Is it better to get my sparse eyebrows microbladed before blepharoplasty to help guide a surgeon? (photo)

Question

I understand why a lot of surgeons on here encourage us to get blepharoplasty first before microblading. But what if my natural eyebrows are barely there anymore? The bottoms of my brows are so sparse (especially underneath my right brow). I don’t see how these brows would really help a surgeon to carve out my eyes.

Ryan Mitchell, DO, FAOCO · Answer

Hello,Thank you for your excellent question.  This is one of the best questions I have answered.  What I tell you is fact.  I have been performing eyelid surgery for 17 years on a weekly basis on thousands of eyelids. Your eyebrow is an anatomical region.  While it blends into your upper eyelid skin it is not a completely distinct landmark.  Your eyebrow is based on anatomical location and skin thickness. Your eyebrow isn’t determined by where you might think hairs belong.   If you have a ptotic (droopy) eyebrow, it is droopy by anatomy and you cannot truly raise it by tattooing it in a higher location. A person can be bald and I will still be able to measure appropriately the proper amount of upper eyelid skin that can be removed safely and effectively and provide the best cosmetic result even with the total absence of all hair on the eyebrow. As a matter of fact, if you place a permanent tattoo on your eyebrow before a blepharoplasty you may actually cause an aesthetic deformity postoperatively.  If you microblade before surgery, you may easily place your permanent, tattooed eyebrow either too low or too high and probably too high.  You should, without a doubt, wait until after an upper eyelid blepharoplasty to perform microblading. This question by far indicates to me how critical it is to choose your surgeon wisely.  A professional eyelid surgeon will know exactly what eyelid skin can be removed, whether or not you have hair follicles or not.  The presence of hair, unless maybe it’s poorly tattooed and your surgeon has to compromise the surgery, is a very small part in the incision placement or the removal of a certain amount of skin from your upper eyelids. It does not matter if your natural eyebrow hair is absent.  A good eyelid surgeon knows where your eyebrow is located. Measurements are taken to the millimeter with a caliper. To give you a little more understanding, in general the vast majority of people have 30 mm of skin from the eyelashes to the lower portion of the eyebrow.  You can take this measurement with or without hair. If you tattoo your eyebrow at 40 mm for example, because you think that is the correct position, you are going to wind up with an eyebrow that is too high. I hope this explains this situation. Get the eyelid surgery first then do the microblading and not the other way around. Trust your surgeon to know what he or she is doing. Your surgeon should explain this to you very clearly and if he or she cannot explain this to you then please go somewhere else.  One more time, it doesn’t matter if your eyebrow is sparse. Good surgeons do not rely on your natural eyebrow hairs the way you are thinking.

Michael R. Macdonald, MD · Answer

I personally would wait until after you do surgery.  A skilled facial plastic surgeon will look at your eyelids and not the eyebrows when deciding how much skin to remove. I recommend waiting 6 to 8 weeks after your upper eyelid surgery has healed to have microblading performed.  If you don't plan to have surgery for a few years, you can have microblading done any time and it won't affect the outcome in the future. Good luck!Michael R. Macdonald, MD, FACS, FRCSC

Robert Singer, MD · Answer

You will get different opinions, but either option - before or after- is acceptable.Find a plastic surgeon that you are comfortable with and one that you trust and listen to his or her advice.I would suggest that the surgeon should be certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and ideally a member of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS). You should discuss your concerns with that surgeon in person.

Robert Singer, MD FACS 
  
La Jolla, California

Mehdi Sina, MD · Answer

Hi,The eyebrow hair is not a guide for the amount of skin required for excision during a blepharoplasty. Some surgeons use a rough estimate of 20 mm between the lash line and the brow after skin excision as a safe distance, but this is just a rough guide. An experienced surgeon will determine the appropriate amount of skin to be excised based on skin redundancy and a "pinch test."Best,

Chase Lay, MD · Answer

I don't see much room for a blepharoplasty on you except for very minor asymmetry and so in your case you could probably do the microblading first.  But in general a patient should wait until after their upper eyelid surgery.You may also simply feel like the eyes themselves look different after microblading and not have any surgery for awhile.Chase Lay MD

Is it better to get my sparse eyebrows microbladed before blepharoplasty to help guide a surgeon? (photo)

Answers (9)

Answer: Upper eyelid blepharoplasty

Answer: Upper eyelid blepharoplasty

Answer: It's best to wait until after your brow microblading to have a blepharoplasty

Answer: It's best to wait until after your brow microblading to have a blepharoplasty

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Is it better to get my sparse eyebrows microbladed before blepharoplasty to help guide a surgeon? (photo)

Answers (9)

Answer: Upper eyelid blepharoplasty

Answer: Upper eyelid blepharoplasty

Answer: It's best to wait until after your brow microblading to have a blepharoplasty

Answer: It's best to wait until after your brow microblading to have a blepharoplasty

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Eyelid Surgery

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.