Microblading While Pregnant – Risks, Safety, & Precautions

If you’re wondering, can you get microblading while pregnant, it’s generally best to postpone the procedure until after pregnancy because its safety during pregnancy has not been adequately studied. Microblading involves breaking the skin and depositing pigment, which may carry potential risks such as infection, allergic reactions, and sensitivity to pigments or numbing products. Pregnancy can also cause changes in your skin and immune system, which may affect how your skin responds to the procedure and heals afterwards. In this article, we’ll explore the potential risks of microblading during pregnancy, important safety considerations, precautions to keep in mind, and safer alternatives you can consider while waiting until after your baby arrives.

What Is Microblading? 

Super-thin eyebrow shapes are passé. For a few years, thick and fuller eyebrows have been the parameter for beauty. However, not everyone is blessed with full eyebrows or can maintain the shape daily. Eyebrow pencils, gels, and kohl can provide immediate assistance but are time-consuming, require precision, and have to be done whenever going out. Microblading is a trusted and trendy technique to remove the daily hassle of women to maintain their eyebrows. 

This semi-permanent technique is easily available across cosmetic clinics and beauty salons at an affordable cost. Microblading gives natural-looking, fuller eyebrows for a long time. In this technique, microneedles are used in a handheld blade to make hair-like strokes in the eyebrows. The strokes made on the epidermis’s basal layer using embedded pigments resemble individual hairs. Though the technique is similar to tattooing, it is not permanent as tattooing and lasts for 1 to 3 years depending on the pigment, skin health, and lifestyle factors. 

Microblading has become popular as it enhances the look of natural eyebrows, whether they are patchy, over-plucked, or missing tails, making them look fuller. And the eyebrows not only look fuller but also natural for a long time. The best part is it is almost painless, requires two sessions, is affordable, and lasts for more than a year (1).

Can You Get Microblading While Pregnant? 

Lot of women during pregnancy experience many bodily changes. One such common change is thinning of eyebrows or brow hair falling. So, pregnant women want something to make their eyebrows look fuller and thick. Microblading is a safe, non-invasive, and trusted procedure to get thicker eyebrows with minimum chances of any serious side effects. However, as pregnancy has many effects on the body, microblading eyebrows may have some side effects and is not a good idea. Most experts strongly advise against microblading procedures or any eyebrow tattoo while pregnant or breastfeeding. 

Benefits of Microblading

Eyebrows are an essential beauty feature as they accentuate the eyes and face, enhancing the overall look of the face. Microblading is a great procedure that enhances the look of eyebrows naturally. The benefits of microblading are (2) (3):

1. Microblading improves and enhances the existing or natural brow shape and thickness. The procedure results in symmetrical and natural-looking full-eyebrows. 
2. It repairs the damage caused by over-plucking or eyebrow hair loss. 
3. It is beneficial for women with medical-related hair loss, such as after chemotherapy. Microblading restores the confidence of women in their looks after harsh medical procedures. 
4. It speeds up the make-up routine as women have to spend no time enhancing their brow looks. 
5. Thick and fuller eyebrows for a long time without the hassle of regular plucking or make-up used to get the look. The eyebrows will be waterproof and sweatproof throughout the day/year. No worry of eyebrow pencil or powder melting or flowing off. 
6. This procedure saves time and money to go to the parlour for frequent threading. 
7. It is a semi-permanent procedure. So, in the future, when a woman wants to change the shape of her eyebrows or the fashion for thin eyebrows is back, there will be no issues in doing so.
8. Microblading lasts for between 1 to 3 years. Once done, the woman is free of maintaining the eyebrows for a long time. A touch-up visit may be needed after a few weeks. So it’s extremely convenient and affordable.

Side Effects of Microblading While Pregnant 

During pregnancy, the chances of side-effects of microblading are higher as pregnancy itself brings about changes in a female body. Some side-effects of eyebrow microblading when pregnant are:

1. May Cause Infection: During pregnancy risk of infection is always there. Microblading may cause skin infection or blood infection, or in severe cases, Hepatitis B or HIV that can be dangerous to the health of the fetus (4).
2. Effect on the Health of the Fetus: Despite using quality pigments, microblading is not 100% safe for the fetus.
3. Reaction to Topical Anesthetic: During microblading, a numbing cream is used that contains epinephrine. This ingredient affects the heart, so it shouldn’t be used on pregnant women. In some rare cases, it may even cause cardiac anomalies, increased heartbeat, or fetal tachycardia (5).
4. Delayed or Uneven Healing: Pregnancy-related hormonal and skin changes may affect how the skin heals after microblading. This could increase the possibility of prolonged redness, irritation, or uneven pigment retention, potentially affecting the final appearance of the eyebrows.

