makeup Archives - Mermaid Beauty

Why Did My Microblading Turn Red After One Year? Causes & Solutions

Why microblading can turn red

Microblading pigment can change color over time because the skin does not hold every pigment color equally. In many cases, darker brow pigments are made with a mix of colors. As the darker/cool tones fade faster, the warmer red, orange, or salmon tones may remain more visible.

Common reasons include:

Sun exposure
UV light can fade pigment and make warm tones appear stronger.

Skin type
Oily or combination skin may fade microblading faster and less evenly.

Pigment quality or pigment choice
Some pigments heal warmer depending on the formula and the client’s undertone.

Old microblading fading naturally
After 1–2 years, microblading may lose its original brown tone and reveal red, orange, or grey undertones.

Skincare products
Retinol, acids, exfoliating products, peels, and brightening treatments near the brows can speed up fading.

Incorrect depth during the original work
If pigment was placed too shallow or unevenly, it may fade into an unwanted color faster.

What are the solutions?
1. Color correction

If the old microblading is light enough, the red tone may be corrected with a neutralizing pigment.

For red or orange brows, artists often use an olive, green, or cool-toned corrector to neutralize the warmth before creating a natural brown result.

This is usually best when:

The old pigment is not too dark
The shape is still acceptable
The skin is healthy
The client wants to keep a similar brow shape
2. Powder brows or ombré brows correction

If the red microblading is faded but still visible, powder brows may be a better correction option than doing more hair strokes.

Powder brows can help:

Cover uneven red pigment
Create a softer brown tone
Improve brow shape
Last better on oily or combination skin
Give a more even healed result

For many correction cases, powder brows are more predictable than adding more microblading strokes.

3. Combination brows

If the client still wants a natural look, combination brows may be used. This can include soft hair strokes in areas without old pigment and gentle shading over areas that need color balance.

This works best when the old red pigment is light and not outside the ideal brow shape.

4. Removal or lightening first

If the red pigment is too strong, too dark, or outside the desired brow shape, correction may not be enough.

In that case, the best plan may be:

Saline removal
Laser removal
Multiple lightening sessions
Then new brow design after the old pigment fades

This is especially important if the old shape is too thick, uneven, too high, or too low.

5. Avoid adding dark pigment too quickly

One common mistake is trying to cover red brows with very dark brown pigment immediately.

This can make the brows look muddy, too dark, or unnatural after healing. A professional correction plan should consider the existing pigment color, depth, skin condition, and target brow color.

What clients should do first:

Before booking a correction, take clear photos of your brows in natural light.

The artist should check:

How red/orange the pigment is
Whether the shape is still good
Whether the pigment is light or dark
Whether the skin has scarring
Whether correction or removal is safer
Whether microblading, powder brows, or combination brows is best

A consultation is very important because red microblading correction does not have a one-size-fits-all solution.

Mermaid Beauty and Skincare provides customized brow and permanent makeup services in Richmond, BC. We serve clients from Richmond, Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, Washington.
Whether you are interested in microblading, powder brows, lip tinting or permanent makeup, we focus on creating a result that suits your natural features and lifestyle.

Overlaying the old eyebrow tattoo

In today’s beauty industry, permanent makeup is one of the most in demand among all others. For the effect of the procedure to last for a long time, to be of high quality, to blend in with the external image, it is important that the tattoo was performed by a professional master. But, unfortunately, it is not always the case.

Sometimes beginners master take on the job. Not having sufficient experience, honed skills and knowledge, they poorly perform permanent make-up. In this case, overlapping the unsuccessful work can help.

Peculiarities of the procedure of overlapping the old tattoo

The overlapping of the old or unsuccessful tattooing means masking the old pattern with a newer one by introducing pigments. That is, the task of this procedure – to hide the old, unsuccessful or bothersome tattoo. Very often the overlapping of the tattoo is compared to the correction, but it is fundamentally different procedure. Correction – a procedure that updates the old tattoo, giving it fullness, brightness and freshness.

The peculiarity of overlapping is that not all cases of permanent make-up can be corrected by overlapping.

The basic techniques used in the overlapping of permanent make-up

The choice of technique is selected by the master for each individual case. Sometimes the techniques in which the work itself is done can be used. Usually this option is suitable for the correction of unsuccessful work of a novice master. This means that if the eyebrows are done in the popular powder technique, then you can try to fix them in the same way or with a tight stippling.

For the correction of old tattooing, combined techniques are used, such as, hairline and tousling. After the main procedure, on average, requires a minimum of three more corrections to get the desired result.

Cases when the overlapping of the tattoo will be effective

When you apply to the master with a request to overlap the old tattoo, he preliminarily evaluates the amount of work, correlates the feasibility of the procedure and its effectiveness. Overlapping of the old or unsuccessful tattooing will make sense in such situations:

If the shape of the eyebrows, lips allows you to go beyond it, while maintaining harmony and natural appearance;
If the old pigment, which is deposited in the skin, has a pale, faded shade, interrupted in places;
if there is no residual paint that has gone into another color, such as: blue, red, pink;
the work to be corrected has blurry, indistinct borders.

If the master sees that there is a clear asymmetry, the shape is uneven, unnatural, the remnants of pigment have not only changed the original color, but also remain quite bright, most likely he will refuse to perform overlapping. The feasibility of such a procedure is reduced to zero. This means that no matter how hard the master tried to overlap the old tattoo, the final result will show that it is unfeasible and ineffective.

What to do if it is impossible to cover the old permanent make-up

In the practice of any professional master there are cases when it is impossible to cover the old or unsuccessful permanent makeup for a number of reasons. In order not to continue to walk around with such poor-quality work, the solution to such a difficult situation is the laser tattoo removal procedure.

It is a modern, highly effective and absolutely safe procedure, which allows to effectively get rid of low-quality or outdated permanent makeup. The only disadvantage is that in one procedure, it is rarely possible to remove the pigment without residue. Their number depends on the complexity of the work, the depth of the pigment and much more. The break between sessions of laser removal should be not less than 1 month.

Laser removal of tattooing – the best alternative to overlapping

Current trends in the beauty-industry are leading to the fact that the standard procedure of overlapping the tattoo is gradually abandoned, offering instead laser removal of permanent makeup. This is due to a number of advantages, which can not boast the overlapping.

The old pigment, regardless of its depth, can be completely removed from the skin surface without trace. The number of laser removal sessions depends on the complexity of the work, the individual characteristics of the client’s body.
In contrast to the overlapping procedure, where after the main session you need a repeated correction, there is no such thing in laser removal. After the work to remove the pigment is over, permanent make-up is applied to clean skin.
While highly effective, the procedure is absolutely safe if all the requirements and rules are followed.

In addition, the cost of the laser removal of tattooing is low, affordable for most women. After laser removal, as well as after permanent makeup, special care of the skin is required for its rapid recovery.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many procedures are required to overlap the old eyebrow tattoo?

No master can tell you the exact number of procedures. It depends on the complexity of the eyebrows tattoo, the depth of the pigment and the client’s skin features.