KEY TAKEAWAYS: Microblading, while a rewarding practice in cosmetology, poses potential risks that can result in costly liability claims for professionals. From professional errors to general liabilities and product-related issues, having comprehensive microblading liability insurance is crucial to safeguarding both the practitioner and the clients' well-being.
Common Microblading Insurance Claim
Microblading is a beautiful and fulfilling line of cosmetology that helps clients look their best. As a semi-permanent tattooing technique, microblading uses precision instruments to enhance the natural beauty of clients’ eyebrows and facial hair. Using this method, microblades reshape, define, and enhance sparse facial hair areas.
Although many microblading incidents can be unique, we encounter several common microblading insurance claims as one of the top beauty and wellness insurance providers. We've compiled some common microblading insurance claims we've seen throughout our years in the industry. Here's what you need to know when considering adding microblading to your repertoire of services.
How Microblading Accidents Occur
Generally speaking, microblading is a safe practice when performed by a seasoned beauty professional. For many microblading specialists, taking safety precautions and ensuring a safe environment for your clients is a natural part of your profession and training. While no cosmetologist would intentionally cause harm to their client, incidents of harm can occur for a variety of reasons.
Because of the nature of microblading, when an incident occurs, it could have devastating consequences. If a client is injured or harmed during a microblading session or because of your actions, it could leave you vulnerable to a costly liability lawsuit.
Microblading injuries can occur because of several factors, including:
Distraction or lack of attention: Although microblading is generally safe, distractions can lead to a harmful incident. If a specialist’s hand slips or inadvertently applies too much pressure to the surface area, it could puncture and injure the client. Microblading requires intense focus, and distractions can lead to a risky situation. As you work with clients, try to limit distractions in your work environment.
Close proximity with clients: Microblading is a close and intimate practice. Because it requires clients and professional microblade professionals to interact closely, a slip of the hand could have devastating consequences to the face, forehead, or eye regions.
Area of service: Microblading professionals work primarily around the eyes, nose, mouth, and face. These sensitive areas require precision navigation and extreme attention to detail. If the specialist slips up or the client moves suddenly, the sharp instruments could puncture the client’s skin or eyes.
Equipment malfunction: The equipment used by microblading involves sharp needle points and rapid injections. If the equipment fails or is uncalibrated appropriately, it could potentially lead to harm or injury to the client.
Unsanitary conditions: Sanitation and cleanliness are important parts of any beauty professional’s operations. Unsanitary conditions or dirty equipment could have severe consequences for a client. Infections, adverse reactions, or even diseases can result. Ensure your workstation and equipment are thoroughly cleaned and sanitized appropriately before meeting with any client.
Unforeseen circumstances: Naturally, no one can predict when an accident will occur. If a client suddenly sneezes or moves while under your microblade, it could have disastrous effects.
In some cases, microblading accidents cannot be avoided, even by experienced cosmetologists. That's why it is essential to maintain a comprehensive microblading liability insurance policy for your protection.
Types of Microblading Claims
Microblading claims come in many shapes and forms. While some may stem from preventable circumstances, others may arise from unpredictable incidents. From an insurance perspective, microblading claims can be divided into several primary categories. Here are a few common types of microblading claims with examples.
Professional Errors and Malpractice
Professional microblading insurance claims stem from professional errors or emissions. These can often be referred to as malpractice and are directly related to the work an occupation involves. In the world of cosmetology, even a small mistake could cause harm to a client or another individual.
One of the most common reasons professional errors occur is from lack of experience or insufficient training. Microblading requires expertise and increased competency from extensive training. Without proper training and understanding of facial structure, equipment operations, pigment application techniques, and safety measures, a microblading professional could place themselves and their clients in a risky situation.
Some common professional liability claims against microblading professionals could include:
Uneven application
Punctures
Infections from unsanitary conditions
Scarring
Pigment changes or discolorations
Nerve damage
Abrasions
These types of professional liabilities underscore the importance of proper training and due diligence in microblading. Every beauty professional bears a responsibility to enrich their clients' lives and ensure proper safety protocols are being followed with every visit. This means performing extensive consultations, thorough and transparent communication, and following safety procedures to the most exacting detail.
General Liabilities
While professional liabilities are categorized into errors and omissions, general liabilities are less specific to your occupation. General liability claims stem from universally risky situations unrelated to beauty professionals or cosmetologists. In many cases, general liability involves a physical injury brought about by an unsafe environment or work area, such as a slip on a wet floor or a fall on a loose area rug.
The salons where microblading takes place often offer many other services that, when left unattended, may contribute to potentially hazardous situations. For example, if a microblading professional operates within a salon that also offers hair styling and cuts, there could be loose articles on the floor, wet spots around the hair washing station, or other potential hazards related to hair care professionals.
A few common general liability claims for microblading professionals could be:
Injuries from slips and falls
Damaged personal property due to unsafe conditions
Broken bones from uneven flooring or unmarked steps
Injuries derived from unsafe equipment or environmental hazards
Because these types of injuries could occur anywhere, general liability insurance is an important component of a microblading professional’s insurance coverage.
Product-Related Claims
As the name suggests, product-related claims stem from the products a microblading professional uses during their services. These products could be the equipment used for microblading, pigments, cleaning products within the facility, aerosol components, or aromatic elements like air fresheners or incense.
Typically, a problem-related claim correlates with a client’s adverse reaction to one of the products used either during the service or in the work environment. Reactions can vary in severity from mild irritation to asphyxiation. Product liability claims are some of the most difficult to predict, as the client may not know they hold an aversion to a product's ingredients until the reaction occurs. That's where clear communication with the products used throughout a microblading session can make all the difference. If a client is aware of an allergy or an aversion to certain elements, the microblading professional can avoid using those products during a session to keep their client safe.
Personal Injury Claims
Although they can be less common, personal injury claims for microblading professionals involve non-physical harm done to a client, such as psychological or emotional damage. Though no physical injury is involved, a personal injury claim certainly involves harm and arguable negligence.
A few examples of personal injury claims could be:
Libel, also known as written defamation
Invasions of privacy
Infringement on copyright or intellectual property
Slander, also known as spoken defamation
The frequency of these claims has increased within the past decade, leading to the rise of personal injury claims from beauty professionals across all spectrums. As a potential conflict a cosmetologist might encounter in their career, personal injury liability insurance is an essential component of comprehensive coverage.
Advertising Injury Claims
Advertising liability claims involve harming another's reputation or business using slander or libel. An example could be claiming that a competitor uses toxic ingredients in their pigments. Because this accusation could harm their business or reputation, it could potentially be considered an advertising injury. The competitor may decide to file a lawsuit based on advertising liability and the potential harm the false claims could cause.
With the age of social media, advertising liability claims have dramatically increased within the past few decades. Beauty professionals must be cautious with what they say online about clients and other competitors. With increased advertising liability claims, protecting yourself with liability insurance is an important consideration for microblading professionals.
What Microblading Liability Insurance Covers
Microblading liability insurance includes coverage for many of the most common types of claims and more. At Elite Beauty Society, we offer comprehensive coverage that is built on your unique needs as a beauty professional..
When you add microblading coverage to your policy, you receive generous professional and general liability coverage, personal personal injury and advertising liability coverage, and identify theft protection. You’ll also enjoy instant access to a full suite of member benefits curated just for the beauty industry.
Other Less Common Microblading Insurance Claims
Just as there are countless ways to craft the perfect look for your clients, so too are there ways that an incident can occur on-the-job. From loose equipment falling on a client and injuring them to scalp injuries that lead to permanent hair loss, claims come in many forms.
