“Should I get microblading or an eyebrow tattoo?”
It’s one of the most common questions we hear every day at DFW Microblading. If you’re tired of spending time penciling in your eyebrows each morning, you’ve likely looked up microblading or eyebrow tattoo services in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
But which one is right for you?
Since opening our doors in 2015, we’ve helped thousands of clients upgrade their daily routines and boost their confidence with beautifully enhanced brows. But we know that choosing between microblading and traditional eyebrow tattoos is a big decision – one that affects not just your appearance, but also your wallet and your daily life!
Our goal is to help every one of our clients feel completely confident in your decision, armed with all the facts about both procedures, their differences, and which might be right for your unique needs.
Whether you’re dealing with thinning brows due to age, struggling with conditions like alopecia, or simply want to wake up every day with perfect brows that withstand our Dallas summer heat without smudging, this guide is for you.
What is Microblading?
Microblading is a form of semi-permanent procedure where pigment is deposited underneath the skin. While it’s technically a type of eyebrow tattooing, it differs significantly from traditional methods.
The microblading procedure is a precise, artful process. Your artist will use a specialized hand-held tool made up of several tiny needles to create hair-like strokes in your skin.
Instead of using a traditional tattooing machine that pushes ink deep into the skin, microblading only targets about three layers of skin, creating much more precise, crisp strokes that truly mimic the look of real eyebrow hairs. Microblading deposits pigment into the dermal layer for realistic and lasting results.
During your appointment at our Dallas studio, we begin by consulting with you about the shape, color, and density you’re looking for. Before the procedure starts, we apply a specially selected numbing cream based on your skin type. While the numbing cream takes effect, you can relax comfortably. This personalized approach ensures you experience minimal discomfort throughout the process.
The microblading technique creates individual, hair-like strokes that closely mimic natural brow hair. This is why microblading has revolutionized the eyebrow enhancement world since around 2015, especially here in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Our clients are consistently amazed by how realistic their results look – friends and family often can’t tell they’ve had any work done!
The end result? Beautifully defined, natural-looking eyebrows that frame your face perfectly and withstand everything from your morning workout to swimming at Lake Grapevine or braving the Texas summer heat. You’ll wake up every morning with perfect brows without reaching for makeup, giving you more time to enjoy your coffee or get out the door faster.
What is Eyebrow Tattooing?
Permanent eyebrow tattooing has been around for decades and represents the original method of permanent eyebrow enhancement.
In permanent eyebrow tattooing, the process involves outlining your eyebrows in the desired style and then using a tattoo gun to fill in the space inside that outline. This creates a solid, filled-in look that resembles makeup application rather than natural hair strokes.
Eyebrow tattooing uses needles on a rotary or coil machine to push ink much deeper into the skin — about seven layers deep compared to microblading’s three layers.
This deeper placement is what makes tattooing more permanent than microblading, but it also affects how the results look and age over time. The use of a tattoo machine in this process can make the experience more uncomfortable due to the deeper penetration.
The technique has evolved over the years. Today’s tattooed eyebrows have come a long way from the block-like, one-dimensional brows of decades past. Modern artists can create more dimensional results, though still typically not as natural-looking as microblading.
Many Dallas-Fort Worth clients remember seeing older relatives with tattooed eyebrows that had faded to a bluish-green color over time.
This was the trend in a previous era, when having eyebrows that looked “sharpied on” was actually fashionable.
Today’s techniques have improved, but color changing remains a consideration with traditional tattooing. Traditional tattoo ink tends to change color over time as it fades, potentially leading to mismatched brows.
With traditional eyebrow tattooing, you can expect a more defined, bold look that resembles filled-in makeup. The results are long-lasting, which some clients prefer, though they lack the delicate, hair-like appearance that microblading can achieve.
Key Differences Between Microblading and Eyebrow Tattooing
Longevity and Permanence
One of the biggest differences between these two procedures is how long the results last. Microblading is a semi permanent solution, typically lasting from 1-3 years before eventually fading to a lighter brown or black (not blue or green).
