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HOUSTON (FOX 26) - One woman in the Houston area is warning others about her unfortunate experience with microblading. She spoke with FOX 26 News but did not want her face shown on camera because she's embarrassed by her eyebrows. It was supposed to be a gift to herself for a milestone birthday.
"It is a very touchy subject for me," said Nicole. "I use my hair and cover my eyebrows or I'll wear glasses to kind of hide the error."
Microblading is a semi-permanent makeup procedure along the eyebrow.
"Microblading is a form of tattoo," described Kashia Buks, owner of Dermaluxe Spa in Houston. "It's just done with a handheld tool and a special blade and it still is implanting pigment into the skin," She is also an aesthetician and tattoo artist.
Nicole said that she thought she had done enough research on the studio and artist.
Buks said she is seeing a growing number of clients like Nicole and believes there is a lack of regulation on the practice.
"It is a big deal," added Buks. "It's not something you can just go down the street and have it done like getting your nails done. You are opening the skin and inviting certain things to go wrong really quick."
In Texas, permanent makeup falls under the same category as a tattoo. The Texas Department of State Health Services licenses businesses that apply permanent makeup but not the artists.
While state inspectors check studio hygiene protocols, the artists are not required to be licensed by the state.
Buks recommended that clients look at the type of training that the tattoo artist has and said that a certificate after a day or two of classes may not qualify them as an expert. She also said that both the American Academy of Micropigmentation and the Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals require extensive training as part of their certification process.
Texas allows that local municipalities may have their own rules for tattoo studios and artists but the City of Houston does not.
Nicole hopes there will be rules that require artists to complete hours of training and do apprenticeships.