Key takeaways
- Microblading is semi-permanent: one 2021 review estimates 12 to 18 months, and a few strokes can last permanently.
- A touch-up is a must in every case, because some color sheds with the scabs over 2 to 3 weeks.
- The FDA regulates the inks as cosmetics; states and localities regulate the practice of tattooing.
- No verified national price exists, so ask what a quote includes: the touch-up, later refreshes and removal.
- The FDA cautions that removal is difficult, so plan a shape you would accept for a long time.
What is microblading?
Microblading is superficial micropigmentation of the eyebrows.
An artist uses a manual tool tipped with a blade of stacked needles to deposit pigment into the papillary dermis — the top layer of the dermis, just below the skin's surface — one hair-like stroke at a time, building the look of brow hairs.
A 2021 review in the Indian Dermatology Online Journal (Marwah et al.) describes the results as semi-permanent rather than permanent, with an estimated life of 12 to 18 months.
Regulators treat microblading as part of the tattoo world.
The FDA considers the inks used in intradermal tattoos — permanent makeup included — to be cosmetics.
The practice of tattooing itself is not the FDA's to regulate: states and localities oversee it, and that split matters when you vet a studio later in this guide.
No color additive is approved for injection into the skin, the FDA notes, and some pigments used in tattoo inks are industrial-grade colors. The agency regulates tattoo and permanent-makeup inks as cosmetics, while states and localities regulate the practice of tattooing itself.
Who is a candidate for microblading?
The screening guidance in the 2021 review is the starting point this guide uses.
Before microblading, the review recommends taking a detailed history covering sun exposure, oily skin, sweating, laser or IPL treatments in progress, keloid tendency, a history of cold sores, use of retinol, vitamin C or exfoliants, isotretinoin use and chemical peels.
Read that as the list of things a consultation should cover, not as a list of automatic disqualifications.
The review frames it as history-taking; it does not draw a line saying who should never be treated, and we could not find a verified list of people who should not have microblading.
That assessment belongs to the artist doing the consultation and, where a skin or medical condition is in play, to a doctor.
Practically, the list tells you what to volunteer.
If any line item is yours — keloids, cold sores, isotretinoin, laser or IPL treatments underway — raise it before you book, and ask how the studio adapts.
The microblading process, and whether it hurts
A course of microblading is, in practice, a two-visit commitment.
The review is blunt about the second visit: a touch-up is a must in every case, because some areas lose color as the scabs come away over 2 to 3 weeks, and only the blank areas are redone.
- Planning the shapePre-planning matters, per the review, because although microblading is regarded as semi-permanent, a few strokes can last permanently.
- NumbingThe review says microblading is mostly done under a topical anesthetic cream combining lidocaine 2.5% and prilocaine 2.5%.
- The strokesThe artist works a manual blade of stacked needles through the papillary dermis, one hair-like stroke at a time.
- Healing and the touch-upScabs come away over 2 to 3 weeks and take some pigment with them; the touch-up replaces color in the blank areas only.
On pain, the published record is thin.
The numbing cream is what the review describes as the usual setup, and the review does not claim the procedure is free of pain.
We found no study measuring how much microblading hurts, so the honest move is to ask a studio directly what numbing protocol it uses and what its clients report.
Find microblading providers near you
Compare Google ratings, reviews and posted prices at med spas in your city.
How much does microblading cost?
We could not find a national survey or professional-body figure for microblading or touch-up prices in the sources we checked, so there is no verified national price for us to quote, and we will not invent one.
Any dollar range you read elsewhere is not something we can verify.
The number that matters is the one a studio quotes you, and what that quote includes.
The shape of the spend is describable from the published review.
Treatment starts with the first session and always includes a second: the review calls the touch-up a must in every case, because some pigment sheds with the scabs over the following 2 to 3 weeks and only the blank areas are redone.
After that, pigment estimated to fade over 12 to 18 months means refresh sessions for anyone who wants to keep the look.
The shape of the spend
| Stage | What the sources say |
|---|---|
| First session | Where treatment starts |
| Touch-up | A must in every case; only the blank areas are redone |
| Refresh sessions | For anyone keeping the look as pigment fades over an estimated 12 to 18 months |
| Change or removal | The FDA cautions that removal is difficult |
Three questions to take into any consultation: What does the quoted fee include — is the touch-up covered?
What does a refresh session cost later?
And what would a change or removal cost if you end up wanting one?
That last question is not small: the FDA cautions that removal is difficult.
How long does microblading last?
The clearest published figure comes with its caveats attached.
A 2021 review in the Indian Dermatology Online Journal (Marwah et al.) describes microblading results as semi-permanent and lasting 12 to 18 months.
It is a narrative review of the technique, not a study that tracked patients over time, and the same review notes that although microblading is regarded as semi-permanent, a few strokes do last permanently.
Read 12 to 18 months as one review's estimate, not a promise for your skin.
The FDA's warnings cover the ways results change rather than a month count.
Permanent makeup may fade; pigment placed too deeply can migrate beyond the original site and look blurred; and a design that fits your face now can clash later with skin tone or facial contours that change over time.
The agency adds that removal is difficult.
Two items on the review's own screening list point to fading speed.
Sun exposure speeds pigment fading, which is why the review puts sun protection on its aftercare list.
Oily skin is on the history the review recommends taking; the review does not say how much faster pigment fades on oily skin, and we could not find a figure.
Microblading is neither reliably temporary nor reliably permanent. One 2021 review gives 12 to 18 months; the same review warns that a few strokes can last permanently; and the FDA notes fading and blurring are possible. That mix is why the shape should be one you would accept living with for a long time.
