=26 April 2026 |website=Government of British Columbia}}</ref> Procedures performed by technicians who have completed a comprehensive course of instruction can minimize the risk of unwanted outcomes and client dissatisfaction.<ref name=":1" />

==References== {{Reflist}} {{Commons category}}

{{Tattoo}}

Category:Tattooing Category:Eyebrow