Habiba MedNot happy with your tattooed brows: a botched shape, microblading that has blurred, color that's turned orange or blue, brows that are too dark? Don't worry: in most cases, badly tattooed eyebrows can be fixed. Here's which solution to choose for your situation.
Key takeaways
- Wait 1 month, until healing is over, before deciding it's gone wrong.
- Old tattoo that has faded well, with no scarring: it can be reworked on top.
- Too dark, a strong color shift or you want a new shape: tattoo removal first.
- Never use home remedies to lighten them.
Botched eyebrow tattoo or just not healed yet? Wait 1 month
Before deciding it's gone wrong, wait until healing is over, about 1 month. The first few days, the brows are always too dark; around days 7 to 10, they look almost erased. That's normal.
The perfecting touch-up, about 1 month later, is there precisely to intensify the brows again and correct small flaws for more balance. See the eyebrow tattoo healing stages, day by day.
The most common ways an eyebrow tattoo goes wrong
- A shape that's too high, too thick, too low or uneven.
- Blurry or smudged microblading strokes that touch and merge into a clump.
- A color that has shifted: orange, gray, blue.
- Brows that are too dark.
- Scars after microblading done with a blade.
Which solution for which problem
| Your situation | The solution |
|---|---|
| Small flaw, result a little light or uneven | The touch-up |
| Old tattoo that has faded (at least 60%), no scarring, a shape you like | Rework it on top, for example powder brows over old microblading |
| Color that has cooled slightly | Your artist warms it up during the touch-up |
| A shape you no longer like, too dark, a strong color shift | Tattoo removal first, then start over |
| Significant scar | A light shading touch-up to soften the contrast |
Bad microblading: switch to powder brows
On oily skin, or when the strokes are too close together or pressed too hard, microblading pigment blurs and the shape changes over time. Many former microblading clients switch to powder brows, because a stroke, a gap, a stroke doesn't create definition.
The condition: the old microblading must have faded well and have no scarring. Doing microblading again over bad microblading is rarely a good idea, and microblading over powder brows isn't possible.
Scars
With a scar, even an invisible one, the skin is harder, “like concrete,” and the work is less even. A significant scar can still be improved: a light shading touch-up removes the contrast of the scar, where there are no hairs.
The glass of water rule
You can't cover dark with light, or change a shape that extends too far. In about 90% of cases, the shape of an old tattoo can't be changed: you work with the existing shape, or you remove the tattoo.
“Skin is like a glass that's already full of water: you can't add any more. When it's overloaded with pigment, you first have to empty it out.”
Habiba MedOrange, gray or blue brows: why the color shifts
| Color | What it means |
|---|---|
| Orange | Often appears after tattoo removal. Powder brows can also turn orange. |
| Light gray | Often normal over time, especially on dark skin with a medium-dark brown that cools. |
| Blue | Not normal: a dark pigment was used without being warmed up. |
The sun can also change the color of the pigment. Color that has cooled slightly: it gets warmed up. Color that has shifted strongly: tattoo removal first.
Lightening or removing: tattoo removal
Never use home remedies
Scrubs, soaps, acids, hydrogen peroxide, lemon: they damage the skin without removing the pigment. Never try to lighten them yourself.
- Laser: effective on gray, blue and dark colors, which come out quickly. 4 sessions in the best case.
- The manual method, without laser: better for orange, because the laser doesn't remove this color well.
All the details in our eyebrow tattoo removal guide.
Choosing the artist who will correct it
- Choose an artist with experience in corrections.
- Ask her for photos of corrections she has already done, healed.
- A good artist will tell you honestly whether the tattoo can be reworked directly or needs to be removed first.
- If the original artist refuses to correct it: keep your dated photos and your written messages, and turn to an artist experienced in corrections.
How to avoid a bad result
- Choose an experienced artist with healed results (see how to choose an eyebrow tattoo artist).
- Choose the right technique for your skin: no hair strokes on oily skin.
- Follow the aftercare: 10 days dry, no sun for 1 month.
- Get the perfecting touch-up.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, a little: evening things out is the job of the perfecting touch-up.
Often yes, during the touch-up, if the brows can be enlarged slightly to balance them. If the shape extends too far, it has to be removed first.
Keep your photos and your messages, and turn to an artist experienced in corrections.
It's rarely a good idea. Powder brows are often the best option, if the old tattoo has faded well and has no scarring.
No.
No. It has to be lightened first with tattoo removal.
With laser, 4 sessions in the best case for dark, gray or blue colors. For orange, the manual method is better suited.
It can happen. Orange often appears after tattoo removal.
If the color has just cooled slightly, it gets warmed up. If it has shifted strongly or it's too dark, it gets removed first.
Yes, a light shading touch-up softens the contrast of the scar.
Written by
Habiba Med
Permanent makeup artist since 2019 and trainer, I share what I see every day in my studio to help you make the right choices.
