Depth is one of the most misunderstood aspects of microblading and it’s one of the main reasons artists experience inconsistent healed results. When microblading, the skin is your canvas, and finding the perfect depth can be one of the most challenging aspects for newer artists. It takes time, practice and patience to feel confident that you can achieve consistent results in any skin type.
Understanding skin layers is essential. There are three main layers of the skin: the epidermis, dermis and hypodermis. In microblading, our primary focus is the epidermis, which is the thinnest layer, consisting of five micro-layers: the stratum corneum, stratum lucidum, stratum granulosum, stratum spinosum, stratum basale. Many new artists make the mistake of thinking pigment should go into the dermis, but true crisp, semi-permanent results are achieved when pigment is placed at the top of the stratum basale, the deepest part of the epidermis, just above the dermis.
Why this layer? The stratum basale is where skin cells naturally push upwards, carrying pigment with them as the skin renews. Implanting pigment here ensures it is semi-permanent, prevents strokes from thickening or blowing out, and avoids scarring.
The skin is not the same on every client —and it isn’t even the same across a single brow. Its thickness, elasticity and oil production all change from person to person based on factors like age, genetics, and skin health and even from the head to the tail of each brow. This is why depth control can’t be reduced to one technique. It must adapt to the skin in front of you.
Perfect depth isn’t achieved through pressure; it’s achieved through technique control and understanding how skin truly behaves.
Our goal is to implant pigment precisely at the top of the stratum basale. This is the “sweet spot.” When placed correctly into this layer of the epidermis the pigment will heal beautifully and fade naturally over time.
If you go too deep and enter the dermis, pigment spreads under the skin. The healed result becomes blurred, ashy and thick, sometimes even leading to scarring and poor retention.
If you stay too shallow, pigment sits only in the surface layers of the epidermis and sheds during healing, leaving patchy, uneven brows.
Adapting to Skin Variation
Every client’s skin behaves differently and even on the same client, the front of the brow often has thicker skin than the middle or tail. This means your pressure and stretch must subtly change as you move along the brow. Consistency comes not from doing everything the same but from observing and adapting as you work.
The Technique of Control
The secret to mastering depth isn’t about pressing the blade harder in to the skin it’s about control: keeping your hand steady, maintaining a good stretch on the skin and moving through each stroke evenly and consistently so that your stroke is evenly cut in the skin. The pressure should be gentle, like pencil on paper. Remember your blade will be sharp enough, if it’s sitting at a 90° angle, with the skin held nice and tight, to cut straight through with little to no pressure needed.
The goal is smooth, controlled movement for beautiful healed brows 💗
Visual Cues During the Procedure
• The stroke line appears clean and fine.
When you wipe the pigment away, the line should look crisp and narrow — not fuzzy, thick or blown out. That means pigment is sitting where it should be, not spreading under the skin.
• There is minimal or no bleeding.
Pinpoint bleeding can happen occasionally, but consistent bleeding means you’ve entered the dermis. The correct depth should show only a faint, controlled line of pigment with no tissue trauma.
• The skin stays calm.
If the skin becomes red or irritated quickly, your depth or pressure is too strong. Your technique should cause little to no inflammation.
• Pigment sits inside the stroke, not on top.
When you wipe the excess pigment, you should still see clear, even colour within the incision. If it all wipes away, you’re too shallow. If the colour floods or spreads, you’re too deep.
Tactile (Feel) Cues
• Smooth glide, not drag.
The blade should glide through the skin with light resistance a feeling similar to cutting through a soft fruit skin (like a grape). If it feels like scratching or tearing, you’re too deep.
• Silent movement.
There should be little to no sound. If you can hear the blade scratching, that’s a sign of friction- usually caused by too much pressure or poor skin stretch.
• Balanced resistance.
You should feel gentle resistance as the blade enters, followed by a smooth release as you lift off. This “soft entry, smooth exit” sensation is what artists describe as the sweet spot.
Remember
For beginners, practicing daily on alternative mediums is invaluable. Practice skins, Nexcare waterproof tape, bananas, and apples all provide excellent ways to develop depth control and muscle memory without working on real skin. Over time, you’ll learn to feather pigment lightly, adjust pressure and achieve consistent depth across all skin types.
When working on clients remember your first pass of strokes should be visible but thin, allowing a second pass to perfect the depth. Avoid relying solely on pinpoint bleeding as a depth indicator; instead, focus on pigment implantation and colour matching during the session. With consistent practice and attention to skin anatomy, hitting perfect depth will become second nature. (I have lots of videos on my Instagram of my first and second pass to demonstrate this.)
