The answer is often to do less rather than more. What you can do will be dictated by the nature of the problem, be it an error in placement, saturation, colour or shape, or simply poor healing. A recent faux pas might be mended with aftercare and patience; something older and thoroughly botched calls for a cosmetic tattooist to put his skills to work on camouflage, laser removal, saline lightening or colour correction.
I am Patrick Hayward and I have seen panic turn a beauty issue into an expensive one. When a bad brow is front and centre on your face it is easy to make a mountain of it, yet there are ways to put most things right. One has to know what is to be expected in the 4-6 weeks of healing and when to put down the mouse at midnight and make an appointment with someone versed in PMU correction.
Brows Going Pear-Shaped
Before they settle in, many an eyebrow tattoo looks like cause for alarm. New pigment will heal sharper, thicker and darker than you would put money on, only to soften once the skin has closed over. Then there are the ones that are just off, and to say otherwise is the worst kind of advice.
Typically it is down to a case of bad mapping, an unsuitable pigment for the tone of the skin, too much depth, or a technician with outdated permanent makeup methods who is trying to impose a trend on a face it does not flatter. In my experience talking to those in the tourism and hospitality trade, there is a pattern to the ones who book a treatment on a lark while away: a hasty consultation, no proper patch plan, before and afters that are open to question and a promise from the tech of too much.
Problems You Will Encounter
Complaints run to brows being too grey, too warm, too dark, too high or blocky, or not matching up. There are those wanting to fix “old lady eyebrows”, a term for anything with a harsh over-arch or blue-grey cast that is well past its date. Or microblading where the strokes have bled into a flatness, or microshading that has come out denser at the front than was intended.
Then there is the matter of expectation. The layman will think the end result is there in a few days. In fact fresh brows can be bold, then patchy, then pale before they are done. People make the mistake of attempting to fade the pigment in the early going while the skin is still upset and you cannot tell what is what.
Be Sensible
With fresh work, do not compound the problem. The skin barrier is compromised and if you start to pick and scrub at it or try a home remedy on an eyebrow tattoo you are asking for scarring and infection.
Think of it as a sunburnt nose after a day in the water, I would say. Leave it be and keep it clean, instead of resorting to some internet contrivance with toothpaste because a stranger said so.
To Start With
- Stick to the aftercare the technician prescribed, barring any medical reason not to.
- Put some photos on record in natural light at day 1, 7, 14 and four weeks in to see how it is changing.
- No picking at scabs, no retinoids or exfoliants or active acids on new skin.
- And stay clear of the pool, the sauna and anything that will chafe or make you break a sweat.
- Should you develop a fever, pus, severe pain or the area becomes hot and swollen, a trip to the GP is in order.
For a view on health matters, the Australian Government’s Healthdirect service has clinical guidance on when a skin wound warrants assessment; see Healthdirect Australia clinical guidance and symptom advice. It is worth checking because a bad tattoo is not always a cosmetic affair, sometimes a skin one.
An Emergency Option
Within 24 to 72 hours of having it done, a clinic may put forward an emergency saline solution to lift some of the fresh pigment before it has a chance to set in. It is not something to do yourself and the skin has to be in good order for it.
Do not be the one to ring around when the time has passed. If the shape is all wrong straight after your treatment, get on the phone to a reputable correction clinic and put the question to them about emergency saline removal. One should not make the assumption that all salons have it on offer, nor put up with someone being rough on skin that is already in a state of trauma simply to fill an opening at 4.30 pm.
Makeup As A Cover
There is merit in some temporary camouflage to give you room to manoeuvre as you put your mind to what comes next. It will not alter the tattoo but it can be used to soften any hard lines and make symmetry look better, so you can face the day at work or a family function, or even school drop-off, without the sense that eyes are on you.
In the course of healing this is frequently the wiser course. Patrick Hayward would concur; he has always been for practical solutions and this is common sense. Let the skin do its settling and apply makeup rather than insist on a permanent fix prematurely.
The Fundamentals Of Camouflage
You can achieve a lot with a little concealer and brow powder. To lower or put some definition in the shape, put a matte concealer under the arch or by the tail. If the tattoo has healed in a blunt manner, brow powder will put a softer front to it; run a spoolie over blocky edges and the brows will appear more natural.
Then there are the camouflage techniques for when colour is more of a problem than placement. A touch of peachy corrector under foundation will put a damper on any grey cast for certain skin tones. Should it have run too warm, a cooler brow powder will bring it back visually with no need for excess product.
