Eyebrow Transplantation / Restoration

Hi all, I figured I would dedicate this blog entry to Eyebrow Transplantation / Restoration since it is such a large aspect of my medical practice.  Eyebrows are one of the most important and visible characteristics on a persons face. Often we don’t even realize the importance of eyebrows until we see someone who does not have them. The method of restoring eyebrows through eyebrow transplantation is a very meticulous process through which initially “the right” hairs need to be identified for transplantation. This is done by carefully examining the characteristics of the persons hair and finding the location of the hair on the individual that most closely resembles eyebrow hair. Often this hair is found in the area behind the ear where the hair is usually a little finer, but in certain individuals it can be found elsewhere as well. I then harvest the “donor” hairs, most often through the standard “strip excision” (more info on this can be found on my website), or through FUE (which involves taking each follicle out individually). Once the donor hair is prepared it is important to draw out the shape of the eyebrows so that the patient and myself agree on where the new eyebrow hair will be placed. I often tell patients to bring in pictures of themselves in their youth, so I can use these in reference when I am designing the new eyebrows. In order to create natural looking eyebrows, they must correspond to the patients facial symmetry. Once we have agreed on the shape of the eyebrows, I carefully make tiny receptor sites with a hand cut custom blade approximately 1mm in diameter which is fashioned to fit the patients hair diameter perfectly.  It is imperative the the sites and placement of the grafts are made with care so that the new hairs grow in the proper direction. Since eyebrows hairs change directions depending on where they are located in the eyebrow, this process of placing the new eyebrow hairs requires a significant degree of experience to be performed properly. Sometimes the new eyebrow hairs stay and begin to grow right after the Eyebrow Transplant procedure. Other times, the new hairs fall out and then start to grow back at around 6-8 weeks. Full growth is usually seen by about 9 months after the procedure. I have many patients who are completely satisfied after one procedure, and others that opt for a second “touch up” procedure to provide some increased density. I see many patients who have eyebrow tattooing. If they are happy with the shape of the tattoo, I can place the new eyebrow hair over the exisitng tattoo. If the shape of the tattoo is wrong, I usually recommend that the patient have the tattoo removed prior to Eyebrow Transplantation. Eyebrow Transplantation / Restoration is extremely gratifying for me, because it requires a strong artistic and aesthetic sensibility, and can really make a major change in a persons appearance. If you are considering this procedure and live outside Southern California, please feel free to email me photos of your eyebrows and I can review them with you via an email consult, or we can do a video consult with iChat if you are a mac user. I hope this provides you with some basic information on Eyebrow Transplantation / Restoration.

All the best,

Marc Dauer, M.D.

Tags: Eyebrow Transplantation