Ombre/Powder Brows

What are powder/ombre brows?

Powder/ombre brows are a semi-permanent form of cosmetic tattooing using an “airbrush” technique to implant particles of pigment into the skin creating a soft powder effect. The healing process takes roughly 7-14 days for the “peeling phase” to complete with final results visible after one month. After 6-8 weeks, a touch-up session is required to perfect the tattoo. Generally, two sessions are required, but in some instances, such as extremely oily skin, a third session may be necessary to achieve desired results. Results last roughly 18months before requiring a colour boost session.

What can I expect during the appointment?

Once we have deemed you a suitable candidate during the pre-screening, you will be booked in for a consultation which can be done on a separate or day to the procedure or on the same day if you are confident in your decision to have the treatment done.

At your initial appointment, the eyebrow shape is measured according to your facial features, such as the eyes and nose in order to achieve the most suitable natural eyebrow shape (The Golden Ratio – 1:618). A pigment colour is chosen depending on the colour of your eyebrow hair and skin tone.

Once we both agree upon the colour and shape, before photos will be taken. The brow area will then be cleaned, and the pre-draw process will commence. The pre-draw is extremely important, and the outcome of the tattoo is based upon the pre-draw so this process can take up to one hour. Once you are happy with the pre-draw and you have approved the shape, the tattooing process can commence. The tattooing process can take up to two hours and clients generally find the level of discomfort low and the treatment is very well tolerated by most. It is best not to book the appointment during your menstruation as in this case you may be hypersensitive.

At the touch-up session (6-8 weeks later), we will determine how well the pigment has held and then make any needed adjustments to colour and shape accordingly. This session can range anywhere between 1-2.5 hours depending on how your skin has held the pigment.

What are the contraindications?

You are a suitable candidate for cosmetic tattooing if none of the following contraindications apply to you:

Under the age of 18
Pregnant or breastfeeding
Extremely sensitive skin or skin conditions like Eczema, psoriasis, Keratosis Pilaris or Dermatitis on the area being treated
Diabetes, autoimmune disease, epilepsy or medical conditions – GP consent must be obtained
Taking blood thinning medication
HIV/ STD/ herpes (active)
Sun damaged skin
Organ transplant
Heart conditions / using heart medications
Severe allergies (allergies to hair dye/ink/pigment/anaesthetic)
Cancer patients must be 6 months post chemotherapy with GP or specialist approval required
Tendency to keloid
Vaccines – must wait 2 weeks before tattooing
Accutane/strong acne medication – must discontinue use 1 year before tattooing
Retinol and vitamin A – must discontinue 1 month prior
Trichotillomania (needs prior approval)
Antibiotics – must discontinue 2 months prior
If you suffer from anxiety it is strongly recommended to please consider carefully if this is something for you as the process is lengthy and the final results can take up to 12 weeks in which your brows may not appear perfect until after the second or third session. Unless you are certain this is a procedure you are definitely committed to, it is not advisable to go forward if “trusting the process” could potentially trigger anxiety.

How do I prepare for my tattoo?

If possible, book in for a brow sculpt 5 days prior to your appointment so that you do not have hair growth during the healing phase.
Avoid heavy exercise 24 hours before your appointment.
Do not consume any caffeine or alcohol 24 hours before your appointment.
Do not take any anti-inflammatories such as aspirin, paracetamol, or Ibuprofen at least 24 hours beforehand. All of these can raise blood pressure which is problematic to cosmetic tattooing.
Do not take any supplements such as Niacin, Vitamin E, fish oil and Magnesium one week before your appointment. All of these thin the blood and can cause issues while tattooing.
Do not have any skin treatments, Botox or fillers on or near the area to be treated at least 3 weeks before your appointment.
Discontinue use of skincare containing Retinol, AHA’s and BHA’s on your face for 2 weeks prior to your appointment.
Avoid booking your appointment before an important event as your brows will need time to heal.
Before your appointment, stay hydrated and allow plenty of time in case your procedure takes longer than expected.

How to care for my tattoo after the procedure?

Following aftercare guidelines is imperative to the final outcome of your healed results. In fact, 50% of your healed results will be based on how well you follow aftercare. Please adhere to the following instructions to get the best out of your tattoo.

You will be provided with aftercare wipes and ointment. Your body’s natural immune response after the procedure will be to send lymph to the site of injury (tattoo) to try to remove the pigment and push it out of your skin and form a lymphatic crust. You need to avoid any lymph sitting on your fresh tattoo so for the next hour, every 15 minutes use one wipe to clean the area (4 wipes included in the pack).

The healing stage can last anywhere between 7-14 days. Throughout the healing phase the brows can become dry, itchy, flaky and scabs may form (do not pick them!) let them shed naturally. Every morning and night you will need to gently wash your brows to keep them clean and avoid any bacteria entering the site as you could risk getting an infection!

To clean your brows, very gently splash your face with warm water and apply a pea size amount of Cetaphil cleanser. Rinse with warm water or use wet cotton rounds to remove all traces of cleanser. Dab dry with clean cotton rounds and then apply a rice grain sized amount of the provided aftercare ointment to the clean, dry, area using a cotton tip. The ointment can be applied 4 times a day if needed. After the 7-14 days the “peeling phase” of the healing journey has completed. After this, you can continue to use the ointment once a day if needed.

The following guidelines should be followed during the healing phase:

Do NOT rub, pick, or scratch the treated area.
Avoid very hot showers due to steam and limit your showers to 5 minutes until the brows have peeled. A great tip is to wear a shower cap and pull it over your eyebrows.
Avoid washing your hair for 1 week (please see a hairdresser if needed, NO blow drying with heat).
Use a fresh, clean (preferably silk) pillowcase while you sleep. Avoid sleeping on your face until peeling is complete.
Let any scabbing or flaking naturally shed away – picking can cause scarring and loss of colour.
No exercise/sweating for seven days.
No facials, Botox or chemical treatments for four weeks.
No skin care on the treated area for four weeks.
No direct sun exposure or tanning for 3 weeks.
No swimming until peeling is complete.
No makeup or sunscreen on the area until peeling is complete

Healing timeline after the initial session:

This is a rough guideline of what to expect but please keep in mind everyone’s skin is different and everyone’s healing journey is unique to them.

Day 1: brows appear bolder, darker and warmer than you would like. This is completely normal. Please remember this is not the final result, your brows will fade out and thin out by anywhere from 30-50% and appear much more natural when healed.

Day 2: Brows appear even darker today as the pigment has now oxidised. Discomfort and tightness is normal.

Day 3-4: Brows will still be tender and dark, avoid touching them and know that the end of the discomfort is nearing!

Day 5: Brows will feel very dry and tight today as the scabs are forming, avoid the temptation to itch them.

Day 6-14: This is the peeling stage. Crusting and flaking is normal, do not pick the scabs, let them shed away naturally.

Day 14: The peeling stage is completed! However, your skin is still regenerating itself so the final results won’t be visible until the 4-6 week mark.

Healing timeline after the touch up session:

Although the brows do go through another healing cycle after the touch up, this is generally much less intense than after the initial appointment. This is because we have already implanted majority of the pigment In the first session and during the touch up appointment we are only adding some more pigment where necessary.