Professional Fixes Put To The Test
What works for one will not for another. One has to consider the age of the work, the type of skin, any scarring, the depth and shift of the pigment, and if it is a matter of saturation or shape.
Generally speaking, people are weighing up removal, lightening or correction. The following table is meant to be a realistic appraisal of the options, nothing like the glossy stuff put out on the internet.
| Option | Best For | Sessions | Cost (AUD) | Risks |
| Eyebrow color correction | Faded old work, wrong tone or minor shape concerns | 1-3 | 250-600 per session | More pigment added, colour could shift |
| Saline eyebrow removal | Selective lightening, surface pigment, new mistakes | 2-6 | 180-350 per session | Scabbing, textural changes, patchiness |
| Chemical lightening | PMU cases handled by those with the training | 2-5 | 200-350 per session | Uneven fading, irritation, not for every skin |
| Laser removal | Any dense, dark or migrated pigment of long standing | 3-8+ | 250-500 per session | Incomplete clearance, hair whitening |
| Camouflage with new work | Some rebalancing of shape post-lightening | 1-2 | 300-700 total | Tends to add bulk if you are in a hurry |
These figures are only a guide as you will find metro clinics and medical laser operators put different price tags on things from specialist PMU artists. From what I have seen the lowest quote is apt to be the one that requires the most sessions. Do not skimp on a consult.
First Put Right The Colour
If the tone is amiss but the tattoo is where it should be, then colour correction is in order. We are talking salmon, khaki, red or blue-grey undertones here, not a shambles of a shape.
It calls for a deft hand. An artist who knows how the old pigment is laid in the skin can use a neutralizer to counteract the unwanted tones. Lacking that knowledge and you will be left with one odd shade atop another.
Where It Is Most Applicable
For older permanent makeup that has turned ashy or cooled off, a good cosmetic tattooist can put in some fresh pigment to restore the shape and tone. This makes eyebrow color correction preferable to a full removal, provided the original design is salvageable and has faded of its own accord.
The error many make is to think an orange brow is a job for the laser and a grey one for more brown ink. Not necessarily. You should be looking at the skin response and the undertone, not what is reflected in the mirror at 6 am.
A Way To Lighten Without The Laser
Some prefer saline or chemical approaches to get the pigment light enough for a redo, as opposed to erasing it altogether. They may have reservations about laser bleaching the brow hairs or their pigment is not right for it.
Do not expect miracles though. They are a slower process and can be patchy, demanding a patience we are not given.
On Saline Removal
With saline eyebrow removal a sterile solution is put into the tattooed area to coax the pigment up through the skin as it heals. For microblading correction some clinics will opt for this since it allows them to be precise in small areas; it is also an effective way of lifting fresh mistakes or doing selective work.
But one should not expect anything but downtime and more than one session. The area will scab and be uneven for some time, needing a few weeks to come good before the next appointment. Any offer of total removal in a single session has me retreating as fast as I would from a mozzie the size of a drone.
Facts on Chemical Lightening
Some PMU correction specialists will use chemical lightening in lieu of a laser. What they are putting on you is down to the provider’s skill and what suits your skin and pigment, as formulas differ. In essence they want to fade or lift the pigment so a redesign can be done.
It is not for everyone, especially where there is poor skin barrier or old scar tissue. Make sure to find out what is being used and if the provider has handled brows of that type in the past, and how many sessions you are really looking at.
When to go with Laser
For a brow tattoo that is old, dark and dense, or one with heavy saturation, laser is by far the most potent. It is the way to go when shape and colour are too much to put right with a simple fix, or to have a blank canvas to start over.
People tend to be most put off by it on the strength of a horror story they have been told and think they know the whole of it. In reality it is somewhere in between: laser does its job well enough but there are trade-offs.
The mechanics of laser
Q-switched devices such as the Q-Switched YAG are the systems of choice for removing brow tattoos. They reduce the pigment to particles the body can do away with in time. You will get a better response from darker pigments than say a warm or white mix with titanium in it which has a mind of its own.
Allow for the skin to recover and the pigment to clear; we are talking months here, not a couple of weekends. If a wedding or reunion is in a day and you need it sorted, put your efforts into temporary camouflage rather than a laser.
Costs and Risks
There are risks to be had: redness, swelling, blisters, and with some inks the pigment may darken or the brow hairs whiten. The latter is not always a passing thing. A test spot is advisable for older permanent makeup or mixed colour work.
