Microblading: simple about the complex

Irina Yanishevskaya , master of permanent make-up, founder and head of the beauty salon Queen (Lviv), methodologist of the Ideal Contour (Kyiv) in Lviv, exclusive distributor of Nouveau Contour (Netherlands) in Ukraine, participant of the International Permanent Makeup Conference in Amsterdam (2015) ), master trainer of basic and advanced training courses "microblading", "areola" and "micropigmentation specialist" (Lviv)

Now many MP masters use the micropigmentation technique. Yes, she is extremely in demand by clients, gives incredible results and is well paid. But do all experts, taking this technique into service, know about the pitfalls, and in general understand the issue enough so as not to harm?

We live in times of change. New opportunities are breathtaking, daily novelties and discoveries in the beauty industry make our lives more attractive and give us the opportunity to stay young longer and always look renewed. Following fashion, we try to keep up with it and its changes. A woman at any age wants not only to be herself, but to be as gorgeous and perfect as possible. And, of course, one of the young, innovative trends in the beauty industry - permanent makeup ⎼ will help preserve beauty and youth, feel amazing.

This direction burst into our lives with stunning speed. Probably, there are almost no people left who do not know what permanent makeup is. A permanent make-up master is a worthy, creative and interesting profession. Of course, the question of the quality of the work performed and the professionalism of the master always remains open. The role of the first school is always important, which gave a start in life and produced a master, laying down knowledge, basic skills in this area and the desire to constantly improve their skills.

The dynamics of this industry is impressive. The variety of methods and techniques is striking, but this article is devoted to a relatively new manual technique - microblading, or micropigmentation.

Theory: do we know everything?

Microblading is a relatively recent technology. And even though it is now becoming more and more popular, many questions arise regarding its safety, durability and effectiveness. This is one of the techniques that today in the practice of PM causes active discussion among both masters and clients. Sometimes a wave of negativity rises in her address, I think, undeservedly. You just need to know the features of the procedure and not make mistakes when working.

The term "microblading" is derived from the English words micro ⎼ "small" and blade ⎼ "blade". Unlike tattooing, microblading is done not with the help of a device, but with a special device with a thin blade - hence the name.

Microblading, like eyebrow tattooing, involves the introduction of pigment under the skin. The main difference is the method of pigment implantation by manual technique - using a manual pen, resembling the thinnest scalpel.

The blade of the manual pen consists of microneedles (up to 0.18 mm in diameter), which are three times thinner than the needles used in the typewriter. The person skilled in the art can control the depth of pigment injection. The penetration of the thinnest modular blade under the epidermis to a depth of 0.3–1 mm eliminates the possibility of a side effect in the form of scars. The micro-blade allows you to carefully draw each stroke, create a unique scheme for drawing hairs. This provides the effect of natural eyebrows, because hand-drawn hairs are thinner and cannot be distinguished from real ones. Add to this less puffiness, a shorter recovery period ⎼for me, the benefits of manual permanent makeup are obvious. In my opinion, the efforts of the hands of the master surpass the work of the apparatus.

Like any know-how, microblading is not a mandatory procedure for every client who comes to you. But if there is asymmetry of the eyebrows, a deficiency or complete absence of hairs (alopecia), scars or scars, suggest a microblading procedure, and the result will be eyebrows that are as close to ideal as possible. Do not forget to warn the owner of new eyebrows that she will be able to evaluate the final result only in a month, after the correction procedure, which is mandatory for microblading in 90% of cases, since the pigment can partially come out of the skin. Is it worth experimenting? Deciding to try any new product on ourselves, we try to weigh all the pros and cons, carefully considering all the possible consequences.

Practice: how do we learn?

In my opinion, the main disadvantage of the technique we are considering is a small number of professionals who can cope with such jewelry work. Indeed, for a good result, an experienced master who has completed more than one training course should work.

Raising the topic of microblading, we touch upon an important professional problem - the complete or partial lack of proper education. Today, on YouTube and the Web, you can see many videos in which the master creates easily, beautifully, naturally and quickly, demonstrating his work to perfection. From the outside it looks very simple: just do it! It's scary to imagine that many novice masters consider it their duty and a natural step to start their practice by watching videos on the Web instead of a long, high-quality training. Beginners in the profession, without thinking about the consequences, acquire cheap consumables, apparatus, uncontrolled pigments and begin to work independently, even without training. This means that clients have a very high risk of “running into” a newcomer who is honing his skills.
I'm not saying that this is just a microblading problem in the permanent makeup industry. But I remind you once again: with microblading, all responsibility falls solely on the shoulders of the master.

Common mistakes at work can lead to the following consequences:

1. A poorly selected needle for the client's skin type and a deep procedure will leave scars and scars.
2. With insufficient control of the depth, superficial conduct of the procedure, there may be no pigment left under the skin in a month - it will come off during the healing process along with the crust.
3. An incorrectly selected pigment will lead to a change in its color.
4. Incorrectly selected pigment in consistency will give a hair that has spread over time.
5. In case of incorrect positioning of the hand, incorrectly selected angle of inclination, changes in pressure and force when working with a manual manipula, a variant of “spotted” eyebrows ⎼ torn, unevenly “stacked” hairs is possible. Feeling the skin is, of course, a matter of practice. Any professional knows that no matter what we do, we need perseverance and daily work on our goal and work on ourselves. And only then can we do our job perfectly.

Features: pros and cons

Perhaps microblading is a well-known and widely available technique in Asia, where it is widely used for all segments of the population, regardless of social status and income level. But I am sure that progress and craving for innovative techniques have made their own adjustments to the development of manual techniques.

First of all, the development is associated with an increase in the variability of needles, a variety of their stiffness and configurations, depending on the technique and characteristics of the client's skin. We remember that our client is unique, each with his own hair styling, sometimes combined, which suits only him. This must be taken into account and the needle selected so that the hairs look natural, and not alien on the client's face. Now freely available for sale there are a large number of needles for manual equipment, which give us the opportunity to carry out various manipulations with the skin. And believe me, it's worth it.

The microblading technique is used not only for eyebrows and hair formation, but also for shading the technique of the inter-eyelash area of the eyelids, lips, shadows and even arrows. In my opinion, manual shading is another step forward. This technique is less traumatic for the skin due to fewer passes, and therefore is accompanied by faster healing.

Like any other technique, microblading can and should be considered from different aspects. Each master must decide for himself whether to do this or not. And each client who wishes to do the procedure must choose for himself whether to become a guinea pig for a newly minted master without diplomas, participation in competitions and conferences, quality work, or still turn to a highly qualified specialist who has the necessary knowledge and experience in this type of tattoo. It must be remembered that the technique depends entirely on the skills of the master, and the result depends on his accuracy and previous experience.

Don't get hung up on one thing - you need to go ahead and use all the technologies that you can use. Knowledge is never enough ⎼ learn and improve.

Appearance is of great importance in a person's life, and we must help emphasize and correct natural beauty. However, the beauty, elegance, grace of the created forms and lines completely depend on the professional level and skill of the specialist.