What if one eyebrow looks darker than the other after the procedure?

I questioned myself:

• Maybe I have to keep working a little more on the second brow? 

• Maybe I did not make the same touches or the same passes? 

• Could it be that I did more pressure on the first one? 

•  What happened? 

I asked Alexis, my instructor. Her response was simple:  “don't worry!”  

When you implant the Softap color in the skin, it comes into contact with the oxygen in the air and reacts in a process called oxidization.  This makes it appear darker. It is the same process that you see when you leave a slice of apple out for a while.

If you finish one eyebrow the oxidization process begins immediately. By the time you finish the second one, the oxidization process is just beginning the newly completed brow. 

If you wait ten minutes after completing both brows, the color will be the same. If the client notices the difference, you need to provide her an adequate explanation. 

Clients get worried not only because their eyebrows look different, but also because they are darker than expected.  Therefore, in addition to explaining the oxidization process, you need to explain that color heals lighter and more evenly than the color seen just after the procedure.

A thorough explanation of the stages of the healing process fosters confidence in your knowledge and helps the client relax.

My recommendations to get the eyebrows to heal to the perfect matching shades  and avoid this situation are: 

• Work the same amount of time on both eyebrows, doing the same amount of taps and passes no matter if you do one eyebrow at a time or if you work on both alternatively. 

• I prefer to alternate working on both brows simultaneously, doing one pass on one eyebrow and then doing one pass in the other one, going back to the other for the second pass and so on. This method prevents the difference between one and the other when you finish. 

• Apply the same pressure to the taps or strokes in both eyebrows, this way you get the same depth in both. 

I know that clients want to see what is happening while you are working on their eyebrows and also want to know what the final result will be once healed.

The best time to show her a mirror is just after the first five minutes of your work. Usually, after the first pass, the color that to is going to be visible.

Explain to your clients about the fact that the colors oxidize and turn darker by 30-40% during the next 3-4 days.  By the 5th day, the color may lighten, and then your client sees the final result one month after the procedure matching the color that she saw just after it was first implanted.

When a client comes in for a touch-up procedure (only for a missing spot):

I know that the challenge, in this case, is to get the new color to heal identical to the surrounding healed color. 

To accomplish this, do the same taps and passes that you did during the first session. Case notes will help you keep track of this.

Explain to your client that that spot will look darker after 5 minutes, but is going to be identical to the healed color.

Next time you do eyebrows using the Softap, machine or technique, remember my recommendations.

That way, you won't need to worry about one darker than the other one just after the procedure or even in the long term.