In Australia you are looking at AUD 250 as a minimum per session with specialist providers, and more like 500. Do not be content with a per-session quote, ask for a range. An old and heavily done brow could easily put you out of pocket by over AUD 1,500 in the end.
An Expert’s Eye
As much as the method, it is who is looking at the tattoo that will determine your results. An honest practitioner will let you know when to hold back and when your skin is not up to what you want.
Scepticism is warranted. All the pretty tiles on Instagram amount to nothing if the provider cannot put the case for the risks and alternatives in plain terms.
Find out their speciality, be it dermatology laser, cosmetic tattooing or general beauty.
Put them to the question on why they are recommending one method over another, and on patch testing, aftercare and the cost in full.
Want to see photos? Then ask for ones of similar cases in the same lighting over a period, not just something taken on the day.
You might come across Micropigmentation Academy, Kristina Bradley, The Brow Clinique or AARP in your online research into brow correction and styling for ageing brows. Use them to read up but do not take it as evidence that the local provider is the one for you. They still have to show a case history that speaks to your problem and lay out their plan.
The Healing Reality
Confusion is rife when it comes to the healing timeline. It is not uncommon for brows to be at their worst before they improve, no matter if one opts for laser, saline solution or a correction. Take it as a sign of a failed treatment only at your peril.
Patrick Hayward would have you put some perspective on it: let photos and the passage of months be your guide to progress, not a bad Tuesday in the supermarket. The mirror in the bathroom has a way of lying to you.
Expectations
With a new tattoo, allow 4-6 weeks to be your benchmark for judging the softness and final colour, barring any error that demands an urgent professional eye. When it is a case of saline or chemical lightening, you can expect to wait several weeks between sessions; with laser the gap will be wider still.
Be mindful of the sun, which can impede proper healing and leave you with more irritation after the fact. Retinoids and exfoliants in the vicinity are best left alone too early on. Your provider will likely advise you to put the strong active skincare away until the skin barrier has recovered.
Is perfection attainable?
On occasion. A fix for a botched eyebrow may well end up balanced and natural, but there is no guarantee of erasure. The deeper the pigment from an older tattoo and the more work that has been put into the skin, the more one has to be realistic.
Some might say an eyebrow tattoo can be removed, nearly so in some instances, or sufficiently reworked in others. But the sensible aim is to see an improvement and have better options down the line, not to pursue a blank canvas the skin is not going to give you.
Patrick’s view
To put it in a nutshell, fixing a poor eyebrow tattoo is a matter of waiting out the normal course of healing unless you spot a fresh mistake, employing a bit of temporary camouflage while you make up your mind and then applying the right remedy, be it correction or laser, to the problem at hand rather than in a panic. There is little to be said for a hasty plan over a considered one.
He sees the ideal candidate for a professional as someone with good habits and expectations who is prepared to take his time. Those in need of a same-week miracle, or anyone who is in the habit of hopping from one provider to another to gather advice like so many pub coasters, would do well to slow down. As would those with notions of a home removal. You can handle an eyebrow tattoo issue once it has been properly appraised; try to put five hasty fixes on top of one another and you will see where the wheels come off.
FAQ
For when a brow has not turned out as planned. Can it go wrong? Yes. Is a home fix a smart way of doing things? No. Put some time in with the right expert and you have the best chance of a good outcome.
Old lady eyebrows
By this we mean the blocky, blue-grey or over-arched relics of cosmetic tattooing. Correct the colour, lighten them selectively or have a softer redesign done once they have faded. One does not get the best result by putting more brown on top; better to take some of the old bulk away first.
Fading a tattoo in a hurry
Leave it to the professionals for the most part. Once healed, the pigment can be addressed with laser, chemical or saline methods. Forcing a quicker result at home by burning or scrubbing the skin is not the answer.
When things go awry
Asymmetry, migration, depth, colour and shape are all potential trouble spots. Some are merely part of the healing, others call for a PMU specialist to put right.
Total removal
Not always possible though sometimes close to it. Laser and saline will do much to reduce the pigment but what you can achieve is a function of the age and type of the tattoo, the skin and how many times it has been treated.
Do it at home
There is no safe DIY equivalent to having a pro do it. Acids, salt and retinoids are a recipe for scarring and will complicate any future work. If in doubt, have it assessed properly; you will save yourself the cost of cleaning up a mess later.