A few years back, I met a permanent makeup teacher from Russia who did a lot of pro-bono work for clients suffering from Alopecia. If you are not familiar with this disorder, it is a partial or complete loss of some or all body hair. This can include hair on the head, eyebrows, eyelashes etc. Hair loss starts without a warning and doesn't follow any patterns. It is attributed to an autoimmune disorder. The body treats hair follicles as foreign invaders, attacks them and destroys them. Occasionally, hair will grow back but often it never does.
When I first came across Alopecia Areata disorder in one of my clients it was a tremendous challenge for me. Having no brow shape or pattern makes it difficult to hide any imperfections in my work. It’s very intimidating. Each stroke has to be meticulously placed.
I have now worked on dozens of clients with Alopecia so I have had time to hone my skills. A few weeks ago, I received an email from a mother who was wondering if Eyebrow Restoration, with the help of Microblading, could be done on her young daughter. She was missing one of her eyebrows but not the other. The challenge was on-as anyone that knows me will tell you…I love a challenge!
From the beginning, I decided that I would do this procedure ‘pro-bono’, just like my Russian teacher. This was going to be my first time working on a client under the age of 18. The pressure to create a perfect child-appropriate eyebrow was intense. I also knew that there was no way that I would do this procedure using a traditional Microblading method as it is harsh on the skin and requires a tech to make dozens of cuts in the epidermal and upper reticular dermal layers. This method is already questionable on most skin types but has even more damaging potential on sensitive alopecia skin. My method of choice was Machine Stroke!
She was my second client of the day and my last before lunch break. I figured, if I needed more time, I could always skip lunch and give this kid all the time that she needs. I knew that, as a rule, alopecia skin is extremely difficult to work on. It requires a gentle touch and many additional passes to get the pigment to stay without damaging the two top layers of the skin. Armed with knowledge, skill and a “load of determination” I jumped in.
The color will change as it heals to match her other brow!
She was a trooper! She didn’t wiggle, complain or even ask to use the bathroom. She was nervous, of course, but I had drawn a sample brow on her before we began. She thought it was “nice looking” so she said I can go on with the permanent version. She also mentioned that her discomfort was minimal. I asked where the pain was on a scale of 1 to 10 and she said a 1. This was good news because I’ve had older clients say it was closer to a 3 to 5. I picked appropriate colors that I knew would heal to be a perfect match to her existing brow. Having picked the finest needle module in my arsenal, I began to work. My challenge was not only an empty canvas but also the presence of the other eyebrow which needed to be matched near perfectly as far as I was concerned.
In the end, this cutie and her Mom were ecstatic. So was I. I could not have given this job any more time, skill or passion. I left it all out there and it paid off. I see my clients again six later for a touch up and we will likely see each other one more time before this brow restoration is complete. What a challenge!
I have also decided that I will offer eyebrow restoration services PRO-BONO to all Alopecia clients under 18 so please share this articles and refer anyone who might be interested!
