Written By: Prerna Mittra | Updated : May 2, 2024 9:36 PM IST
The women rushed to their respective doctors after noticing 'orange-red plaques' on their eyebrows. One of them had her eyebrows microbladed one year earlier. (Representational image/Freepik)
Two women were diagnosed with a lung disease after having their eyebrows 'microbladed', a cosmetic procedure that is a semi-permanent way of filling the eyebrows. It is very similar to a tattoo and the treatment is said to last about 12 months. In microblading, a tool called a microblade is used by a professional to create a natural-looking eyebrow, especially for people who have thin brows or sparse hair. The technician deposits 'pigments' into the skin, just like tattooing, looking at the natural shape and arch of the brows. Before the procedure, a numbing cream is applied; it usually takes around two hours to complete.
According to a report in The Sun, the two women who underwent this procedure were left with 'systemic sarcoidosis', an autoimmune condition which 'thickens the lungs' and makes it difficult to breathe. In fact, the first woman had 'orange-red' marks on her eyebrows after she got them microbladed. After a steroid treatment, the lesions on her face and lungs started to disappear. The report also mentioned that the women -- both 33 years old -- rushed to their respective doctors after noticing strange 'orange-red plaques' on their eyebrows. One of them had her eyebrows microbladed one year earlier. The other one had undergone the procedure six years prior. Skin biopsies of the affected areas revealed that the women were suffering from sarcoidosis, and chest X-rays and scans showed that the disease was also present in their lungs and lymph nodes.
Details of the case were shared in the Journal of Medical Case Reports. "Our two reports suggest that an esthetic procedure involving dermal or subcutaneous injection of foreign materials can trigger the development of cutaneous and systemic sarcoidosis," medical reviewers wrote, adding that physicians should be aware of this complication to 'properly evaluate and treat' such patients in a 'timely manner'.
According to the Mayo Clinic, sarcoidosis is a disease characterised by the 'growth of tiny collections of inflammatory cells' (granulomas) in any part of the body. It is most commonly seen in the lungs and lymph nodes, but can also affect the eyes, skin, heart and other organs.
While the cause of sarcoidosis is unknown, experts think it happens when the body's immune system responds to an unknown substance. Infectious agents, chemicals, dust and a potential-abnormal reaction to the body's own proteins could be responsible for the formation of granulomas in genetically predisposed people, per Mayo Clinic.
There is apparently no cure for sarcoidosis, but most people recover with no treatment or only 'modest treatment'. In some cases, sarcoidosis goes away on its own, but may also last for years and cause damage to organs.
Most often affecting the lungs, symptoms include:
