When your brows didn't turn out the way you hoped
Microblading fades, but rarely the way it was promised to. Pigment that started as a soft brown can drift orange, gray, or blue as it breaks down. Strokes blur into blocks. Trends change, and brows that were fashionable five years ago can feel heavy today. Whatever brought you here, botched work, a bad color shift, or simply a change of heart, cosmetic brow pigment can be removed.
We remove microblading, powder brows, ombre brows, and traditional eyebrow tattoos with the Pico Laser, a picosecond laser that shatters pigment into fragments small enough for your body to clear naturally. Because cosmetic pigment sits shallower in the skin than body tattoo ink, removal is often faster, with most brows clearing in 2 to 6 sessions.
Laser vs. saline removal
Most brow studios that offer removal use saline: the area is opened with a tattoo needle and a salt solution draws pigment out as the skin scabs and heals. It can work, but it typically takes many sessions and puts the skin through repeated open-wound healing cycles. Laser removal works from beneath the surface instead. The pulses pass through intact skin and break the pigment apart where it sits, so there is no scabbing wound over your brow after every visit, and pigment usually clears in fewer sessions.
One honest caveat: certain cosmetic pigments heavy in titanium dioxide or iron oxide can oxidize and temporarily darken when first treated with a laser. This is well understood and manageable, and it's exactly why every removal here starts with a consultation and a small test spot, so you know how your pigment responds before we treat the full brow.
What about my brow hair?
Protective eye shields are used for every treatment, and the picosecond pulses limit heat spread to the surrounding skin. Brow hair in the treated area can lighten temporarily, but it typically grows back normally within a few weeks. Most clients are back to their routine the same day, with some mild redness that settles quickly.
Lightening for a fresh start
Full removal isn't always the goal. If you love microblading but not the work you have, a few laser sessions can fade old pigment enough to give your brow artist a clean canvas. We regularly work alongside Chicago brow studios to lighten discolored or misshapen work before a client books new microblading.