Microblading is a process. It entails proper prep and aftercare, the healing brings about some unexpected side effects, and you only get to see the final result after the touch up healing ends.
Sometimes, clients aren’t 100% informed about all the peculiarities of brow PMU. They might come in expecting to get their dream brows overnight, or don’t know what they need to avoid before the treatment. Then, there’s the brow shock and we’re sure you’ve received a fair share of panicky texts complaining about brows being too dark, or disappearing after a few days.
To help you introduce your clients to all aspects of a microblading procedure, PMUHub has prepared a list of things you need to explain to your clients during microblading consults so that their PMU experience goes as smoothly as possible.
1. The Importance of Proper Prep
The success of a microblading treatment depends on proper preparations. You need to explain to your clients what they need to avoid before the treatment and why. They need to discontinue the use of certain products and meds, and refrain from certain activities in the days before the treatment.
The basic rules are:
- No retinol, chemical peels, or Vitamin A products one month prior. These thin out the skin and it bleeds more.
- No Botox for at least 2 weeks before the treatment. It has to settle before performing PMU.
- No facials at least two weeks before the treatment. They can change the texture of the skin.
- No sunbathing or tanning for about 2 weeks. Tanned skin is more sensitive.
- No plucking or waxing the brows eyebrows at least 1 week before the treatment.
- No alcohol, caffeine, ibuprofen, aspirin and fish oil supplements for at least 24 hours before the treatment. They thin out the blood and cause more bleeding
- If your client takes blood-thinning medication, have them consult their doctor and see if it’s possible to discontinue the use for a few weeks before the treatment.
2. The Need for Careful Planning of the Date of the Treatment
The microblading process takes time and the final result isn’t visible until after around 10 weeks. After the first appointment, the skin needs 6-8 weeks to heal, and the brows don’t look too great during this time. First they’re too dark, then scabby and flaky, then too light. After the touch up, there could be some more scabbing and darkness, and only after that ends can they consider their brows finished.
So you should warn your clients not to book an appointment close to a special event or a holiday by the sea. They don’t want their brows to look scabby in all the photos, plus it’s impossible to keep up proper aftercare on a summer vacay.
Another factor in planning the appointment is the menstrual cycle. Warn your clients that getting the treatment during their period can be more uncomfortable. The changes in hormone levels cause the skin to be more sensitive. This doesn’t mean they can’t get the treatment during that time of the month, but they should decide whether they can bear some extra discomfort.
Image source: Pexels
3. The Immediate Side Effects
The skin in the brow area gets irritated during the procedure. The treatment makes the skin red, sensitive, and perhaps even tender to the touch once the numbing wears off.
What clients often don’t expect is swelling, so they should be warned that this could happen and that it’s no cause for concern. It might cause slight asymmetry of the brows which might lead them to think you made their brows uneven.
The swelling should subside within 24-48 hours.
4. The Post-Treatment Itchiness
The brow area gets very itchy in the days following the procedure. As with any wound, microblading heals through scabbing, and any scab goes through an itchy phase.
You need to warn your clients of itchy eyebrows after microblading because they have to be prepared to keep their hands to themselves and not scratch the area. If they do, they’ll rip off the scabs and risk ruining the results, plus hurting the sensitive skin in the area.
Explain to them that they’ll need to be very disciplined. The best way to make sure they don’t touch their brows is to warn them that they’ll ruin the results. Prescribe an aftercare ointment and instruct them to apply it to relieve itchiness.
5. The Too Dark Phase
Right after microblading, the client’s brows will look darker than they’re supposed to.
The client will agree on a color beforehand, but they won’t get this color until after the touch up. If you don’t explain to your client that their brows will look around 40% darker than what they’ll heal into in the days after the treatment, they will probably end up disappointed, frustrated, and even angry when they come home and see the initial color.
To prevent awkward situations and accusations that you went too dark, warn them that their brows will fade up to 40% during healing, and show them your previous works healed.
Image source: Instagram @tia_phibrows
6. The Ghosting Stage
Then, there’s the too-light phase.
After the scabs start flaking off, the pigments underneath will look light. For some clients, it can look so light they might think their brows disappeared after scabbing. Warn them that this is normal and explain that it’s just the way PMU heals and pigments settle. Once scabs fall off, the new skin is very light, so it contributes to the pigments looking lighter, too.
The color darkens over the weeks leading up to the touch up. Make this very clear before you perform the treatment to prevent your clients from thinking you did something wrong.
Extra Note
Another thing you need to warn them is scabs coming off with pigment. The scabs will catch a bit of pigment and that’s normal, but if they’re not made aware of this clients might think something is going wrong and that the treatment didn’t work.
7. The Brow Shock
Unless your client already has very thick, voluminous brows, getting them enhanced with PMU will be a big change. Suddenly, they’ll have much more prominent eyebrows and their initial reaction will probably be the so-called brow shock.
They will need time to get used to their new look. While some clients fall in love with it at first sight, others might perceive the change as so huge they regret the decision. Some go as far as wanting to get rid of microblading right away.
So before you start the treatment, emphasize this. Highlight the fact that they need to wait until the touch up to finally judge the results, and assure them that the change seems so huge only to them. Other people will just notice a great enhancement.
Image source: Instagram @browpoint_nikolapatak
Final Word
Handling clients can be difficult – anyone who works with people knows this. Some clients are more difficult than others, but informing them about these 7 points and explaining each one thoroughly as part of microblading consults will ensure your clients are prepared for what’s coming, they’ll get through their healing process more easily, and they’ll ultimately be more satisfied with the whole experience.
Cover image source: Pexels
