Before the Procedure

• You can do a few things before the procedure to make sure that your healing time is as short as possible. First, don't rush it. Anticipate that the tattooing will take about two hours, and plan your schedule accordinly. Do not dye your eyebrows, and avoid removing the hair from the area for two weeks before the procedure. This means that you should not wax, tweeze, or use electrolysis in the area to which you're going to have permanent makeup applied.
  
  

During the Procedure

• The method varies by the artist, but the procedure generally takes about two hours from start to finish. First, the artist cleans the skin, placing markers and defining the eventual shape of the permanent brows, and applies a topical numbing agent. After waiting a moment for the medication to begin to work, the artist uses an electric tattooing machine to "tap" the iron oxide pigments into the skin. After several passes, sufficient pigment remains in the skin to appear as a natural brow.
  
  

After the Procedure

• Most people resume normal activity the day after the procedure. Others experience some slight swelling, which disappears after a couple of days. Permanent eyebrow clients generally return to work very quickly after the procedure. Though the intensity and color of the makeup is more pronounced over the hours directly following the application, few clients wait more than 24 hours before returning to work, choosing to adjust the look of the permanent makeup with traditional makeup until it heals to the final look.
  
  

Pigment Changes

• When evaluating your new permanent makeup directly after the procedure, you'll notice that the color is intense and the lines are thicker than you envisioned. You'll notice a change within the next couple of days. The excess pigment that changes the appearance of the color is shed during the scabbing process. The skin heals over the 48 to 72 hours after the procedure, and the layer of skin that heals over the iron oxide pigment tones the color down considerably. When the post-procedural swelling recedes, the lines thin out.
  
  

Going Forward

• Generally, the look of new permanent eyebrows "sets" in about four days. The healing is essentially complete at this point, and the tattoo is unnoticeable. Pigment colors continue to soften over time, eventually tapering off in a couple of months to the final intensity level. In about nine months, the tattoo may be light enough to require touching up (especially if you are not religious about sunscreen or commonly see a facialist).
  
  

Factors

• Exact healing time for permanent eyebrows depends on a variety of health factors. An individual's experience of swelling (and, in some cases, slight bruising) may be affected by age, diet, medications, and hormones. As a rule, the younger the person receiving the procedure, the faster the healing. The aging process brings looser skin, less circulation and slower cellular turnover, extending the amount of time it takes to heal.
  
  

Warning

• Treat your new permanent eyebrows with care. Cooling feels good, but be gentle. Freezing the skin with ice packs can cause damaging ice crystals to form in the skin, so instead apply wet tea bags, a damp washcloth, or a gel compress cooled in the fridge (not the freezer). Use a healing ointment regularly. Immediately notify your permanent makeup artist if you see signs of an allergic reaction. Keep the site clean, but never scrub the site. Avoid using products that contain antiaging acids or acne-control compounds, as the chemicals may burn or bleach the new tattoo.