Booking PolicyPre and Post Procedure Instructions
Thank you for choosing Brow Design New York for your permanent makeup experience. Please thoroughly read and follow these instructions to assure the best possible outcome for your procedure. Attached are client consent forms, which must be thoroughly read in their entirety before your procedure. It is a requirement from Brow Design New York to thoroughly read both aftercare procedures and client consent forms in their entirety prior to your appointment. If your technician senses or is informed that you have not read all forms in their entirety, we will immediately reschedule your appointment to a later date.
In addition to thoroughly reading these aftercare instructions and client consent forms before your procedure, please make sure to have your driver’s license or state-issued ID in order for our administrative staff to make a copy for our records: This is a mandate under New York state law.
The results of your permanent makeup services rely heavily on your pre and post-procedure care. The technician is responsible for 30% of your final results and you are in charge of the remaining 70%. Pre and post-procedure homecare is imperative. If you do not follow these instructions, it is very likely that you will not sustain optimal results. Technicians can identify when these instructions have not been followed, and complimentary services beyond one retouch/perfection appointment will not be honored if there is any reason to believe this information has been disregarded.
Pre-Procedure Instructions
WHAT TO AVOID (at least 24 hours before your scheduled appointment time):
1. Coffee or any caffeinated products (food or drink)
2. Wine, liquor or beer
3. Ibuprofen or Aspirin
4. Fish oil supplements
5. Any blood-thinning medications
6. Any skin treatments (including facials, microdermabrasion, laser, etc)
7. Any eyebrow area waxing/threading treatments
*These products can be taken immediately after your scheduled procedure is complete. But please continue to refrain from any of these skin and eyebrow area treatments until you have fully healed.
DISCLAIMER FOR FEMALE CLIENTS: If you are on your menstrual cycle or foresee being on your cycle during your scheduled appointment, please be aware that you may experience a higher sensitivity of discomfort to this procedure. If you would like to reschedule your appointment due to this reason, please contact us at your earliest convenience.
Post Procedure Instructions
WHAT TO AVOID (minimum 10 days / ideally 14 days) :
1. WATER
(EXCEPT when you are cleaning the treatment area twice a day) You do not want to get your eyebrows / treated area wet for any reason (outside of your daily cleaning instructions explained below). Always be prepared to keep a hat, visor, or umbrella with you due to unforeseen circumstances such as rain or other conditions. No swimming pools, whirlpools, or hot tubs as well.
2. SWEAT
You do not want to get sweat into or come from your eyebrows / treated area. Sodium chloride (salt) is found in sweat. Salt binds to pigment molecules and when it is pushed out of the body, the pigment is also pushed out. Therefore, it is a contraindication for the procedure but is great for intentional removal. Please avoid profuse sweating for at least the first 3 days after your procedure. Stay away from saunas or extremely hot temperature conditions. If and when you do go to the gym or work out during your healing time, wear a sweatband or barrier to prevent sweat from getting into your eyebrows / treated area. We recommend exercise options that will cause minimal sweating, such as strength training. Cardio or HIIT training is never recommended for at least 10-14 days.
3. SUN
Avoid any and all direct sunlight. Avoid tanning, overexposure, or staying in the sun without proper head cover (i.e. hat/visor/umbrella/something to cover face when outdoors/etc.) Ultraviolet rays deeply dull the vibrancy of pigments, dry out the skin, and can also contribute to fading and blurring of your procedure strokes.
4. MAKEUP
Do not apply makeup in or around your eyebrows / treated area (including sunscreen/sunblock). You can wear makeup on your face or around your eyes as long as it does not have the ability to travel to the eyebrows / treated area. Avoiding the entire forehead area is a good practice when in doubt.
5. STEAM
Limit hot showers to a maximum of 5 minutes if possible to avoid excess steam. No saunas or facial humidifiers.
The day of your procedure: Proper absorption
Lymphatic fluid is fluid that fights infection and aids in removing any waste or bacteria throughout the body. There is a possibility you will have this fluid coming from your treatment area on your day of your procedure. Gently blot your eyebrows / treated area with clean tissue or gauze pads to absorb any excess lymph fluid if necessary. Do this frequently throughout the day until the fluid subsides completely. Absorbing this fluid will prevent the hardening of your lymph nodes which is imperative to proper healing. If you let your lymph scab over, it will also remove your pigment as the scab falls off
Post-Procedure Instructions
Days 1-14 (Minimum 10 days): Clean the treatment area
In order to remove the potential infection, dead skin, and bacteria, the eyebrows / treated area need to be thoroughly washed day and night. Gently wash your eyebrows every morning and evening with water and antibacterial soap (i.e. Cetaphil©) or any cleanser that is mild and does not contain any exfoliants, retinol, or acids. Do not scrub your eyebrows / treated area harshly when washing them. Lightly rub the area in a smooth motion for 10 seconds and rinse with water ensuring that all soap is rinsed away. Pat completely dry and apply aftercare/healing ointment (details described below). *Washing your eyebrows at the end of your shower after cleansing your body is acceptable.
