Nanobrows Before and After: What I Tried

I’ve always had beautiful eyebrows. Dark, rich, glossy – really, my only complaint is that they have a bit of a Frida Kahlo vibe in the middle. There’s nothing a strategic pair of tweezers can’t fix. I also clean out stray hairs below my brow line, but I’ve never been one to over-pluck.

However, one day in my 30s, I looked at a picture of myself and realized that my eyebrows looked a bit like that. . .disappeared. They are no longer dark, no longer dense, now just sparse and sparse. I don’t know what happened.

I had my thyroid checked. (Healthy, wow.) My dermatologist prescribed Latisse. (It doesn’t do anything.) My friends and family assured me that brow loss is barely noticeable. I appreciated their kind words, but when I looked in the mirror, all I saw were my sad, sparse eyebrows.

So I learned to fill them in with brow products like brow powder, brow pencil, and fiber gel. Every day I wake up and draw my eyebrows; it doesn’t matter if I’m going to the gym, the beach, or hiking. It feels very high maintenance, but I refuse to be seen without makeup arches.

I considered microblading, but it seemed permanent. What if I hate the shape? What if the color fades from dark brown to a weird purple over time (like an old black t-shirt)? Also, I heard it hurts and I’m allergic to pain. Plus, everyone has their own opinion: “It’s like having a bad tattoo on your face, why do it?” “It’s cheaper to draw eyebrows with an eyebrow pencil!” Then I started searching “microblading gone wrong” — the results didn’t exactly inspire confidence in me.

But then I heard about nanobrow technology or nanoblades. I quickly learned that there was no blade involved and I was immediately interested. Read on to learn about my experience.

Experts featured in this article

Michelle Wu is the Senior Therapist at Evertrue Salon.

Nano eyebrows and microblading

This treatment is similar to microblading, using brush-like strokes to deposit and absorb pigment into the top layer of skin (epidermis). However, while microblading experts use a tool with 14 tiny blades to apply the pigment manually, Nano Brow does it using an electric pen with a single needle.

The result is less pain, less bleeding, greater accuracy, and shorter recovery time. Like microblading, nanobrow treatments can be performed on any skin tone and can be used in shades that blend with any brow color. The single-needle precision also makes Nano Brow the treatment of choice for people prone to bleeding, sensitive skin, or specific skin conditions (such as oily skin, large pores, or sagging).

Michelle Wu, a therapist at Evertrue Salon (where I ended up) explains that the results look “fresher” than microblading brows. Crisp is great, but I’m really looking for “painless” and “accuracy” so this all looks promising. The results of both treatments are expected to last 6 to 18 months, but I was told Nano Brows can last up to 24 months. (Fun tip: Don’t use retinoids on treated brows, as topical medications that increase cell turnover can cause pigment to disappear faster.)

How much does nano eyebrows cost?

It’s certainly not cheap. Treatments start at $1,050, while microblading treatments start at $650. The time commitment is consistent with the cost: Nanobrows can take two and a half to three hours, while microblading can take one and a half to two hours. A single blade may be more precise, but it also means the process is slower. Both treatments also have a common optional add-on called micropigmentation (about $200), a stippling-like process that adds definition and looks more like brow powder than brow powder. Individual hair. For some, adding microshading is more of an aesthetic preference. But if, for example, you have dark brows in some places but not others, it can help even things out visually.

Eventually Nano Brows felt like it might be for me, so I decided to give it a try.

My Nano Blade Eyebrow Consultation

I made an appointment for a consultation at EverTrue Salon in New York and met with a senior specialist named May. She listened when I shared my story about my brow woes, and paid close attention when I showed her photos from years ago, when my brows were still living my best Italian-American life, and one A picture from high school before I even picked up my eyebrows.

She took a few “before” pictures and then had me lie down so she could outline the look of my nano brows with a fine brow pencil. She painted tiny, hair-like strokes on my few remaining eyebrows, explaining what she was doing as she went. We agreed that my new brows should be closer to my nose than they are now, and the overall shape should be thicker (especially based on my old photos). She suggested tapering the ends slightly higher than their natural height; when I saw her finished results in the mirror, I agreed.

