FAQs

What is Microblading?

Microblading is a form of semi permanent makeup using a manual tool made up of tiny needles to draw super fine hyper realistic hair strokes. It is a two treatment process and requires a top up appointment at 6-8 weeks

How do you decide on shape and colour?

A consultation is offered prior to treatment either on the day or in advance of your first appointment Here we will discuss the whole treatment procedure and what you want regarding shape, colour and fullness. Colour is determined by your natural hair colour. Shape is measured according to your own facial morphology and symmetry is calculated digitally on the PhiBrows app.

Patch tests will be posted in advance if your appointment or you can arrange an appointment to have this done with me in person.

How long does the procedure take?

Allow 2hrs 30mins for your first treatment

Follow up appointments 1hr – 1hr 30mins

This allows plenty of time to explain the procedure and not to feel rushed.

What happens during treatment?

Your skin will be prepped. This involves cleaning and sanitising the eyebrow and forehead area. Before pictures will be taken. The brows will be measured and mapped. You will be taken through the procedure as we go along and shown the designed brow drawing before we begin. We then begin the first drawing of hair strokes called the “first pass”.

Anaesthetic is applied and we continue to make more passes to build up the colour and fullness through the brow. After each pass the pigment is rubbed into the skin to ensure good absorption of colour and a colour mask is left on for 5-10 minutes at the end of treatment.

The skin is then cleaned, any stray hairs tidied away from the eyebrows and a soothing balm is applied. Some more “after” pics will be taken and the treatment is complete.

How do I look after my new eyebrows?

After treatment you will be given an aftercare pack to use for the first 7 days. It is extremely important that you follow all advice given. Washing and cleaning the brows regularly for the first day and from then on applying skin candy balm 1-2 times a day for the first 7 days.

No heavy sweating or swimming is advised, no sunbeds or spa treatments. No salon facials peels or enzyme facials, no laser on the face or any kind of light therapy 4 weeks before or after treatment. Use only the aftercare you are given to ensure good result.

How long does it last?

Microblading is a semi permanent treatment lasting ago to 3 years before needing a refresh. This will vary from client to client depending on skin type and other factors

Will the treatment damage my own skin or eyebrows?

The skin will be examined prior to treatment to make sure it is in healthy condition. We do not cut, tweeze or shave away your own eyebrows before treatment. Only stray hairs outside of the treatment area are removed and very long or unruly hairs are trimmed.

With microblading we are creating micro cuts in the skin and there is always a risk akin trauma with any treatment of this nature. Following all aftercare advice is very important will ensure that any risk of skin trauma is reduced to a minimum

Certain medical conditions may require GP consent such as autoimmune conditions like Rheumatoid arthritis and others like diabetes, haemophilia, epilepsy, heart conditions(pace maker) high blood pressure, blood clotting disorders and cancer patients.

I need to know that these conditions are managed and that treatment will not compromise you or your health in any way. Some of these conditions such a RA and diabetes type 1&2 can mean slower healing and higher risk of infection. (GP consent is vital).

Active acne, psoriasis, eczema or any other skin condition on or around the working area. We must wait until the area is clear before treatment due to hypersensitivity, higher risk of bleeding and poor healing and healed results.

(This has happened a couple of times where a client has come for treatment and due to these conditions I have been unable to treat, it’s disappointing for them and for me so it’s an important fact to know).

This is prescription medicine for treatment of severe acne. It has many side effects inc skin irritation, dryness and flaking. (High risk of bleeding, scarring, sensitivity, really poor pigment retention,,, treatment is a definite NO whist on this medication) You MUST be off this medication 6 months prior to treatment to allow time for all side effects to subside and the skins lipid barrier to fully repair.

Sometimes although not in every case oily skin or skin that bleeds a lot will require an additional top up.

Why does this happen?
Oily skin naturally secretes more oil and in some cases can also bleed more therefore the pigment can become diluted by the oil secretion and fade more quickly and in some cases the strokes can expand slightly.

Similarly with skin that bleeds excessively has a similar effect diluting the pigment. (Skin bleeding can be more difficult to determine and may not become apparent until we are mid treatment, there can be many reasons for this also such as hypersensitivity or even working out before treatment which stimulates the circulation but the important thing is that we don’t overwork the area!

