Microblading vs. Machine
This is one of the first dilemmas you will come across when getting your brows done….which one do I choose and what are the differences? There is a lot of confusion surrounding this topic. FYI, I do NOT do microblading.
Have you been told that microblading isn’t a tattoo? It is….you’re having pigment implanted into your skin.
Microblading is preformed using a hand tool - which costs pence. At the end of the hand tool is a blade which is made up of a number of tiny needles in a row. The blade is dipped into the pigment and scratched into the skin - the sound of it scratching your skin is similar to that of velcro. I’m not trained in microblading but after seeing the vast amount of brows that have been previously micro bladed and speaking to my clients it is very traumatic to the skin and leaves behind very visible scar tissue. Slicing the skin can make you bleed a lot, some more than others. So imagine trying to implant pigment into the skin whilst bleeding out…virtually impossible to do right?
Have you previously had microblading and found that it’s not lasting and you’re always needing a top up every few months? This is because microblading is only implanted into the first layer of the skin - where the skin’s renewal process happens every 30 days…so if the pigment is implanted into the first layer it will fade very quickly. Only certain skin types are suitable for microblading - young and dry - it is an absolute no go for combination or oily skin types.
There are some amazing artists out there who produce some fantastic results but these artists have taken the clients skin type into consideration and not just seen the profit. I feel very strongly about this subject due to the amount of scarring I’ve seen.
On to a more positive note…
The machine method I use is the original method (digital tattoo, cosmetic brow are some other names for it, they’re just the same) it is a hand piece plugged into a power supply. A similar process and machine to that of a body tattoo however we don’t go as deep as a body tattoo and permanent make up pigment is used instead of ink. The pigment used for semi permanent makeup has larger molecules than ink and therefore they are designed to come out of the skin over time. We don’t implant the pigment as deep as a body tattoo either. Using this method the pigment is implanted into the second layer of the skin which will increase the longevity of your brows as opposed to microblading which is placed in the first layer of skin.
The machines I use have various configurations - which I won’t go into - however everyones brows are bespoke to them, their desires and skin types. There are needles and various settings to suit every skin type to give you your dream brows.
The machine method causes minimal damage to the skin and doesn’t disturb the skin structure as the machine moves the needle up and down ‘x’ amount of times a second pushing the pigment into the skin as opposed to a slicing motion that micobladers use. Minimal bleeding is produced from the machine however some factors can increase bleeding such as drinking alcohol or taking aspirin prior to your appointment, so try and avoid any blood thinning substances a few days prior to your treatment to get the best results.
This is my personal opinion from my experience in the industry so far - so please do your research.
Watch how many microbladers are now converting and training to use the machine