Woman hospitalized with eyebrow infection caused by microblading

DETROIT (WDIV/CNN) – One of the hottest new beauty trends, eyebrow “microblading,” left one Detroit woman regretting her treatment after it led to a potentially life-threatening infection.

When a woman, who we’ll call Jennifer, walked out of the salon after her microblading procedure, her eyebrows looked just how she imagined.

“They looked great,” Jennifer said. “I was happy.”

Microblading involves the use of a hand tool with tiny needles to make shallow little cuts on the skin. Then pigment seeps in, giving the user semi-permanent results.

“Basically, it gives the appearance of hair on your eyebrows, instead of regular tattooing. This makes your eyebrows look like you actually have hair,” Jennifer said.

After a few days, redness started setting in, and Jennifer’s pain and swelling increased. She went to urgent care, where they diagnosed her with cellulitis and sent her on her way.

But the situation kept getting worse.

Eventually, Jennifer decided to head to the emergency room.

“When they admitted me, they put me on the IV bag antibiotic, and then the next morning, they started me on steroids,” she said.

Jennifer spent three days in the hospital.

“I was terrified. My face is swelling up. My eyes are closing. I’m thinking, ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen,’” she said.

Jennifer is now seeing Dr. Stephen Grekin, a dermatologist, for treatment.

“This is potentially life-threatening, if not treated, because what’s right behind [the cheeks] – sinuses. What do the sinuses communicate? Boom, they go right to the brain,” Grekin said.

Grekin says there are a lot of variables in determining what happened to Jennifer.

“So, is the patient allergic to the ink that they actually tattoo you with? That’s number one. Is she allergic to something that they use to prep the skin? Did she get an infection by being told not to wash her face for two days?” Grekin said.

Jennifer’s prognosis is good, and Grekin says he doesn’t expect she will have long-term problems. She does, however, have mounting medical bills and missed days from work.

“Now, I regret going in there and getting it done, but it is vanity. You want to look good, and you don’t ever think that’s going to happen to you,” Jennifer said.

Grekin has advice for those trying to improve their eyebrows through microblading.

“I think it’s buyer beware. I think you have to do your research. I think you have to have multiple visits to make certain that you’re comfortable, that the place is clean, it’s efficiently run, that this is not taken as sort of a cavalier come in and get your eyebrows waxed,” Grekin said.

Grekin also says people should be careful of deciding on a microblading procedure solely based on cost. It typically costs $700 to $800.

Jennifer thought she found a deal for $250, but she says she will never try the procedure again, instead sticking with eyebrow makeup.