breast cancer

If microblading your brows, timing matters (a lot).

Posted by Rebecca C. Walden on

You don’t realize how important these face framers are until they completely disappear. In my case it was seemingly overnight. Rude!

Woman fighting breast cancer with positive motivation
Curiously, my eyebrows and lashes didn’t fall out until I was almost finished with my 16-round chemo regimen. That almost made it more painful, because I’d gotten used to looking somewhat like my old self, sans head hair – and then I lost these important facial features too. Happily they also returned really fast after my last infusion. Never again will I take my eyebrows for granted!

Several girlfriends of mine use the same highly-regarded microblading artist here locally. While I love how they look, I’m in the cautiously optimistic camp of even doing it at all.

It’s expensive. It hurts (or so my imagination tells me). It also reminds me of a memorable, cautionary tale-ish passage from Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia.

“Having a baby is like getting a tattoo on your face. You really need to be certain it’s what you want before you commit.”

From time to time I run into people who have had it done to an intensity that makes them easy to spot 10 yards away. Not the look I’m going for.

Of course, there’s a lot to love, too. Clean lines, a perfectly sexy arch and little hassle in your makeup routine.

And to be brutally honest, mine could do with a little professional help (blame it on over-tweezing in the 90s, along with most every other Gen X woman out there). I will probably go for it at some point here soon.

If you’re considering the same, know that timing it right is critical.

A reputable artist will NOT work on you during active treatment or for a full six months after your last infusion.

  • colors can render differently due to the medicines coursing through your system, and;
  • you can also have a harder time healing from the procedure.

So, if you’re like me, and you’re thinking you have an immediate solution for when your brows fall out, know that you’ll want to jog that timeline out a bit.

While we’re on the topic of naked eyes, two additional things I learned the hard way that might save you some trouble.

1.) Avoid magnetic lashes and liners. Maybe it’s just my spectacular lack of makeup application skills, but I found this to be a frustrating mess. Nothing stayed on like it was supposed to, and applying the liner at the thickness level recommended made me feel like a lady of the night.

2.) Instead of trying to force your usual brow pencil/liner to work (it won’t and you will look silly), visit your beauty store of choice, and try to find a product called Ka-BROW! Eyebrow Cream Gel by benefit San Francisco. I was doubtful, but an esthetician at ULTA Beauty showed me how to apply it and I was able to use it with confidence at home.

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