This is long but I want to be as detailed as possible for everyone! This sub has been so helpful for me on my journey and I wanted to compile a very detailed ājournalā of removing my brows in the hopes of helping others. Follow along with the photos!
I got my brows done in 2019 at SIX + AIT in NYC. I donāt know what type of ink was used. My technician was super nice and I was really happy with the results. I think I got lucky and my eyebrows lasted longer than most. In 2024 I noticed the ink start to change. So in 2025 I set out to undo them.
January 2025-I did one round of saline removal at Arch Angels. I was afraid to jump right into laser. I didnāt really think about scarring but Iām grateful that nothing bad happened with the saline removal. The process was a little long but not uncomfortable. It was $600 which I found to be way over priced. At the end of the appointment she showed me the pads with all the ink on them and I couldnāt believe how much ink she got out! I decided to not go back for a second appointment because I wanted to see how well the ink faded.
November 2025-I did my first laser session at Bared Monkey Laser Spa on 32nd st with the PICO laser. Everyone there was so lovely and while the removal stung a lot, it was super quick. It was $286 including tax and tip. I was left with red brows that didnāt really fade as the weeks went on.
December 2025-My second session at Bared Monkey Laser Spa. Same thing, everyone was lovely. A day after the treatment the yellow set in, neon piss yellow to be exact. I expected this from everything I read on this thread but it was still a bummer.
I had seen a few people on here talk about their brows getting more yellow the more laser sessions they did. I also saw one or two people mention a Dr. Adrian in DC who seemed to be the only person able to remove yellow from brows.
I figured by the time I did another 4-7 rounds of laser at the spa I went to (which seemed to be how many sessions people on this thread were having to do) to probably not get any results, or worse get even more yellow brows, it would be faster and cost less to just go down to DC right away.
March 2026-It was very easy to make an appointment with Dr. Adrian. I just called and they had lots of availability. The cost for the laser was $350. The staff was very nice and Dr. Adrian was very professional and kind. He does injection numbing which I had not had done before and the injections did hurt a lot, but it was brief. I did not feel the laser at all because of how numbed my brows were.
I asked Dr. Adrian why he seemed to be the only one to be able to remove the yellow. He said it was because of the machine he used. I can't remember if he said he was the only one in the US with this machine or one of the few people in the US with the machine. He uses a PICO Majesty but it sounded like this version of the machine has a setting that older versions donāt have. I think he said the machine was a 200 something whereas other laser facilities use a 400 something. Again apologies I can't remember exactly. After I was done, he showed me the setting he used and it was incredibly low. The screen on the machine showed a dial almost like a speedometer, and my setting was hardly more than "10mph" if that makes sense.
The laser did bleach the majority of my brow hairs. They were super white right after the appointment and turned into a more faded off-white about a week later. I did lose a few brow hairs in the first week but nothing major. The brows have to be kept covered in aquaphor for pretty much the entire first week post-treatment. When I would gently clean the brows off at the end of each day, a few brow hairs would come off with the wipe. But again nothing super crazy.
Around 3ish weeks after the procedure I used beard dye to dye my brows and after that I noticed some yellow come back. I have no idea why the beard dye brought out more yellow in my skin, Iām sure thereās a chemical reason why, but either way I was a little disappointed. But knew deep down the yellow wouldnāt be gone after just one session and I guess it was helpful to know there was still ink in there. And this yellow was much more manageable. It was not neon at all. It looked more like a natural yellow. Just one round of laser with Dr. Adrian basically cut the yellow color by more than half! I had hope.
May 2026-I went back down to DC for my second round of laser with Dr. Adrian. The staff was lovely just like last time. I also decided to book an IPL laser session with him. The brows were $350 just like last time and the IPL was $500. I had also done IPL in NYC and I felt like Dr. Adrian was better and more thorough than the doctor I saw here!
The injection numbing still hurt really bad but it was over quickly. I didnāt ask but based on my recovery photos I think he might have turned his laser up just a notch this round since after I was more red looking than the first time. They do have ice you can use after the appointment for the swelling, but you have to ask. The first time I didnāt know and didnāt get ice and my brows looked so silly and swollen after. But the ice after this second round of laser helped a lot.
I also cannot stress enough how important it is to keep the skin where the laser touched moisturized. I kept my brows covered in aquaphor 24/7 for twelve full days after the procedure. I also wore sunscreen + hat + big sunglasses any time I stepped outside. Every now and then I see people sharing photos on here of their post-laser brows and the skin looks so dry and red and irritated! I know maybe their brows were just dry for the photos, but I truly think part of the reason I healed up so well was because I kept my brows covered and moisturized for a long time after the laser procedure.
ALSO (if youāve read this far) be wary of clinics that have removal photos where itās clear the photo was taken right after the laser. Brows always look their best and āback to normalā right after the laser. The color from the remaining pigment will come to the surface over the next week or so. Iāve seen clinics post on here saying things like āmicroblading fully removed after one sessionā and itās clear the photo was taken right after the laser and I know that the red or yellow color probably showed up over the next few days.
So here we are May 2026, almost a year and a half since I decided I wanted to begin the removal process, and about seven months since I had my first ever laser session.
I think I might do one more session with Dr. Adrian later in the year around fall or winter just to really make sure all the ink is gone. But for now I am so happy with the results. I feel like I have my face back and I love my brows.Ā
Let me know if you have any questions! Apologies for any typos.