What Really Happens to Your Brow Tattoo Over Time

Top: Day of appointment Bottom: 10 months later

Curious about how your brow tattoo evolves after your first session and over the years? Let’s walk through the stages, from the day of application to years later, so you know exactly what to expect.

Day of tattooing:

Your brows will look just as you wanted — possibly a little darker, and are at their sharpest and most defined. Over time, new skin grows in front of the pigment, softening the look and slightly blurring the colour behind it.

First week:

Interestingly, your brows will actually get a little darker during this period. This is completely normal, it’s your tattoo settling into your skin. The pigment is interacting with your natural skin layers, ensuring it takes properly.

Weeks 2–6:

After this, you may notice some flaking and fading. Your skin is regenerating, shedding surface layers, and the pigment can lift slightly, this is all part of the natural healing process. This is nothing to worry about.

6–12 weeks:

Around this mark, your brows reveal their true colour. This is the only stage where we can reliably see how the tattoo will look long-term. If fading or minor issues have occurred during healing, a touch-up is available from this point for $110. The touch-up itself is quick, but the healing process begins again afterward.

Months to years:

From here, your brow tattoo will subtly fade and may eventually shift in colour. This is intentional. We tattoo superficially on purpose. Brows aren’t designed to be permanent, as your facial features, symmetry, and style preferences can change over time.

Long-term maintenance:

Ideally, brow tattoos are designed to last around 2–5 years. We don’t recommend leaving them too long without a touch-up, because as skin grows in front and blurs the pigment, brows can lose definition. A touch-up around the 3–5 year mark refreshes the colour, allows us to remeasure and rebalance for your features, and keeps your brows looking effortlessly polished.

Your brows are living, evolving art, perfectly paired with your changing skin and features. Understanding this process removes uncertainty and ensures beautiful results.

Book a consultation to learn how to care for your tattoo today and keep them fresh for years to come.