Healing and aftercare
The aftercare list below comes from the 2021 review.
Treat it as what one published review recommends, not as a universal protocol: your artist's written instructions govern, and where they are stricter, follow them.
How long each aftercare limit lasts
Per the 2021 review
Source: Marwah et al., Indian Dermatol Online J, 2021
- No makeup on the brows while they heal — the review sets no end date for this item
- No soap on the brow area for 1 week
- No swimming, steam rooms or saunas for 2 weeks
- No waxing or threading of the brows for 6 weeks
- Sun protection on the brows, because sun speeds pigment fading
The healing arc the review describes is 2 to 3 weeks of scabbing, with some pigment lost as the scabs come away — the reason the touch-up exists.
Ask before your appointment what normal healing should look like, and at what point a concern becomes a call to the studio or a doctor.
The FDA lists infection — including from contaminated inks, even when the artist has followed hygienic procedures — removal problems, allergic reactions, granulomas, keloids and rare MRI swelling or burning among the main risks. Its advice on scans: tell the radiologist about permanent makeup rather than avoiding the MRI.
Microblading vs powder brows, ombre brows and hybrid brows
Microblading is the manual option: a manual blade leaving individual hair-like strokes.
The alternative the same review describes is ombre or powder brows — micro-shading done with machine-made dots that build a soft, powdered fill rather than distinct strokes.
The review's comparison point is longevity: pigment lasts longer with the machine method than with manual microblading.
No month figure is given for powder brows, and we will not invent one.
Microblading
- Manual blade
- Individual hair-like strokes
- Semi-permanent
Ombre or powder brows
- Machine-made dots (micro-shading)
- Soft, powdered fill
- Pigment lasts longer than manual microblading, per the review
A third version, hybrid brows, combines the two — hair-like strokes plus shading in one brow.
Choosing between them is a consultation question, not a menu choice.
The looks are different — individual strokes versus a soft shaded fill — the longevity differs per the review, and the right pick depends on the brow you start with.
The review's own emphasis is pre-planning the shape, and that conversation is where the technique choice belongs.
Find a microblading artist near you
There is no federal microblading license to look for.
The FDA regulates the inks as cosmetics; it is states and localities that regulate the practice of tattooing.
What that means for you: the requirements — which can include tattoo or body-art licenses, health-department permits and bloodborne-pathogen training — are set where you live, they vary by state and locality, and our research did not verify them state by state.
Check your own state and city requirements instead of assuming a studio is or is not licensed.
The FDA's risk list doubles as a consultation script.
Infection, allergic reactions, granulomas, keloids and the difficulty of removal are each worth a question: how does the studio prevent them, and what happens if one shows up?
A studio's answers tell you how it works; reluctance to answer is information too.
- Ask which state or local license or permit the studio operates under, and verify it with the regulator
- Ask what infection-control and bloodborne-pathogen training the artist holds
- Disclose keloid tendency, cold sores, allergies and any laser or IPL treatments during the consultation
- Tell your radiologist about permanent makeup before any MRI, rather than avoiding the scan
Frequently asked questions
Is microblading a tattoo?
Yes in the sense that matters for safety and regulation: pigment is placed into the skin, and the FDA considers the inks used in intradermal tattoos, including permanent makeup, to be cosmetics.
The FDA regulates those inks, while the practice of tattooing is regulated by states and localities rather than by the FDA.
Microblading differs from a body tattoo in technique: a 2021 review describes it as superficial micropigmentation with a manual blade, placed in hair-like strokes into the papillary dermis, and describes the results as semi-permanent, lasting 12 to 18 months.
How long does microblading last?
A 2021 review in the Indian Dermatology Online Journal describes microblading results as semi-permanent, lasting 12 to 18 months, though it is a narrative review rather than a study tracking patients, and it notes that a few strokes can last permanently.
The FDA warns that permanent makeup can fade, that pigment placed too deeply can blur, and that removal is difficult.
Expect a touch-up early on — the review calls it a must in every case — and refresh sessions as the color fades.
Does microblading hurt?
The published evidence does not answer this directly.
The 2021 review says microblading is mostly performed under a topical anesthetic cream of lidocaine 2.5% and prilocaine 2.5%, which numbs the skin, but we found no study measuring pain during the procedure.
Ask a studio what numbing it uses before you book.
Pain is personal, and one review's description of a numbing cream is not a promise of what you will feel.
How much does microblading cost?
We could not find a national survey or professional-body price for microblading or its touch-ups, so we will not quote a figure.
What the evidence supports is the structure: the 2021 review says a touch-up is needed in every case because some pigment sheds with the scabs, and results that fade over 12 to 18 months mean refresh sessions for anyone maintaining them.
Get the total for the first session, the touch-up and future refreshes in writing from any studio you are considering.
Can you have an MRI if you have microblading?
The FDA says people should tell the radiologist about permanent makeup rather than avoid an MRI.
The agency lists rare reports of swelling or burning around tattooed skin during MRI scans among the risks of tattooing and permanent makeup.
Mentioning your brows before the scan is the step the FDA describes; from there, the radiologist can decide how to proceed.
Sources
Every number on this page comes from one of these sources and was checked against it.
- Tattoos & Permanent Makeup: Fact Sheet · U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Microblading and the Science Behind it · National Library of Medicine
Medical disclaimer. MedSpaStandard is for education only and is not medical advice. Talk to a licensed provider about your own health, and check any provider's license with your state board.