Question:
Is Microblading permanent or semi-permanent? This is a question I get asked all the time and here is my answer that I have learnt from experience over the last 8 years.
Answer:
The industry is legally ‘advised’ to call Microblading and Micropigmentation ‘permanent’, or ‘permanent’ makeup, as it doesn’t always fade 100% from the skin over the years and therefore, can leave a faint shadow of colour for years.
When Micropigmentation first became popular, about 15-20 years ago, people expected it to fade out of the skin completely over time but when they were left with shadows of colour 10-15 years later, they were very unhappy!
Factors that can affect Microblading pigment retention / fading in the skin.
Most people refer to Microblading or cosmetic tattooing as semi-permanent, because the pigment fades in the daylight and gets broken down by your immune system over time.
This means the hairstrokes become very soft and diffused and the pigment becomes a lot lighter, anywhere between 6 months and 2 years depending on several factors including;
your skin type,
Oil gland placement,
Sweat gland placement,
Hair follicle placement
Medication,
Hormones,
Alcohol 
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Diet,
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Smoking,
immune system 
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and your exposure to daylight without a good sunscreen.
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Everyone needs annual colour boosts to ensure the hairstrokes are defined again and the colour continues to look fresh.
*As a general rule…
Microblading- Colour retention in oily skins.
If your skin is oily, then the pigment is more likely to become diluted by the oils and the hairstrokes will become diffused quite quickly. Microblading is not particularly suitable for oily skins as the pigment and clarity of the hairstrokes do not often stay well in the skin.
Microblading- Colour retention in dry skins.
If your skin is dry, then the skin accepts the pigment very well but the natural epidermal exfoliation rate is faster and therefore, the pigment lightens quicker over the year but it does keep defined hairstrokes.
Microblading and Micropigmentation…’sometimes the pigment stays in my skin better after some treatments than others. Why is this?’
**However, in my experience, I have certainly seen lots of skin that just doesn’t respond as we predict! Read below…
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I have seen on many occasions that the same person can have colour boosts each year for several years and yet, following each treatment, the skin either diffuses the pigment quickly, loosing the hairstrokes or conversely, the hairstroke definition stays extremely well. This may be down to changes in immune system, hormones, oil levels etc and sometimes we just can’t put our finger on why this is happening despite me using the same needle type or microblade and same pigments.
Equally, I have experienced clients whose skin slightly peels as normal during the few days after the treatment, and then after another treatment, their skin does not peel at all!! Obviously, this can leave a slightly darker colour than we wanted, sometimes leading to us deciding on a lightening treatment which I would do to obtain the colour we originally choose.
I have experienced clients whose pigment has not faded at all in 3 years, since the day I did the treatment and then after 3 years they would like a slightly different shape. I therefore, have to lighten or remove the pigment in little areas so to be able to redesign the brow shape!
Every skin is different and I’m sure many of my colleagues in the industry experience similar anomalies!
If you want to hear more of my experiences and the quirkiness of our skin, then comment below and I’ll keep sharing!!
Jo Bregazzi 
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