The Purpose of Powder Brows
Powder brows are a cutting-edge cosmetic service aimed at enhancing the eyebrows' appearance. They have gained popularity for their enduring effects and capability to conceal imperfections. A coloring agent, or permanent makeup pigment, is infused under the skin with a micro-needle, achieving a soft, veil-like effect.
Post-procedure, individuals can bid farewell to regular eyebrow cosmetics, waking up to impeccably styled brows daily. This convenience has propelled the popularity of permanent eyebrow makeup, especially powder brows, among contemporary women striving to meet current beauty ideals.
With proper care and quality pigments applied by a proficient artist, the effects can be retained for up to two years. The dye remains vibrant, and the contour stays defined.
How Powder Brows Differ from Microblading
Microblading involves injecting dye into the dermis via incisions made with a blade. In contrast, PMU (Permanent Makeup) utilizes a machine to implant the pigment, puncturing the skin gently with a specialized needle. This approach is less invasive and virtually pain-free compared to microblading.
Both techniques aim to bestow the eyebrows with an ideal contour, shape, and shade. However, the gentler nature of the powder brows procedure ensures a quicker recovery. Post-treatment swelling subsides within hours, and the micro-wounds heal, revealing natural-looking eyebrows in just 2-3 days. Microblading, on the other hand, necessitates a more extended recovery period due to the incisions and the substantial hard crust that forms post-procedure, which cannot be touched.
Pros and Cons of Powder Brows
Pros:
- Achieves a natural eyebrow color
- Masks minor defects like eyebrow asymmetry, scars, etc.
- Offers a long-lasting effect
- Provides a painless experience
- Ensures a brief recovery period
Cons (a much smaller list):
- Risk of pigment fading under ultraviolet rays
- Inability to conceal significant imperfections
- Necessitates occasional touch-ups (a common aspect of all permanent makeup)
To mitigate potential drawbacks, a consultation with a professional artist is advisable before opting for this treatment.
Target Audience for Powder Brows
Powder brows are ideal for both young and mature women who prefer subtle enhancements to their appearance. It’s especially beneficial for individuals with sparse or gapped eyebrows, offering a solution that withstands heat and water—a perfect choice before vacations. Consider powder brows if you:
- Seek long-lasting makeup that resists washing off
- Have recently changed your hair color
- Possess imperfect eyebrows lacking contour or with gaps
- Have experienced color loss due to prolonged sun exposure
- Have asymmetrical eyebrows or small scars to conceal
In the world where beauty often demands sacrifice—time, money, and effort spent on cosmetics and salon visits—powder brows emerge as a convenient alternative.
Pain and Discomfort
Powder brows minimally injure the skin’s top layer. While those with a low pain threshold might experience some discomfort, it’s far from painful. A special gel applied by the artist ensures reduced skin sensitivity during the procedure.
Preparing for the Treatment
24 Hours Prior:
- Avoid alcohol and, on the day of the treatment, refrain from coffee
One Week Prior:
- Cease eyebrow plucking and avoid greasy creams that could alter skin or hair color
- Avoid exfoliating, using scrubs, or undergoing eyebrow lamination
- Stay away from tanning beds or sunbathing; UV rays can irritate the skin, increasing sensitivity during the procedure and complicating the pigment matching process.
Three Days Before and After:
- Consult your doctor and consider pausing medications affecting coagulation to expedite healing. Avoid aspirin, commonly used for headaches.
- Inform your PMU artist about any medications you’re taking to assess their impact on the post-treatment recovery.
The Procedure
The powder brows procedure, spanning 3–4 hours, unfolds in several stages:
- Removal of makeup and antiseptic application to the eye area
- Eyebrow shaping with tweezers
- Pigment tone selection
- Drawing the eyebrow contour on the skin
- Application of a numbing gel
- Stepwise injection of the dye under the skin
Post-Procedure Healing
You may experience some slight redness in the brow area after powder brows treatment. In addition, many people note after the treatment that the color of the pigment they were treated with appears too bright. But this is only the first effect. The color darkens after a day, so you should not worry, you need to wait for some time, and your eyebrows will acquire the desired shade. By the third day, crusts may form and flake off. Within a week, all noticeable effects subside.
Post-Treatment Care
To stay satisfied with the treatment outcome for a long time:
- Avoid touching, washing, or scratching the eyebrows for 1–2 weeks
- Refrain from peeling off the healing crusts
- Avoid alcohol-based products and sun exposure until the crusts fall off
- Stay away from scrubs, peeling gels, and eyebrow plucking
How Long Will the Result Last
As we said at the beginning, the longevity of the powder brows effect is influenced by several key factors:
- The skills and experience of the PMU artist
- The quality of the PMU pigments and their characteristics such as color retention (we remind you that BROVI PMU pigments provide some of the highest color retention rates on the market).
- If you don't have a scheduled touch-up treatment, the effect will be gone in 12–18 months. If you do touch-ups regularly, beautiful eyebrows will keep pleasing you as long as your permanent makeup is maintained
In addition, the durability of the injected pigment is influenced by the characteristics of the body:
- skin condition
- age
- immune system response
When You Need a Touch-Up
The first touch-up visit is needed as early as 30 days after the initial treatment. The durability and quality of the result largely depends on it. The permanent makeup artist inspects the treated area and, if necessary, takes care of any gaps that may have formed after exfoliation started and the crusts formed. If the color became different, the artist will also bring back the desired color.
The Cost of the Powder Brows
Like most beauty services, permanent eyebrow makeup is more expensive in major cities. Whereas in the provinces, prices can be much lower. Of course, the capitals and the major cities are leading in the number of top PMU artists, but even in the provinces, even relatively small cities, these days you can find PMU artists of a sufficiently high level.
Up-to-date prices are always available at beauty salons in your city.
However, price is not the main factor. Prioritize the reviews and portfolio of the artist/studio with regard to the treatment you are looking for.
Is Doing Powder Brows at Home Possible?
Permanent makeup is a procedure that can only be done by an artist with the right supplies (permanent makeup pigments), equipment (the minimum is needles and lighting) and sterile conditions. That is, you can't even invite the PMU artist to do this in your house.
Therefore, it is better not to take any chances and go to a PMU studio.
What to Do if You Don't Like the Result
If the problem is the wrong tone (darker, lighter, or gray/green eyebrows), you can try to fix that at a touch-up. Although we will keep tirelessly repeating that even a top artist can make a mistake when using low-quality pigments.
However, if you are extremely dissatisfied with the color or shape of the eyebrows, then the pigment will have to be completely removed by laser or remover. This is a separate treatment, and perhaps, if you are disappointed with the result, you will look for some other person to do this job for you. After that, obviously, you will need new powder brows.
Briefly about the removal of failed PMU:
- Remover. It is a special product injected under the skin at the same depth as the dye. The compound breaks down the pigment and the lymph bring it to the surface. This technique works well for warm colors;
- Laser. The light pulse only acts on the dye without affecting the skin. This method is used for cool shades.
Contraindications for Powder Brows
It is not recommended during pregnancy. Although this treatment is safe and painless, some people who have tried this treatment say that it may cause a little stress, which is undesirable while carrying a baby.
It's also not a good idea to undergo such treatment during acute infectious diseases.
Other contraindications include:
- Eyebrow scars
- Skin conditions
- Cardiovascular, nervous system, or hormonal issues
- AIDS/HIV
- Diabetes
- Clotting disorders