Eyebrow tattooing is considered a permanent procedure. While it does fade somewhat and can change colors over time, it generally remains visible for many years. Eyebrow tattoos are considered a permanent solution, though they may require touch-ups due to color changes over the years.
The reason for this difference in longevity is that traditional eyebrow tattoo ink is deposited into the dermis level, much deeper than microblading. This deeper deposit makes tattooing much more permanent, often lasting five to ten years depending on the application.
This difference in permanence is crucial when making your decision. With microblading, you’ll need touch-ups every year or so to maintain the color and definition. However, this also gives you the flexibility to adjust your brow shape as trends change. If you’ve noticed how eyebrow trends have evolved over the past 20 years – from thin and dark to thick and natural – you’ll understand the advantage of being able to update your look.
With tattooed eyebrows, you’re committing to a more permanent look. While this means less maintenance, it also means less flexibility if you want to change your style or if eyebrow trends shift dramatically in the coming years.
Here in Dallas-Fort Worth, where style is important and keeping current matters, many of our clients appreciate the ability to refresh and slightly adjust their look every couple of years with microblading, while others prefer the long-term commitment and convenience of traditional tattooing.
Appearance and Natural Look
The visual difference between microbladed and tattooed eyebrows is perhaps the most significant consideration for many of our Dallas clients.
Microblading creates sharp, crisp strokes that truly mimic the look of real hair because the pigment sits so superficially in the skin. The result is incredibly natural-looking, as each hair stroke is individually drawn. Microbladed brows aim to replicate the look of a natural eyebrow.
Trained microblading artists are skilled at hand-drawing fine lines that mimic the natural look and shape of each individual eyebrow hair.
These lines blend in with your natural eyebrows to create a look that’s often indistinguishable from the real thing. Microblading creates individual hairs that blend seamlessly with existing eyebrow hairs.
By contrast, traditional eyebrow tattooing typically creates a more filled-in appearance. Even the most well-trained tattoo artists find it difficult to achieve the fine lines of microblading with a tattoo needle.
Tattooing simply doesn’t lend itself to the same precise technique. Tattooed brows tend to have more of a solid look and appear as brow filler more so than your natural brow.
Many of our Dallas-Fort Worth clients come to us specifically because they want that natural, “I woke up like this” appearance that microblading provides. However, some clients prefer the more defined, makeup-like appearance of tattooed brows, especially if they’re used to filling in their brows heavily with makeup.
The difference becomes even more apparent as time passes. As you can see, eyebrow tattoo has a harsher line that turns blue-green due to the use of ink. Microblading has a softer and more natural look by using pigment. This distinction can become increasingly noticeable years after the procedure.
Pain and Comfort Level
“Does it hurt?” is one of the most common questions we hear at our Dallas studio. The answer varies between the two procedures.
Although microblading can take upward of 2 hours, most people report only feeling minor pressure or discomfort and less pain than a typical tattoo due to the use of a numbing cream.
We take comfort very seriously at DFW Microblading, applying a topical anesthetic that’s selected specifically for your skin type.
Microblading is done with a hand tool which cuts only into the uppermost layer of the skin. This is not only far less painful than tattooing, but causes less damage to the skin and results in a quicker recovery process.
Microblading affects only the upper layers of the skin, making it a less painful experience compared to deeper tattooing.
Tattooing is done with a machine, which penetrates more deeply into the skin. This makes tattoos generally more painful than microblading. While numbing cream is also typically used for tattooing, the deeper penetration means more discomfort for many clients. Tattooing penetrates the deeper layers of the skin, emphasizing its permanence and potential for fading over time.
The shallower application in microblading typically results in less discomfort for most people. Numbing creams are applied before both procedures to minimize any pain or discomfort.
In our experience serving thousands of Dallas-Fort Worth clients, most describe microblading as feeling like a scratching sensation or pressure rather than sharp pain.
Those who’ve experienced both procedures almost universally report that microblading is significantly more comfortable.
Pigment vs. Ink
Another difference is the coloring agents used in each procedure, which affect how your brows will look years from now.
Tattoo artists use ink when they perform their procedures. With microblading, instead of using ink, we use pigment.