Nano eyebrow before and after photos

My brows look great: dark, full, and clean. In their natural state, they are not perfectly symmetrical. I’ve always known that my brows were sisters rather than twins, and May respected that while making sure they still framed my face. She suggested that I also add micro-shading to better integrate the bald(er) parts of my brows with the hairier areas.

I am ready. I booked a three-hour Nano Brow appointment, followed by a one-hour micro-shade chaser, and left happy and hopeful.

Nano eyebrow treatment

Four hours is a long time to lie on your back while someone touches your face. I’m not sure how I’m going to tolerate it. But I dressed comfortably and brought protein bars and water because May promised we could take a break. She applied numbing gel to both brows for 20 minutes and then got to work.

Since I kept my eyes closed, I can only tell you what I felt and what I heard. The Nano Brow Pencil sounds like a dentist’s drill, which is harsh and annoying at first but quickly becomes a neutral background noise. Thanks to the numbing gel, the electric needle pen carved hair-shaped slices into my brow bone, which felt like fingernails gently (but repeatedly) dragging across my skin. The biggest sensation I felt throughout the process was May’s gloved fingers periodically applying pressure and wiping away excess ink. (Confession: At this point, I was totally worried it was blood and a little panicked. Since I’m a people pleaser, I didn’t say anything. But I emailed the salon afterwards and was told it wasn’t, just ink. )

I can’t even tell you when the nanobrow job ends and the micro-pigmentation begins – that’s how effortless the whole process is. When I finally finished, May handed me the mirror…I had eyebrows. They are a little thicker than we discussed, but she has told me they will shrink as they heal. Also, they start out darker than they end up being.

My experience with nano eyebrow repair

I left you with a bunch of easy-to-follow instructions: Don’t get your brows wet for 24 hours (rain, tears, sweat – nothing); don’t use makeup or sunscreen near them for the next week (chemicals and minerals may Change the color of the pigment until the skin is completely healed); avoid facials, retinols, and other intensive skin care products for two weeks.

It was a Wednesday. My brows look great. Over the next few days, I rolled out of bed and walked straight to the mirror to admire my thick, dark eyebrows. Then I packed up and went on vacation to Ireland, and on the fifth day I woke up to a shock: my eyebrows were flaking, but not at all like I expected.

You see, when May told me that I was expecting to experience peeling as the injured skin sloughs off and new skin grows underneath it (basically like a scab), I expected something similar to retinoid or sunburn peeling. – White, flaky, dry skin. I thought it would be annoying but manageable and not too noticeable, especially with the little jar of healing cream she gave me. Instead, I peeled off dark flakes—leaving skin that was noticeably lighter. I looked like I was shedding my skin. Cute, right?

It took everything in me not to get a clean spoolie brush and scrub away my flaking eyebrows. May warned that rushing the process could result in uneven pigment saturation, which I definitely didn’t want. Instead, when I wash my face, I gently splash water and mild cleanser on my brows and make peace with what I call my zebra bow. Happily, after a few days, the shedding ended and I was left with beautiful, natural-looking brows.

Why I love my nano eyebrows

Four weeks later, I booked in for a micro-shading touch-up because some areas didn’t look perfectly blended. I was only at EverTrue for two hours this time, and I gave May a big hug as I jumped off the table. I’m very happy with my eyebrows.

I came home and dramatically threw all my brow makeup in the trash. May told me that the salon would automatically follow up with a touch-up appointment in six months, but I might not need it for a year or more. Honestly, every day is the gift of big, beautiful brows. As long as it lasts, I’ll take it.

For me, the result is perfect. My brows look natural, with a subtle brightness inside that darkens towards the tips. Even better, I have to remind my partners and friends that I’ve even finished treatment – and they don’t notice any difference in me. All they saw was me, and now when I look in the mirror, all I see is me.

Melanie Mannarino is a writer and editor specializing in lifestyle and wellness content, including beauty and fashion. In addition to PS, her work has appeared in media brands such as Real Simple, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, and she is the author of four books, including The Guide to (Almost) Zero Waste.