If you have thin or sparse eyelashes and makeup does not help enough, you may wish to consider a permanent solution with eyelash transplant surgery.
While other methods area available, they may not work. Eyelash enhancement products such as the use of mascara won’t do a thing for someone whose eyelashes are too thin or short to hold the makeup. Applying false eyelashes can be a tedious and even a painful process that often results in a clumpy or even a fake appearance.
Even using the new Latisse eyelash enhancement solution has unpleasant side effects including darkening of the skin around the lashes and may even darken the iris of the eye, permanently. In addition, none of these procedures are actually permanent – including Latisse which must be applied daily and will wear off after several months. Eyelash transplant surgery provides a permanent solution for those without full eyelashes.
Who Benefits
Eyelash transplant surgery can be considered by those who have lost eyelashes through trauma, injury or environmental reasons such as chemotherapy which has permanently damaged hair follicles. Some patients seek eyelash implants because they have damaged their own eyelashes through the use of artificial products and “follicle abuse” such as the use of harsh glues which pull eyelashes out upon removal. Other patients may seek eye lash implants because they have lost eyelashes due to natural processes of aging or even because they were born without a full lush eye lash set.
How is Eyelash Surgery Performed?
Eye lash transplants are similar to hair transplant surgery. Living hair follicles will be taken from a donor site and implanted on the lid of the eyes where eyelashes are sparse or missing. Hair follicles are harvested from the back of the head under local anesthesia. A numbing agent will be injected into the scalp and 100 or so donor hair follicles will be carefully removed and preserved for eyelash replacement.
The hair follicles will be prepared under a microscope to ensure that each follicle is intact and ready for transplant. The eyelid prepared to receive eye lash transplants will also be numbed with a small amount of injectable anesthetic. The prepared follicles will then be carefully transplanted to the areas of the eyelid needing extra lashes, using a microsurgical technique to ensure specific placement. After a period of healing, the eye lash transplants will then begin growing normally.
What Kind of Results can be Expected from Eyelash Transplant Surgery?
Minimal discomfort and swelling is experienced by most people. In fact, many patients are able to return to normal activities and may even go back to work the next day. In some cases, the newly implanted eyelash transplants will shed immediately and new growth will not be completely apparent for several weeks.
This is because the new follicles will undergo a “resting” period before experiencing a “growth” period resulting in new, natural lashes. On the other hand, some patients notice and immediate improvement and the new eye lash implants will start growing right away. Either case is completely normal and simply dependent upon the patient but eyelash transplants are considered to be a permanent solution for sparse or thin eyelashes.