Why Do Some Brows Heal Gray?

One of the questions I see most often is:

“Why do some brows heal gray or turn to an undesirable cool color?”

This comes down to one thing more than anything else:

The artist’s knowledge of pigment behavior and implantation technique.

One of the biggest mistakes I see is artists choosing pigments that are simply too dark.

When it comes to tattoos, the darker the pigment, the cooler (grayer) it tends to heal over time. I’ve observed this with both organic and inorganic pigment lines.

Because of this, I rarely reach for very dark pigments unless the client’s skin tone truly calls for them—such as some clients with darker Fitzpatrick skin types (V or VI). Outside of those situations, I generally prefer lighter or medium brown pigments that heal more naturally.

“But My Artist Used a Light or Medium Brown…”

In many cases, the pigment color itself isn’t the only factor.

Technique also matters.

Depositing even a light or medium brown organic pigment too deeply into the skin can cause the healed color to appear noticeably cooler than intended.

Depth matters just as much as pigment choice.

This is one of the reasons why proper implantation technique is so important. The goal is to place the pigment within the appropriate skin layer—not deeper.

Touch-Ups Can Also Change Color Over Time

Another factor to consider is repeated touch-ups.

Even when the original procedure heals beautifully, repeatedly implanting the pigment during future touch-ups can gradually make the brows appear cooler over the years. This can happen even just after the first touch up.

Because of this, I don’t simply reuse the exact same pigment formula at every touch-up.

Instead, depending on how the brows have healed, I often add warmth by incorporating an orange modifier into my pigment mixture. This helps compensate for the cool shift and helps maintain a more natural-looking healed color.

Every client is different, so pigment adjustments are always customized to the individual.

Why Do Some Brows Heal Red?

Gray isn’t the only color shift people experience.

Some healed brows develop a reddish appearance instead.

Again, this is an area where many factors can contribute, but it has a lot to do with inorganic pigments. Certain light and medium inorganic browns are more likely to heal warmer than cooler.

Why I Don’t Typically Use Light or Medium Inorganic Browns

I personally avoid many light and medium inorganic browns because of their implantation and retention tendencies. 

Inorganic pigments often require more passes—or sometimes deeper implantation—to achieve the desired saturation.

More passes or deeper implantation usually mean more skin trauma.

More trauma often means more inflammation.

More inflammation can lead to more scabbing.

And heavier scabbing frequently results in more pigment loss during healing.

The more pigment that’s lost, the less color remains once everything has healed.

For that reason, I prefer working in a way that minimizes trauma while still achieving brows that heal soft, natural, and beautifully brown months—and even years—after they’ve healed.

That’s why I place so much emphasis on healed results rather than fresh results.

Fresh brows only last a few days. And freshly posted pictures tells you nothing on how it will heal. 

If you’re choosing a PMU artist to get your brows done or to learn from, pay close attention to their healed results.

An artist’s healed results are one of the most meaningful indicators of their skill and knowledge of pigment behavior. They tell you far more about an artist’s abilities than fresh results alone or the pigment type they choose to use.

Read next: Why did my microblading blur?

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