I will always be honest when I assess your skin as I want every client to be happy with their results as much as I want to be happy that I can create them.

You may have your heart set on microblading (hair stroke technique) however If I feel that microblading, or this technique alone is not appropriate for your skin type I will tell you, explain why and may suggest some shading which is suitable for all skin types. (Shading can be performed alone or in combination with microblading. It can be done manually with a hand held tool or with an electric pen type device).

My brows are really uneven, can you fix them?

As the saying goes “your brows are sisters not twins” but in some cases they don’t even seem to be related. Asymmetry is relative and varies a lot from very mild to extreme so this is not a simple yes or no answer.

There are many things to take into consideration when assessing brows that are asymmetrical The first thing I look at which you may find strange is not the actual brow hair but your facial anatomy, your bone structure around the orbital area, your muscle mimic and skin tone as this can tell us a lot about how and where the hair is actually growing (or not growing) on each side and why there is a difference.

Firstly it’s important to know that no ones brows are exactly the same nor is the symmetry on the face, there are always little differences, that’s what makes us unique.
Asymmetry can be caused by many things from the simple things like overplucking which destroys hair follicles and the hair simply no longer has a healthy place to grow from.

You may be a heavy sleeper on one side of the face causing lax skin tone on one side or a trauma which has damaged the muscle and skin tissue. Bell’s palsy causing facial weakness and drooping on one side. Believe it or not it can even stem from as far back as when you were born (forceps delivery at birth) leading to differences in the formation of the bone structure.

So can we fix them?

Depending on the degree of asymmetry and the reason behind it, In most cases yes. But we can certainly improve on it.

This is one of the reasons clients want to have microblading performed. In more severe cases of asymmetry where there are differences in the bone structure and/or the muscle and skin tone , this is more difficult. It’s not as simple as just mapping it out and measuring it on an app, this is where the aesthetic eye also comes into play and creating brows that are in proportion to the clients face and that look as even as possible when you look in the mirror and when I look at you face to face.

It’s important to understand what is achievable. Sometimes this does involve taking away natural hair from one side and may involve taking away quite a bit or even half an eyebrow. This hair must be maintained in order to achieve a good result. It may require and additional treatment or shading to build density through an area that has no hair and the hardest part is making that eyebrow that has little to no hair look the same as the one on the other side that does have hair.

I always explain this in detail to the client before starting a treatment like this. They must be happy to maintain the excess hair that has been taken away and understand that there may still be little differences. Again this is why our consultations are so important for me as well as for the client as I will only take on treatments if I am confident that I can create and deliver results that not only you will be happy with but that I will be happy with too.

Unfortunately I do not top up or work over previous SPMU done by another artist unless it has been removed first or has well faded.

I will explain why.

Every case is unique. Ideally the brows need to be well faded with little to no pigment for the best results with a new artist as everyone has their own style.

In cases where there is still reasonable pigment in place microblading alone will not cover this. If there are any unwanted colour changes (red, blue, pink) they will still be there after microblading and generally the only way to cover this is with shading

I will only take on previous work that is sufficiently faded or has been removed and if I feel it will fit in with my style of work and I am confident that I can do a good job. Again this is all explained during consultation in a lot more depth. However, sending pictures or video of your brows in advance of your appointment is helpful as i can assess the old work and advise if the brows are suitable for microblading

I worked as a beauty therapist and makeup artist for almost 25 years. I studied Beauty therapy and anatomy and physiology at @youniquenewry with @larkin.aine the founder and owner of @younique.aesthetics.newry and @belfast.younique.clinic. Gaining Itec and CIBTAC qualifications which are recognised both nationally and internationally.

I believe my background and experience in the beauty industry has been vital to equip me with the knowledge and understanding in assessing different skin types and conditions which is extremely important when it comes to any SPMU treatment.

My work as a make-up artist added to that developing a more creative flare and passion to enhance natural beauty especially eyebrows and from there I began my research on SPMU and in particular the technique of microblading and chose to train with @phi_dovile at the Official Phiacademy London.