Unhappy with Microbladed Brows - London, GB

I have no advice for you but I think they look lovely! The problem with Brows is that they can be such a dramatic change that they can be quite shocking especially if they are thicker than you usually have. I love the fullness and shape of them and think they look great although that doesn't help if you're unhappy x

I also think they look really nice. They look like they belong on you.

I honestly think they look great! I think if you got them retouched you would love them tho! Your natural brows are a little darker.. so I would just try that!

I am a microblading technician in the US. In my practice I realize that not everyone is a fan of the "New" thicker, flat brow and there is nothing worse than having unattractive eyebrows when beauty was the main objective. When it comes to eyebrows, one shape DOES NOT fit all no matter how in style the look is and your technician should have gone over the desired shape before doing them. You have nothing to worry about long term though, as your brows will fade to a softer look over time. If they still do not suit you you may go back to your technician or another technician and have her put "fade cream" which contains a mild acid similar to lemon juice on the area you don't like. You also have the option of going to get a mild skin peel which will fade them faster than usual. Hope this offers some comfort. -MJ

Hi Courtney,

I went through exact same thing only couple of months ago! Mine looked like dark angry bird square brows that didn't look natural at all.

Here's the 2 methods you can choose from to remove the tattooed brows:
1) Saline needling removal method
2) Q switch ND:Yag laser or Picosure laser

All the online reviews for both camps (lasers vs saline removal) are mixed. Success depends on the technician, and make sure you allow 4 to 6 weeks rest between each laser or saline removal method (too soon and you'll scar the skin!). I know two excellent techs (1 laser doctor & 1 tattooist who does saline removal) in Sydney Australia but you're in the UK so I don't know anyone there that I can recommend. Just check reviews online before you go.

Laser - Pros: Quick, fades faster than saline (dependent on your body's immune system how fast it clears foreign particles under the skin, longer history of use therefore the gold standard in tattoo removal.
Laser - Cons: Titanium dioxide pigments cannot be removed (check with tattooist who did ur brows what pigments they used), may scar skin if laser settings are too strong or if too many treatments done, you may lose brow hair, hair temporarily turns white after laser and laser can leave a ghost imprint/shadow of former tattoo (not always but there's a possibility).

Saline - Pros: Slightly cheaper than laser, not as painful, won't lose hair.
Saline - Cons: Might not fade as fast as laser, scabs form and takes 1 week to fall off, cannot get area wet during healing, if done by less experienced tech you can get scarring.

Saline removal works by numbing the area, then using tattoo needles (without ink) to open the skin where the tattooed lines are, then putting saline paste on the wounds/lines to "pull" pigment out. So tattoo is lifted from skin over quite a few sessions. Fading is slower than laser so it means needing to put up with your tatt brows a bit longer.

Laser tattoo removal works by using laser to shatter the pigments into smaller pieces deeper into the skin. There it will depend on how quick your body's white blood cells are to eat up the shattered ink particles and take the pigment out of your body via the lymph nodes. This method gives faster results but has higher risk of losing some brow hairs and chance of scarring.

Hope that helps!

I am going on December 8th to get this done. Now I'm scared.

I don't understand why you did not contact the technician immediately. She is specifically trained and would have helped you without compromising the work, you might have scrubbed most of the color off making it a complete waste of time and money. By the way I thought they looked pretty close to the picture you liked, remember your brow shape should be complimentary to your face not a celebrity or model. Also, she should have shown you what it would look like during the consultation. Somehow a misunderstanding occurred but it's unfair to make it all her fault and blame her. Next time speak up to the artist rather than an online forum. No one here can really help plus you deter others from getting it done.

They look great!

Just an aside.... I won't be going to Thanksgiving or Christmas with my family because I think that mine look so terrible. I'm scared to go back to her because the shape is so bad, & I don't want scars. Just praying that they'll fade.

i've actually seen and heard that people have had amazing end results after the 2nd touch up!

Yes absolutely the numbing cream should always be done first from all the people I talk to and when I had mine done it was put on for about 15 maybe 20 minutes and then mine was applied more numbing cream I'm gonna say twice I was in and out of there about an hour and a half I know you may have to go back again I would tell her you insist on using it I hope the person you went to had good reviews? There's not a lot Of people that actually do micro blading yet but I only go and ask a lot of questions. Good luck you'll see everybody here says yes to the numbing cream

The girls I go to never use numbing cream for the first layer. She is worldwide known for her microblading and I trust her way of doing it 100%.

I had my touch up done yesterday and the lady who did them didn't use any numbing cream, very painful both times

No numbing cream for me either. Waw it was horrible some strokes lol

I just got mine done last Wednesday.. numbing cream was applied for about 20 min before the procedure & I still thought it killed! I as well have a tattoo and thought microblading was way more painful even with the "numbing cream" .. maybe because of how sensitive the skin is around the eye brows & eyes. But I think yours look great!!