CUSTOMERS CONSIDERING A semi-permanent makeup treatment for eyebrows have been warned about the complete lack of regulation for the procedure.
Dublin-based permanent makeup technician, Julia Rycroft told TheJournal.ie she has seen examples of scarring after microblading and cases in which beauticians used the wrong colour for the client or shaped the eyebrows poorly.
She has expressed concern that there is no regulation for this procedure and seemingly no intention to introduce any in the near future.
Microblading is a process which creates a type of eyebrow tattoo that looks like natural hair strands. The process involves a handheld tool with a number of very thin blades that the technician uses to create light cuts to the skin with. They will then add a pigment for colour.
Rycroft said some inexperienced practitioners can be”quite heavy-handed” making deeper cuts in the skin than necessary and sometimes leaving noticeable scars.
“These blades are extremely sharp, there are 14 little pins on them, little needles. There are some horrific looking YouTube videos showing some of them pressing far too hard. Some people are coming to me with marks you’d never be able to get rid of – there’s nothing I can do for them,” she explained.
Here is an example – before and after – of microblading done by Rycroft, who trained for two years:
And here is a picture of a client who came to her recently to ask if she could fix her eyebrows:
Roycroft said the woman, who gave her permission to share the photographs, has been crying for months over the botched job.
The woman told her the procedure was done by a beauty therapist who also does lip fillers and works from her own home.
“There is no option but to laser remove. They are blue,” Rycroft said.
The main issue, she said, is the lack of regulation which means that anyone can do a two-day course, buy the equipment and start charging people.
“With microblading all you need is a handtool and pigment. Lots don’t have insurance and don’t have proper waste care. I’m concerned about the industry getting a bad name because of all these courses popping up everywhere – some of the people teaching people have only been trained recently themselves,” she said.
After two days they give you a cert, they don’t go through colour theory, people are using inks instead of pigments, using the wrong colours and they don’t understand skin histology. A lot of them are eyelash technicians or makeup artists adding other qualifications. They see it as extra money.
Rycroft also said some of the technicians offering the procedure are doing it on people who have skin disorders who should never have been allowed to go through with it.
“I’ve seen a lot of people very unhappy after they’ve had it done – they’ve gone in too deep, they’re the wrong colour, they’re the wrong shape.”
“In the UK you have to register with the local council, they have to approve the premises and there are unannounced checks – there’s none of that here,” she added.
The Health Products Regulatory Agency (HPRA), which is responsible for the regulation of cosmetic products, told TheJournal.ie that this procedure does not fall under its remit because it uses an invasive technique which involves inserting the ink into the skin.
The Department of Health said it is developing infection control guidelines on tattooing and piercing, but “there are no plans to regulate the commercial enterprises to which you refer”.
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