What is Microblading Color Correction?
Microblading, or eyebrow tattoo color correction, is a way to improve the look of unattractive microblading fading by disguising the pigments that have shifted color over time, or in case of wrong pigment color choice.
Artists have been seeing more and more clients coming in with faded results of microblading that have turned blue-grayish, green, red, even purplish. One option for dealing with those unwanted pigments is laser or saline removal, but an alternative is permanent makeup color correction with PMU pigments.
What the treatment basically means is applying an additional cosmetic tattoo in the opposite color to the one the pigments have faded into over the unwanted results. The color on the opposite side of the color wheel will neutralize the unattractive shade and significantly diminish its visibility.
To give an example, for eyebrow color correction of red residues, an olive shade pigment needs to be tattooed over them. We know how this sounds, but this won’t leave you with green eyebrows; the new color will neutralize the old one and the result is a brownish shade that can then be further corrected into the desired shade.
How Is Microblading Color Correction Done?
Eyebrow tattoo color correction is done by microshading the skin saturated with unwanted pigment with a carefully chosen corrector shade. The first step is choosing the right corrector shade. The basis for this is permanent makeup color theory, which may sound simple, but it takes years for PMU artists to perfect their color-matching skills.
Apart from finding the opposite color on the color wheel, the artist has to take into consideration the client’s skin tone, their undertone (warm, cool, or neutral), the properties of their skin (oily skin can affect color shifting), the composition of the pigments. Corrector shades can be customized to target each specific situation.
Then, the corrector is tattooed with a PMU machine over the residues that need to be covered up. This is done gradually, in several passes. Gradually saturating the area allows the artist to determine the necessary saturation, and further correct the color if needed. Taking things slow eliminates the possibility of making a color mistake and making things worse. The downside is the fact that multiple permanent makeup correction sessions may be required.
Then, once the color has been neutralized into a vague brownish, the desired shade can be applied and the brows are given a fabulous fresh look.
Eyebrow PMU color correction is a shading technique, so, unfortunately, it cannot maintain the definition of microblading strokes. Therefore, the powder brow effect is inevitable, but it can be combined with additional nanoblading or microblading stokes for a combo brow effect.
Who Is a Candidate for Permanent Makeup Color Correction? Anyone whose microblading results have faded into a color that’s too warm, too cool, red, green, blue-grayish, purple. Basically, anybody who is not satisfied with the color of their brows and doesn’t want removal, but rather a brow PMU refresher. However, there is one restriction and it concerns the saturation of old pigments. If the brows are so saturated in pigment they look like a block of color, color correction may be too difficult and removal or artificially induced microblading fading may be necessary first. Apart from color correcting microblading eyebrows, other PMU procedures can be corrected as well. Powder or powder ombre brow correction can be done very successfully, maintaining the saturation pattern. Lip tattoo color correction is a bit more difficult, but not impossible. In order to check if you’re a candidate for permanent makeup color correction, book a consult with the artist of your choice and let them assess the situation.
Why Do PMU Pigments Change Color? The new generation of cosmetic tattooing is great because it fades over time, and in many cases, it becomes virtually invisible if you decide not to refresh it. However, the fading process is affected by a whole range of factors, and not even the most experienced artists can always predict how it will go. That said, let’s take a look at the most common causes of pigments turning color and fading unattractively:
1. Poor technique If the pigments are inserted too deep into the skin upon initial implementation, their color is likely to turn blue/gray.
2. Poor color matching The initial color has to be chosen carefully, keeping in mind the client’s undertone, and whether the pigment’s undertone is compatible with it. Another factor is the client’s ethnicity – immune systems of different ethnic groups interact with permanent makeup pigments in different ways.
3. Poor pigment quality With the explosion of the PMU industry, the market got flooded with various pigment formulas and brands, and not all of them are created equal. The composition of the pigment greatly affects its color stability, and low-quality pigments are likely to change color within a short time. 4. Client’s behavior and aftercare Certain actions and activities affect PMU results. Exposing them to sunlight often and for long stretches of time affects their color, and so does sunscreen. A whole range of skincare products can cause color changes, too. We’re not trying to say PMU should prevent anyone from living their life to the fullest, but it may be a good idea to wear a hat more often and reconsider your beauty rituals so as to avoid skincare that damages PMU.
5. Certain medications and conditions
Clients who take certain medications on a regular basis might experience pigment color changes over time. Likewise, some skin conditions may have the same effect, temporary or permanent. For example, PMU clients with iron deficiency should know that their system will absorb the iron oxide components from the PMU pigment faster and the color balance could be disturbed, leaving them with a shift in the color of the results. Flare-ups of conditions like rosacea leave the skin reddish, so the pigments appear like they’ve changed color.
Final Note on Color Correction of Eyebrows
Color correction is a great way to cover up old, unwanted PMU pigments that have faded unattractively. However, the results of new PMU afterwards can never match up to the crisp, super-defined microblading done on virgin skin, and plus, you can only get eyebrow tattoo color correction so many times before the skin gets over-saturated. So in order to make your PMU journey as pleasant as possible, choose an artist for your initial session carefully, and make an effort to maintain your results as fresh as possible for as long as possible.
Source: The PMU Hub