It’s understandable some clients are skeptical about does microblading affect hair growth. Many women are still having a hard time growing out their previously over-plucked eyebrows – which is why they’re doing microblading in the first place!
This procedure helps fill in the sparse spots, achieving the appearance of fuller and more defined eyebrows. But, regardless of what is actually true, you may hear contrary opinions on will microblading affect hair growth.
To answer this question once and for all, we need to explain how and why this myth started in the first place. Let’s get into it.
Will Microblading Affect Hair Growth?
When done correctly, microblading shouldn’t have any effect on eyebrow hair growth. It doesn’t cause hair loss or hair falling out, nor does it encourage growth either. It doesn’t mess with your hair’s natural ability to regrow.
It may not look like it, but the strokes are done between hairs and the blade that makes cuts on the skin to deposit the pigments doesn’t come into contact with hair follicles.
But please note that this applies to the proper microblading technique. Unfortunately, there are “artists” out there who haven’t mastered the skill sufficiently yet they work on people’s faces, who may do some damage. So be very careful with who you’re booking for the treatment.
Image source: Freepik
NOTE
Microblading itself won’t affect your existing hairs, but what may cause hair to “fall off” is severe scabbing.
Some scabbing is a normal part of the recovery, but it should be thin and filmy. Thick scabbing can occur if you don’t keep up with the aftercare routine well enough (you don’t clean the brows frequently enough or you apply too much moisturizer).
Thick scabs trap hairs. If the scab is ripped off (which you absolutely should never do), it can rip out the hairs with it. The scab can also trap the hairs which fell out naturally, simply reaching the end of their growth cycle, so when the scab falls off, so will those hairs.
But neither of those cases is problematic in regard to hair growth. New hairs will continue to grow, following the growth cycle of the eyebrow hairs (which is between 4 to 6 weeks).
Does Microblading Stop Hair Growth?
When done correctly: no, it doesn’t.
One of the biggest myths about microblading is that it impacts natural hair growth. Behind the question of does microblading stop hair growth, there is usually a lot of misleading information from Google.
The only truth is that when done properly, microblading will not stop hair growth. But if it’s not done properly, it can cause damage to the skin which might result in a disruption of the hair growth process.
This mainly has to do with potential scarring which can happen if the skin is overworked, the blade goes too deep, or there are complications during the healing process, like infection. Hair doesn’t grow on scar tissue, so if scarring is excessive, certain follicles may stop growing.
But please note that this is an extreme case of microblading going wrong, not something that happens often.
Image source: Instagram @caren_beauty
So, Does Microblading Affect Eyebrow Growth at All?
As we previously mentioned, it doesn’t affect hair growth at all if it is done properly. Well at least not negatively. There are theories that microblading can even stimulate eyebrow hair growth.
If we take a look at microneedling, a procedure that is used for stimulating hair growth among other things, microblading may also yield similar results.
But unlike microblading, microneedling treatment is focused on deeper penetration of the skin, purposefully creating injuries. Microblading does that only as a byproduct of the original goal.
Microneedling for Brow Regrowth
Microneedling is a treatment that purposefully causes micro-injuries to trigger the body’s natural regeneration process. So theoretically, microblading could achieve the same results, seeing as this treatment also pierces the skin.
The body interprets the pokes of microneedling as injuries, which sets off a regeneration cycle that produces a lot of collagen in that area which contributes to boosted hair growth. Collagen is used by hair bulbs to generate proteins.
A hair bulb is formed at the base of the hair follicle and inside of it, cells grow to build the hair shaft. These proteins lead to thicker and stronger hairs. So, the more collagen available, the thicker the hairs grow. An increase in blood flow caused by micro-injuries also helps.
If the follicles are damaged, they might never grow again. But in cases of hair loss it’s common for follicles to just be dormant and still have the potential to grow. Microneedling can help encourage them to start growing again.
Sometimes, all your eyebrows need is just a little push, so microneedling is used for brow growth more and more often. If we follow the logic behind microneedling for eyebrows, we may reach the conclusion that microblading may result in the same effect. But this hasn’t been properly studied yet.
But bear in mind that, to yield results, multiple sessions of microneedling are required. Microblading is usually done in no more than 2 sessions, which may not be enough to stimulate the follicles.
I Heard You Can Get Your Hairline Microbladed. Will That Affect Hair Growth?
Hairline microblading had emerged as a trend relatively recently, but it hasn’t really proven itself as a good option for camouflaging hair loss. While the answer to will hairline microblading affect hair growth is no, there are other problems to consider.
The treatment implies drawing hair strokes into the hairline in the same way that brow microblading is done, only elongating the strokes to look like hair strands. While hairline microneedling can give a very realistic illusion of thicker hair on the hairline, it goes south very quickly.
Long strokes bladed into the skin or the hairline can blur very easily due to the nature of the application and the long-term effects aren’t great. Scalp micropigmentation is much better.
Still, you can look further into scalp microblading in this article.
In Conclusion
Regardless of contradictory information you may find online, the answer to does microblading affect hair growth is no, not when done properly. But you must also be aware that improper technique can damage your skin and potentially disrupt the brow growth process.
So we strongly urge you to do your research and be careful who you’re trusting with your eyebrows.
Cover image source: Freepik