Days 1-14 (Minimum 10 days): Keep your treatment area moisturized
Apply a small amount of aftercare/healing ointment (1 rice grain size, or 1/2 a grain each eyebrow, is sufficient for the entire treatment area). If you run out of the healing ointment we provide, Aquaphor©, which can be purchased at any grocery or drug store over the counter, is our only other approved ointment. Use clean fingertips to apply. Be sure not to over-apply or slather too much ointment as this will suffocate your skin, can delay healing, or can cause or increase susceptibility to infection. The ointment should be barely noticeable on the skin. Never put the ointment on a wet or damp brow area - make sure it is fully dry before applying. For normal to dry skin, apply 3-4 times a day - for normal to oily skin, apply 1-2 times a day (on average). The idea is to keep your treatment area moisturized at all times. If you notice that your eyebrows/treatment area look dry, apply more ointment. It is appropriate to keep this ointment with you at all times, in case you need to reapply throughout the day.
Post Procedure Instructions
Important Reminders / Things to avoid after the procedure (Failure to follow these instructions may result in loss of pigment or possible infection)
- Use a fresh and clean pillowcase. A satin/silk pillowcase is also a great option so that your face/brows won’t rub harshly against the pillowcase.
- Do not use Retin-A, peroxide, or Neosporin (particularly in the brow or treated area).
- No facials, botox, chemical treatments, or microdermabrasion for at least 4 weeks.
- Avoid long hot showers for at least 10 days.
- Avoid sleeping on your face for at least 10 days. A travel pillow is also a great option to keep your head propped if you are a side or face sleeper.
- Do not rub, pick or scratch the treated area. Let any scabbing or dry skin naturally exfoliate away. Picking can cause scarring or loss of color / poor retention.
Important note about showering:
Limit your showers to as short as possible so you do not create too much steam. Keep your face / treated area out of the water while you wash your body, then, at the end of your shower, wash your hair. Your face should only be getting wet at the very last end of the shower. Avoid excessive rinsing and hot water on the treated area.
remember, with the proper prep and aftercare routine you will have much better results with your permanent makeup procedure.
What to expect after the procedure
- Slight swelling and/or redness which will subside within one to two days.
- It is normal to lose about 1/3 (10-50%) of the color during healing. Less color is lost with machine powder brow procedures and more color is typically lost with pure manual microblading procedures.
- The color will be darker than normal immediately after the procedure usually between day 2-4.
- After 6-7 days it will lighten while the body adjusts.
- After 10 days it will show better and settle into its natural shade.
Lastly, remember this process is not hair removal, it is the opposite – adding the appearance of hair. So in order to keep your brows looking the way they were newly mapped and shaped in your appointment, you will need to commit to regular brow maintenance upkeep -- meaning waxing, threading, or eyebrow tweezing. It is imperative you schedule maintenance appointments with your own preferred technician or does it yourself to keep the integrity of your overall permanent makeup results.
Your enhancement/perfection appointment will be scheduled 6-12 weeks after your initial appointment.
This appointment will be the guide to see how well your skin absorbed the pigment and if new strokes need to be made or remapped or if the technician will just map on top of all the existing strokes to seal your pigment. Not all clients (depending on their skin and pigment retention) will need this appointment if they are completely happy will the existing result after full healing but this appointment is necessary so the eyebrows can be seen in person to decide.
*Emotional changes are common during your healing stages. It is very common to love your brows when they are done initially and then go through an emotional rollercoaster as you go through each healing stage (since your brows are changing so much). Please be patient with this process as your emotions may sometimes match your healing. Once you are fully healed (between 4 to 6 weeks) after your initial appt., all areas that need to be perfected will be modified and re-done at your retouch appointment. Remember, your brows are not complete until your series of appointments are completed.
Post Procedure Instructions
DAY 1 :
Possible lymphatic fluid will need to be blotted lightly from the eyebrow/treatment area with gauze or cotton pads.
DAY 2 - UP TO 4 ( APPROXIMATELY ) :
Brows will appear darker in shade. They will appear darkest on Day 2.
DAY 3 - UP TO 9 ( APPROXIMATELY ) :
Brows will begin to slough and scab / exfoliate themselves. This usually appears in multiple small scabs, mimicking small flakes or dandruff. Some clients may not scab at all, and some may scab more severely. Your eyebrow should never completely scab over in one full scab or extremely large scabs. If this is the case, the eyebrow/treatment area is not being moisturized with the aftercare/healing balm thoroughly enough.
DAY 7 - UP TO 30 ( USUALLY UP TO DAY 21) :
Brows will do what we call the “magic act”. Some strokes may disappear and then suddenly reappear as they heal into the epidermal layer of the skin. Some strokes will not retain completely and may not reappear at all. This is why your perfection appointment is so important to complete your full and true permanent makeup results. At your perfection appointment, any strokes of pigment that need to be enhanced will be re-added or re-perfected to finish your procedure.
Things to know about the procedure
- When healed, the color will appear softer from being transferred to the top of the epidermal layer. - When healed, the brows are approximately 20 to 25% bolder in the width of the stroke.
- Your skin is red under the pigment which may cause the color of the pigment to appear darker.
- Swelling can be difficult to actually see due to the thickness of the skin in the eyebrow area.
- After a few days following the procedure, exfoliation will occur causing the excess pigment surrounding the eyebrow procedure to flake away and you may have a more narrow appearance of your eyebrows.
*With manual microblading, remember it is common to lose some hair strokes during the first few weeks (usually between weeks 1-3 after your procedure). Most of these strokes will reappear, but some may not depending on your skin type and how well you retain pigment. It is not uncommon to lose patches of color/ hair strokes. They can diminish from just a few hours to several days before reappearing, so do not be alarmed.