What is the real deal when it comes to microblading and pregnancy? Are there risks involved? Let us get into this deeper as we move along with our discussion!
I consider my eyebrows as my best asset— my best facial feature. With just a few tweaks and treatment here and there, they can change my overall look.
Our eyebrows help frame our face. They are the ones we adjust to complement other facial features. They help structure everything perfectly! It is like magic!
Personally, I used to take too much time doing my eyebrows. It is exhausting and frustrating! I spend hours in front of the mirror just to get them done correctly.
Thankfully, a lot of eyebrow enhancement procedures have emerged. One of the most popular and most trusted techniques today is microblading. A lot of people still confuse it for eyebrow tattooing, leading them to wonder if it is a safe procedure for pregnant women to undergo.
Photo credit: Alagich Katya on Flickr
Table of Contents
What Is Microblading?
Before we get to the risks associated with microblading and pregnancy, let us first expand our knowledge on the former
Basically, microblading is a semi-permanent eyebrow solution. A trained artist uses a handheld tool with needles at the tip to draw hair-like strokes on your eyebrow skin. Effectively, this fills your eyebrows, shaping them the best way possible.
A specialized, medical-grade pigment is used to do the job. This pigment is unlike any other. It does fade over time but unlike tattoo ink, it does not end up with discoloration. If anything, the color just turns lighter.
A good microblading result may last up to 18 months. However, it all depends on your skin type. If you have oily skin, it may only last for a few months— six, at most.
Once the pigment fades, you can get touch-up procedures done regularly. This maintains your eyebrows and keeps them well-groomed.
With microbladed eyebrows, there is almost no need to worry about putting some makeup on. You can let them stand on their own, without even needing an eyebrow pencil to do the work.
One of the things I love the most about microblading is that the pigment can be removed easily, unlike the tattoo ink used in eyebrow tattooing. If I want to try a different shape for my eyebrows, I could have it removed quickly with a salt/saline solution.
I also love how painless it is. My microblading artist uses lidocaine to numb me before the actual procedure. As a result, it only feels like I am tweezing my eyebrows.
You just might find it a little bit costly, especially with the regular touch-up procedures required to maintain your eyebrows. However, for me, it is worth it compared to eyebrow tattooing. Yes, getting your eyebrows inked is a permanent solution, but the quality declines over time. Also, it does not give the same flexibility and room for adjustment as microblading.
Microblading And Pregnancy: What Are The Risks?
Given the many benefits of microblading, many women want to try it. Even those who are pregnant might be interested. With the mood swings brought about by the pregnancy, they might have the need to feel beautiful. They may consider undergoing microblading while pregnant, impulsively. However, it could be risky not just for them but for their babies as well.
Let us find out why.
1. Hazardous Chemicals
Most microblading artists use topical anesthetics to numb their clients before they carry out the process. This makes it completely painless.
However, these topical anesthetics contain epinephrine, which is harmful to pregnant women. Its effects include extrasystoles, fetal tachycardia, and other cardiac anomalies.
Extrasystoles or heart hiccups or missed heartbeats are additional heartbeats transpiring outside normal heart rhythms. It is a form of cardiac arrhythmia that is relatively harmless for adults but not for fetuses.
Meanwhile, fetal tachycardia is an abnormal increase in heart rate among fetuses. It is beyond the normal heart rate range of 160 to 180 beats per minute (bpm). Usually, it ranges between 170 and 220 bpm. This is associated largely with maternal conditions, one of which is maternal medication.
While the pigment used in microblading is natural and medical-grade, it still has trace amounts of chemicals such as iron oxide and nickel. Now, these chemicals are relatively harmless for pregnant women— or even adults in general, but the same cannot be said for fetuses.
There are not that many studies about microblading pigments; but knowing these facts will help you evaluate the risk factors when it comes to microblading and pregnancy.
2. Hormonal Imbalance
When you are pregnant, your hormonal levels change rapidly. Your body goes through drastic changes as well, and the increased hormones help regulate many functions as your body adapts to these changes. This could greatly affect the result of microblading for many reasons.
As you carry your baby, your tissues become increasingly vascularized due to the heightened levels of estrogen. Given this, you are likely to bleed more, especially if you undergo microblading. As you bleed, the pigment tends to dilute, affecting the result of the procedure. Of course, the more you bleed, the more the pigment dilutes. At the end of the day, it will just go to waste.
Photo credit: microbladingla.com
Pregnancy can also affect your blood circulation. If and when it does, it takes longer for your body to heal. At the same time, your blood volume grows. With this, there is a huge risk that the pigment will not settle into your skin properly. Further, the hormonal imbalance can cause skin discoloration or hyperpigmentation, especially in the face.
Often, you might seem flushed due to the increased body heat. This is known as melasma or pregnancy mask, which affects roughly 70% of pregnant women. This affects the way you pick a pigment color when you undergo microblading.
After giving birth, your skin color returns to normal; and the color of your eyebrows will most likely look off. It would not suit your normal skin tone because you considered your skin tone while you were pregnant.
Your face also stretches during pregnancy. If you get your eyebrows done, their shape could change once your face returns to its normal size after you give birth. It would render the entire procedure meaningless and useless. At the end of the day, you might just be prompted to redo it.
3. Infection
Microblading is significantly different from eyebrow tattooing. It is said to be a safer and better technique than the latter. Nonetheless, the risks for infection when you are pregnant are almost similar. It would not just affect you; it would also affect your baby. With eyebrow tattooing, you are even at risk for hepatitis B and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections.
The Alliance of Professional Tattooists insists that both procedures are safe for pregnant women. Of course, there are certain measures to observe.
If you still wish to undergo microblading or eyebrow tattooing while you are pregnant, make sure that:
- The microblading or eyebrow tattoo artist is a registered practitioner;
- He or she must always wear gloves while conducting the procedure;
- He or she must have sterilizing equipment for his or her tools;
- The needles used are new and single-use only;
- The ink is sterilized and unopened; and
- The work station is clean
On the other hand, medical professionals suggest that the risks are not worth it. They highly recommend resorting to eyebrow pencil for the meantime— at least after you give birth.
To Wrap It Up… Microblading and Pregnancy
For me, microblading is the best eyebrow enhancement technique we have today. I no longer have to spend hours perfecting my eyebrow arcs just to feel confident. With microbladed eyebrows, I could go out barely wearing makeup and still feel good about myself.
It is for this reason that most women want to undergo the procedure. Sometimes, even pregnant women cannot fight the urge. This is especially true when they are exhibiting terrible mood swings as part of their pregnancy.
However, there is a dilemma when it comes to microblading and pregnancy. These two do not go well together. There are a lot of risks when you undergo the eyebrow enhancement process while carrying your child.
You may put him or her at great risk if you choose to undergo microblading. The risks are not necessarily fatal, but it is important to be cautious and mindful.
You may get infected, especially if the microblading artist is not that skilled. With one wrong move, you can suffer horrible consequences. The pigment used may also cause fetal cardiac anomalies. It is less likely but it is possible.
As your body goes through rapid changes, the result of microblading might not be pleasing as well. After you give birth, you might be surprised to see that your eyebrow shape has changed. The color might not complement your natural skin tone. Given this, you are likely to do it all over again.
Perfect eyebrows are not worth the risk. It is best that you wait until you deliver your baby successfully before undergoing the treatment. In the meantime, you can fill your eyebrows using an eyebrow pencil. It is quite a hassle, yes, but it would not kill you.
Have you tried microblading? How was your experience? Did it hurt? Get your story out there and let us know what you think!
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