While browsing through before and after photos of different microblading artists’ works, clients will see millions of perfectly done microblading, each stroke impeccable, each photo perfectly edited. They will probably choose a microblading artist based on the photos of their work, and artists know that. That’s why they try so hard to create a perfect before and after image of their work.
But the photos of freshly done microblading can be misleading. Why? Because microblading looks like that only when it’s just done. It will look somewhat different when it’s healed.
So, we are here to compare freshly done and healed microblading results and talk about the benefits of posting healed results on social media, for PMU artists.
Freshly Done vs Healed Microblading Results
Freshly done microblading, if done properly, looks great. Each stroke is clearly visible, crisp, and perfect, the shape is great and many clients are amazed by the transformation.
The brows may appear too dark, but the pigment will fade once the brows are healed.
But things change when the healing process starts. The main part of the healing period is around 2 weeks, during which the eyebrows go through different stages. One of the most important ones for the results is the scabbing stage. The scabs will form and peel off and take some pigment with them.
Some people will only end up with slightly lighter, but great brows after the scabbing and peeling is over. Others may get patchy eyebrows and for some, pigment retention will be poor. This depends on different factors, but most importantly, on the skin type and aftercare.
Image source: Instagram @seattle3dbrows.zara
When Is Microblading Completely Healed?
As said above, the initial part is over after 10 days to 2 weeks up to which point the surface incisions close up, but the brows continue to heal underneath for a bit longer. They are supposed to finish the healing process 6-8 weeks after the treatment.
But is that considered to be a healed microblading? Well, not yet. Microblading is a 2-session treatment, which means that a mandatory touch-up is required 6-8 weeks after the initial treatment. It’s there to correct all the imperfections caused by healing, to add more pigment, and adjust shape and color.
It’s only a couple of weeks after the touch up that we can say this is a healed microblading.
Image source: Instagram @browsbyjamie_
What Does Healed Microblading Look Like?
With healed microblading, the strokes look a bit softer and not so intense and dark. They actually look more natural. This is for people who make great candidates for microblading, i.e. those with dry to normal skin and who prepared well for the treatment and followed the aftercare instructions.
But for some people, who are not good candidates for microblading to begin with, such as those with oily skin, it’s usually not the case. Their freshly done microblading will probably look great with crisp strokes, but the strokes tend to blur and even disappear during the healing.
That is why machine strokes or nano brows are more recommended to people who are not good candidates for microblading, but want hair strokes, or powder brows and microshading if they just want great-looking brows.
On mature skin, the strokes may still look too dark.
Image source: Instagram @tia_phibrows
Why Are the Pics of Healed Microblading Important?
If you are a microblading artist, you probably know how important your before and after photos are. You probably try very hard to build up your portfolio and Instagram page, and adding pictures of healed microblading is something that will make you stand out.
Why? Most artists post pics of freshly done microblading that looks great. They even edit their pictures and create perfect poreless faces. But this leaves clients feeling frustrated. They can spot when the photos are too edited and fake. They know their faces are not perfect. They want to see true results.
So, they want to know what their brows will actually look like once they are healed. That’s what interests them the most because they will wear those brows for months or years. They want to see the brows after the pigment has been retained. Did it blur? Do the strokes still look crisp? Are the brows too faded after a couple of months?
If you get great photos of your existing clients’ healed work, this is really beneficial to your portfolio.
Image source: Instagram @zyanyabeauty
How to Get Pictures of Healed Microblading
Okay, you will take a photo of your client’s healed microblading when they come for the mandatory touch up. That will work. But if you want to show what their microblading truly looks like after it’s healed from the touch up or months after the initial treatment, you can ask them to take a selfie and send it to you.
This again can be problematic because some clients don’t know how to take a good photo (perfect lighting, angle, etc), so you can ask them to come to your salon (if they live nearby) and you can take a photo. To get them to do that, you can set up some sort of promotion and offer them a discount on their annual touch up to thank them for the time and effort.
Some microblading artists post photos of their clients’ eyebrows before the annual touch up. By that time, the brows are faded enough for the color boost. But if that touch up is done a long time after the initial treatment, it can be great because you can show how long microblading lasts and for how long the clients will have perfect brows they don’t need to care about.
A good example is the picture below. This microblading was done in 2018, and the touch up was done in 2021 – which means this client was set with perfect brows for 3 years!
Image source: Instagram @allieyamaguchi
To Sum Up
Good marketing of your PMU services is being honest and transparent about what you do and what results your clients can expect. Pictures of healed microblading are something that can really attract clients. We also encourage you to fight the urge to over-edit your before and afters – that’s so last year.
Cover image source: Freepik
