Our eyebrows may do little more than keep perspiration from getting in our eyes, but aesthetically, they are a critical part of the face. They help us express how we are feeling and aid in communication. Shaped eyebrows can be an alluring complement to a pair of eyes.
On the other hand bushy eyebrows that connect in the middle (the dreaded unibrow) may relay a different set of messages. But what happens if the eyebrows are too thin or completely absent? Fortunately eyebrow restoration exists to bring back these delicate, capricious bits of hair.
While there are some topical medicines that can be used to treat eyebrow loss, like minoxidil (Rogaine), they are about as effective as these agents for treating hair loss on the scalp (which is hit or miss). In fact, if the hair loss around the eyebrows is due to trauma or certain other conditions, medical eyebrow restoration will not be successful. Therefore, most professionals equate eyebrow restoration with a surgical procedure to permanently restore hair on the eyebrow.
Pedicle Flap Transplant
Often the quickest and most affordable eyebrow transplantation option is the pedicle flap transplant. A pedicle flap is simply a section of skin which has been cut all the way through its thickness so that it contains all the original hair follicles and small-vessel blood supply. The pedicle flap is taken from the scalp and grafted onto the desired area above the eye. The donor site is sutured closed and the new eyebrow is usually held in place by fine sutures.
The choice of donor hair (pedicle flap) must be done carefully. All of the hair in the pedicle flap should be pointing the same direction. Also, the texture and density of the donated hair should be similar to that of normal eyebrow hair. Generally the donor flap will be taken from an area that resists pattern baldness/hair loss.
Follicular Unit Transplantation
The other main option for eyebrow restoration is follicular unit transplantation. This process is nearly identical to that of the follicular unit transplantation used to restore scalp hair in pattern baldness. Hair of the scalp is naturally clustered in units containing one to four hairs along with a nerve and a blood supply. This cluster is known as a follicular unit. In follicular unit transplantation for eyebrow restoration, individual clusters are removed from the scalp and placed in the eyebrow region.
Eyebrow transplantation in this way has several advantages. It allows the cosmetic surgeon to align the hairs in the same orientation across the new eyebrow. Also, the shape of the eyebrow restoration can be carefully controlled.
Follicular unit transplantation is the procedure of choice for patients that do not have complete eyebrow loss but simply desire fuller eyebrows. The individual follicular units can be placed among the existing, natural hairs of the eyebrow. While the procedure can be used for any eyebrow restoration, the follicular unit transplantation cost is higher than the pedicle flap procedure, especially if both entire eyebrows are restored.
Considerations with eyebrow restoration
Realize that transplanted scalp hair is not precisely like the unique hair that naturally occurs in eyebrows. There is a period in which the hair will need to be “trained” to grow and follow the desired shape. Also, while natural eyebrow hair stops growing after it reaches a certain length, eyebrow transplants are still and always scalp hair. Therefore they will need to be cut as you would with scalp hair. Otherwise the eyebrow transplants will grow to unappealing lengths.
In general, for those that can afford eyebrow restoration, there are a number of safe and effective surgical procedures available. It is important to speak with an experienced cosmetic surgeon to discuss your options and to choose an eyebrow transplant approach.