Traditional tattoos utilize liquid ink, which penetrates deeper into the skin. Pigment fades to a lighter version of whichever color is used instead of fading to a blueish-green, like tattoo ink tends to do.
Tattoo artists use black ink, which is also used for tattoos. However, microblading artists use pigment specially mixed to match the client’s hair color for the process. Pigment is ideal for microblading because it fades to a lighter version of the color used. Tattoo ink fades to a blue-green color, just like tattoos.
This difference becomes particularly noticeable over time. As tattoo ink fades, it often develops a blue-green tint, especially around the edges of the tattoo.
Black tattoo ink is notorious for turning blue or green, as the red pigments that keep it dark fade faster. Eyebrow tattooing uses permanent ink for more enduring results, contrasting with the semipermanent nature of microblading.
At DFW Microblading, we carefully select pigments that complement your skin tone, hair color, and overall look. Our organic, high-quality pigments are designed to fade gracefully and naturally over time, maintaining a color that continues to look realistic rather than artificial.
Healing and Recovery
The healing process differs significantly between the two procedures, which is an essential consideration if you have a special event coming up or can’t afford much downtime.
Both microblading and eyebrow tattoos have similar healing and aftercare processes. The healing process generally takes 4-6 weeks to heal fully and starts right after the procedure.
During the first 10 to 14 days, your eyebrows will vary in color, definition, and texture almost every day. Both procedures require a commitment of a few weeks for proper aftercare to ensure the longevity and quality of the results.
However, there are important distinctions between how each procedure heals. Microblading involves fine cuts that scab lightly, and the area typically heals within 7 to 10 days.
Eyebrow tattoos, being more invasive, require a longer healing period. The deeper ink deposits cause more scabbing and swelling; the healing process can take up to two to four weeks.
During the first seven days of healing from either procedure, itching and flaking may appear. It’s important to avoid picking or scratching, as this can pull off scabs prematurely and cause patchy results or scarring. Laser removal can be a solution for correcting unwanted shades in eyebrow tattoos.
Our Dallas clients appreciate that microblading generally has a shorter, less intense healing period with minimal scabbing.
The initial results also tend to be closer to the final outcome, whereas tattooed brows often appear much darker and more intense immediately after the procedure, before settling into their final appearance.
Who Is the Ideal Candidate?
Microblading serves a wide range of clients, but it’s particularly ideal for certain people:
- If you prefer a more natural and subtle look, microblading might be a better option. Those who want their enhanced brows to look like they have naturally perfect eyebrows will appreciate microblading’s realistic appearance. Microblading is one of the eyebrow enhancements available.
- If you have a low pain tolerance, microblading might be a more comfortable choice. The shallower technique and effective numbing make it more comfortable than tattooing for most clients.
- Those who want to stay current with brow trends. Since microblading fades over time, you can adjust your brow style as trends evolve from year to year.
- People with good skin texture and normal to dry skin types tend to retain the most microblading pigment.
- If you’ve lost your brows to overplucking, trichotillomania, chemotherapy, thyroid issues, menopause, stress, or simply genetics, microblading is designed to give you immediate results for your long-lasting problem.
Many of our Dallas clients choose microblading because they value the natural appearance and flexibility it offers, as well as the less invasive procedure and recovery. It is important to evaluate different treatment options based on individual needs to achieve the best results.
Get Your Microblading vs Eyebrow Tattoo Questions Answered at DFW Microblading
At DFW Microblading, we’ve seen firsthand how both microblading and eyebrow tattooing can transform our clients’ lives. Each procedure offers its own set of benefits, and the right choice ultimately depends on your personal preferences, lifestyle, and beauty goals.
Before making your decision, we recommend scheduling a consultation with one of our experienced artists. We can evaluate your skin type, discuss your aesthetic goals, and help you choose the approach that will give you the best results.
Remember, eyebrows frame your face and can dramatically enhance your natural beauty. The money spent on both initial procedures and subsequent aftercare is a worthwhile investment due to the long-lasting effects and aesthetic benefits.
Ready to transform your brows and your morning routine? Contact DFW Microblading today to schedule your consultation and take the first step toward waking up with perfect brows every day.
