Eyebrow microblading may be one of the hottest beauty trends at the moment, but several women might want to rethink getting the procedure.
It looks like the saying "beauty is pain" just might be true after all. A Detroit woman named Jennifer is paying a serious price after she received a fatal infection days after she got her eyebrows microbladed.
WDIV's Karen Drew sat down with Jennifer for an exclusive interview in which she recalled her horrifying microblading experience.
What Is Microblading?
Microblading is a semi-permanent tattooing technique that creates hair-like strokes through a hand tool that has tiny needles. Women undergo the procedure to help make their eyebrows appear thicker and darker. The procedure is semi-permanent because clients usually need to do a follow-up visit, just as they would if they were getting their eyebrows waxed or threaded.
Since the process is tedious, it does cost a pretty penny. Microblading normally costs about $350 but can go as high as $800.
The Almost Life-Threatening Infection
Although many women have tried the technique and loved the results, Jennifer stated that she started to notice redness and little lumps shortly after she got her eyebrows done. She even experienced pain and swelling, which led her to go to urgent care.
Jennifer then stated that the doctor diagnosed her with cellulitis and prescribed antibiotics to help relieve the pain and redness. However, matters only continued to get worse, which was why she decided to go the emergency room. Jenner further revealed that she actually spent three days in the hospital due to the severity of the infection and was put on steroids.
"I was terrified. I was terrified. My face is swelling up. My eyes are closing. [I'm] thinking, I don't know what's going to happen," Jennifer explained.
Following her experience and the days in the hospital, Jennifer started to see a dermatologist, Dr. Stephen Grekin, to help assist with a treatment.
Grekin stated that Jennifer's experience could have possibly been lethal if not cured properly. The physician further explained that Jennifer's symptoms also pose several questions, but the most important is if she was allergic to the ink that was used during the process.
"I think you have to have multiple visits to make certain that you're comfortable, that the place is clean, it's efficiently run, that this is not taken as sort of a cavalier come in and get your eyebrows waxed," Grekin remarked.
