Eyebrow Transplant

An eyebrow transplant can restore missing hair on the eyebrow caused by genetics, excessive plucking, scarring or trauma. In addition, congenital conditions or autoimmune disorders such as Alopecia Areata, Cicatricial Alopecia and Lupus are common reasons for a lack of eyebrow hair. This hair restoration procedure can treat thinning eyebrows or full eyebrow hair loss. Eyebrow transplant is commonly performed on both men and women and is a relatively non-invasive procedure. Furthermore, most patients only need one eyebrow hair transplantation but other patients may desire more than one procedure to gain better density.

HAIR TRANSPLANTATION TECHNIQUES

Eyebrow transplant is typically performed using local anesthesia for a safer and faster recovery. The local anesthetic is injected to both the donor and recipient area so patients tend to feel minimal discomfort during and after the procedure. There are two hair restoration techniques which can be used for an eyebrow transplant: Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT) and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). Both techniques involve harvesting donor hair from the back of the patient’s scalp, or other area of the body, and individually transplanting them to the eyebrow area. However, the harvesting method differs between the two techniques.

  • FUT is also known as the Strip method and involves making a small linear incision to remove a graft of hair for individual transplantation.
  • FUE involves using a small, round punch graft to individually remove follicles in a diffused pattern. This technique takes longer to perform but the scarring is less noticeable than the FUT technique.

The number of hairs needed varies from patient to patient and can be subject to the individual’s facial composition, ethnic background and personal goals. However, patients typically need around 300 single follicles and two follicular unit grafts per eyebrow in order to achieve a reasonable density. As the hair follicles are harvested, the doctor and hair transplant team will prepare the hairs and implant them in a manner that ensures natural curvature and angulation for the most natural-looking results.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT AFTER AN EYEBROW TRANSPLANT?

After an eyebrow transplant, patients usually experience some tenderness in the treatment area which can be managed with pain medication. Redness, slight swelling, itchiness and some scabbing during the first few days is also common. Patients will be instructed on how to properly cleanse and care for the treatment areas to help promote a faster recovery period. The FUE technique tends to have less complications and a shorter recovery period since the donor area of the FUT technique is larger, requires stitches and can feel tight. It is normal for the newly transplanted hairs to fall out between one and two weeks, post-op. New hairs will grow back in about 3 to 6 months and the final results can be noticed 6 to 8 months after an eyebrow hair transplant. Patients should understand that the transplanted eyebrow hairs will grow at the same rate as the scalp hairs. Therefore, the eyebrow hairs will need to be trimmed more often than the existing eyebrow hairs to maintain a natural appearance.

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