Eyebrow Restoration Surgery

[Posted on November 6th, 2013 by Dr. Carlos Puig]

What Are Eyebrow Transplants?

An eyebrow transplant is a surgical procedure that is meant to restore or cosmetically customize the eyebrows’ appearance. It first began as a procedure for victims with burn injuries and patients who have diseases that stop hair from growing into the eyebrow area. There are many reasons one may like to get the procedure done. Lack of hair can be the result of a genetic abnormality, electrolysis or laser hair removal, over-plucking of eyebrows, thyroid or other hormonal issues, or trauma due to surgery.

Eyebrow restoration surgeries, commonly known as eyebrow transplants, have since grown into a popular cosmetic procedure for those who want to improve or perfect their eyebrows. Eyebrow transplants can be used to effectively restore growing hair to eyebrows that are unusually thin, scarred, or even completely absent.

How It’s Done

The most commonly employed eyebrow restoration or transplant surgery technique is follicular unit extraction, which means removing donor hair follicles from the patient’s head. Once it is extracted, the area that donated the follicles is stitched back up and visible scarring remains. These donor follicles are now transplanted into designated areas of the eyebrow. To ensure that they have a very natural appearance, the hairs are transplanted one or two at a time, which mimics the way eyebrow hairs naturally grow. It is a very precise procedure that calls for perfect placement of the donor hairs into approximately half millimeter incisions that are placed in exactly the right direction and that are positioned to best imitate natural growth. By using completely microscopically dissected grafts, the surgeon allows their placement into the smallest possible incisions to ensure that there is no scarring and no damage to the existing hairs.

Recovery and Appearance

Since the donor hairs come from the scalp, once they have been transplanted into the eyebrows, they will continue to grow for a lifetime and — just like normal eyebrows — will need to be trimmed about once every month.
The eyebrow transplant is performed under a mild oral sedative, and the procedure doesn’t take more than a couple hours. It is basically painless, and remains so for the rest of the recovery period.

Pros and Cons

There are very many advantages to getting an eyebrow transplant, whether your reasons are a medical necessity or purely cosmetic. The first is obvious: your face is the first place a person looks at, and it detracts from your appearance and self-esteem to have unsightly or missing eyebrows. It’s also affordable and easily accessible for most individuals because of how simple and quick it is. The recovery time is very short and completely painless, unlike most surgeries. Because there is no false hair used, there is little chance of infection, and it is completely natural.
The only possible disadvantage is that, like with all surgeries, there is a risk when using sedatives and for possible infection.

Overall, eyebrow transplants are a great option for anyone who wants fuller, more natural and healthy eyebrows.