Risks of Microblading During Pregnancy

Due to the various body and hormonal changes during pregnancy, there are risks of microblading. They are: 

1. Difference in Pigment Colour: Due to hormonal changes during pregnancy, the pigment colour may have a strange effect, and it can cause not-so-good results after the procedure. Some women also have melasma during pregnancy. So, if the melasma is near the eyebrows, then there can be a mismatch in pigment colour, or the result can differ post-pregnancy when the melasma goes away.
2. Improper Arch Shape: Most women experience swelling or bloating during pregnancy, including the face. So, the shape of the eyebrows may look all wrong or asymmetrical once the swelling or bloating goes down post-pregnancy.
3. Extensive Bleeding and Slow Healing: Pregnant women during microblading may experience extensive bleeding due to changes in hormonal levels. And hormonal level imbalance can also cause slow skin healing or infection after the procedure.

Precautions to Take to Reduce the Risks of Microblading When Pregnant

There may be possible many risks and side-effects of microblading during pregnancy. However, with proper precautions and care, the risks of microblading can be reduced. The precautions to lower the risks of microblading during pregnancy are:

1. There can be scabbing and flaking after the microblading procedure, and it can lead to infections when not properly taken care of. With proper care and treatment of the area, chances of infection can be minimized. Use medicated moistures to avoid scabbing, and not wetting the area for a few days will also help. 
2. Do a small patch test beforehand to ascertain no negative reaction or response to microblading or the topical anesthetic cream. 
3. Consult a dermatologist or your gynecologist beforehand to avoid any blood or skin infections due to pigments used in microblading procedures. Also, going to a good cosmetic clinic, spa, or salon that follows hygiene standards uses quality products and equipment is advisable to avoid any infection.
4. Research or view the credentials of the microblading artist beforehand to know their competence. A certified, licensed, and trained professional will have the experience to take precautions to reduce all risks when microblading a pregnant woman. Also, trained professionals will have the experience to adjust pigment and shape, considering bloating, melisma, etc. 
5. Avoid the consumption of alcohol or taking painkillers or medications such as Ibuprofen/Advil 24 to 48 hours before the microblading procedure. It will avoid excessive bleeding during the procedure that can lead to scabbing.

Safe Alternatives to Microblading During Pregnancy

There are several safe alternatives to help you achieve fuller, well-defined eyebrows. Temporary solutions like shaping and filling with eyebrow pencils or powders, using tinted brow gels, or exploring henna brows can give excellent results. These methods are generally considered safe for pregnant women and allow you to enhance your brows without the concerns of microblading.

FAQs

1. Can microblading hurt the unborn baby?

There have been no conclusive studies that give a 100% guarantee that microblading is completely safe for the fetus. So, despite taking all precautions, using quality products and equipment may cause harm to the unborn baby.

2. Is microblading safe while breastfeeding? 

During microblading, pigments are injected into the skin, which can be unsafe for the baby, and these pigments can be passed on to the breastfeeding baby and may harm them. Therefore, it is better to wait until breastfeeding is stopped before microblading.

3. Is microblading safe while trying to conceive? 

Like all other beauty procedures, microblading is not 100% safe or without side effects. However, proper precautions can be taken when trying to conceive.

4. When can I get microblading after pregnancy?

There is no single waiting period that applies to everyone. It is best to discuss the timing with your doctor, particularly if you are breastfeeding, before scheduling the procedure.

Pregnancy is a beautiful time for every woman, and looking beautiful during this phase is also important. However, beauty shouldn’t come at the cost of the health of self and the unborn baby. Microblading and pregnancy often raise questions, as the procedure involves pigments and numbing agents that could pose risks. Therefore, when going for microblading during pregnancy, take all precautions, consult your doctor for the best advice, go to the best spa or salon, and a trained artist to avoid any potential risk or side-effect.

Also Read:

Waxing in Pregnancy
Manicure & Pedicure while Pregnant
Laser Hair Removal during Pregnancy
Can Pregnant Women use Hair Removal Cream

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Sources References

1. PubMed Central – Microblading and the Science Behind it

2. Current problems in dermatology – Microblading Technique for Tattooing of “Hairstrokes” That Simulate Natural Hair: Eyebrow Tattooing and Correction of Medical Conditions

3. Dermatology Reports – A comprehensive evaluation of safety and awareness in eyebrow microblading: a cross-sectional study

4. International Journal of Advanced Research – WHAT TO EXPECT FROM MICROBLADING OF THE EYEBROWS

5. National Library of Medicine – Epinephrine