Shaving, Waxing or Laser: What Each One Really Costs Over Five Years, in Money and in Hours
Shaving and waxing look cheap because nobody adds them up. The five-year calculation, the hours spent, and who laser hair removal does not suit.
Laser can undo botched microblading, and often in fewer sessions than a skin tattoo: three to six for most people here, sometimes more, against eight to ten for an arm tattoo. What can surprise you is the colour. Brow pigment can change shade along the way before it clears.
Your brow has darkened, turned grey or pink, or the shape just doesn't look like you anymore? We understand: it sits in the middle of your face, and you see it every morning. Here's why a brow doesn't fade like a tattoo, what protects your eye, what happens to your brow hairs and what the plan costs.
Why microblading isn't a skin tattoo
A skin tattoo is made with carbon, placed deep and dense. Microblading, powder brows and permanent makeup use pigments based on iron oxide and titanium dioxide, set shallower and looser. They're designed to fade on their own over the years.
That explains the two differences that matter to you: fewer sessions, and colour that can react differently under the laser.
| Skin tattoo | Microblading or permanent makeup | |
|---|---|---|
| Pigment | Mostly carbon | Iron oxide and titanium dioxide |
| Depth | Deep and dense | Shallower, looser |
| Sessions here | 8 to 10, sometimes more | 3 to 6 for most people, sometimes more |
| Pace | See the tattoo removal page | 6 to 8 weeks apart |
| Colour change | Rare | Possible along the way |
How many sessions: our number, and a study's
Here, most brows take three to six sessions, six to eight weeks apart. We don't promise a count in advance: at every visit we tell you where the pigment stands. Cleveland Clinic says the same: it's fairly common for tattoo removal not to clear a tattoo completely, and several sessions are often needed.
A chart review published in 2023 in the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology (Kream et al.) gives another landmark. Across 76 people treated at a single clinic for eyebrow or eyeliner tattoos, it took 2.8 treatments on average, from 1 to 12 depending on the case. The two numbers don't contradict each other: an average hides very short plans and very long ones, and the assessment of your pigment sets yours.
The colour can change before it clears
This is the one we tell you up front. Brow pigments can darken, or turn red, orange or yellow, sometimes right after the first session. It isn't one more thing gone wrong: it's a known step. We wait a little, and we go again. It lengthens the plan; it doesn't block it.
The 2023 study adds a useful nuance. In their series, the authors had no cases of the pigment darkening, but they report that other colours were unmasked in about a quarter of cases, meaning shades hidden under the main colour that show up once it fades. One centre, 76 people: it's a landmark, not a rule.
If you've ever had a skin-tone camouflage, tell us, even if it doesn't show. That pigment can change the plan.
What protects your eye during the session
Before the first pulse, a metal shield is placed on the eye, under the lid. On a brow, goggles don't seal well enough against the orbit. Removal is done with the PicoSure laser, by a medical aesthetician. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, the result of tattoo removal depends largely on the person performing it.
Here's how it goes, from the first visit to the last:
- The consultation: we look at the pigment, its depth and your skin.
- The session: the shield goes in, then the laser passes over the area. It's short, and it stings like a snapping elastic.
- A six-to-eight-week break, while the skin heals and your body clears the fragmented pigment.
- The next session, with an update on where the pigment stands.
Your brow hairs
Your real brow hairs get singed during the session, and they grow back within a few months. It's unavoidable: the hair absorbs some of the energy, especially if it's dark. Regrowth is the part people find long.
The 2023 study points the same way: no cases of permanent hair loss in their series, with hairs sometimes turning white for a while.
We tell you before the first session that the colour may change and that your hairs will grow back, rather than letting you find out in the mirror.
Pace and price, at a glance
A session is $150, taxes extra. There's also a four-session package: its amount is on the brow removal page. The consultation is $50, paid on site, and credited to your plan if you go ahead with us.
Before starting, the microblading must be healed: we leave at least six to eight weeks after it was done. The laser targets pigment, so we don't treat darker skin tones for tattoo removal here. We tell you at the consultation rather than afterwards.
What we don't do
We don't do microblading and we don't touch up permanent makeup. We only do laser removal. If you want to re-pigment afterwards, that happens elsewhere, once the skin has fully healed.
If you're wondering instead how many sessions a tattoo elsewhere on the body takes, this article covers it. And for options other than full removal, the page on unwanted tattoos goes over them.
The questions we get asked
Can microblading darken before it fades?
The colour can change along the way: darken, or turn red, orange or yellow. In the 2023 study, the authors mostly saw other colours unmasked, with no darkening in their series. We wait, and we go again.
How long before I can redo my brows after laser?
It isn't a fixed delay. We'll tell you at the last visit, based on what the skin has been through.
Does the laser damage my brow hairs?
They get singed during the session and grow back within a few months. The 2023 study reports no permanent hair loss.
Do you also do the microblading itself?
No. We only do laser removal.
Sources
- Kream E., Jairath N., Bajaj S., Orbuch D., Wang JV, Geronemus RG, "Laser Removal of Eyeliner and Eyebrow Tattoos: Chart Review, Experiences, and Learnings," Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 2023;16(11):47-49 (one clinic, 76 people). Read the article
- Cleveland Clinic, "Tattoo Removal." Read the page
- American Academy of Dermatology, "Laser tattoo removal." Read the page
