Eyebrow Transplant
An eyebrow transplant is a type of cosmetic surgery to make your eyebrows fuller. This is a permanent procedure that can last a lifetime. A surgeon will move hair follicles from your scalp to your eyebrows. The recovery time is fairly quick, but it can take several months before you see results from an eyebrow transplant.
What is an eyebrow transplant?
An eyebrow transplant is a permanent cosmetic procedure to make your eyebrows appear fuller or to replace hair that’s been lost. A surgeon will perform this procedure using scalp or hair grafts to replace your current eyebrow hair.
A hair graft is a type of hair transplant surgery where a surgeon removes a small piece of your scalp, usually from above your ears, that can contain between two and 15 hair follicles. Hair follicles are the tubes that grow your hair.
The surgeon transfers the hair graft to your eyebrows. Once your skin heals after surgery, the hair on your eyebrows will look more pronounced, reducing the need to use makeup or an eyebrow pencil.
Who gets an eyebrow transplant?
People who’ve lost their eyebrow hair, have a faded brow tattoo or want fuller eyebrows may choose to get an eyebrow transplant. You might want an eyebrow transplant if you have a medical condition that causes hair loss like trichotillomania or alopecia areata or if you had an injury that affected your skin like burns or scars.
An eyebrow transplant is a permanent solution to make your eyebrows look fuller rather than relying on makeup to fill in your eyebrows. While the procedure is most common among women and people assigned female at birth, men and people assigned male at birth choose to have the cosmetic surgery, too.
Do eyebrow transplants work?
Yes, eyebrow transplants are a successful type of cosmetic surgery to improve the fullness of your eyebrows. The outcome of your eyebrow transplant depends on how well the graft “takes” — that is, how well the hair follicles accommodate to their new location. This can be influenced by your overall health and how you take care of your skin after surgery. It could take several months before you see results.
What happens before an eyebrow transplant procedure?
Before an eyebrow transplant procedure, you’ll meet with your cosmetic surgeon or provider to discuss your goals for the eyebrow transplant. During this consultation, your surgeon will:
- Examine the hair growth on your eyebrows and the location of a potential donor area of your scalp. A donor area is a section of skin with hair follicles on your scalp that your surgeon will remove during the procedure to replace the hair in your eyebrows.
- Ask you about your medical history, your family medical history, your lifestyle and any medications you currently take.
- Discuss your expectations for the surgery.
- Advise about any potential risks or side effects.
- Explain what type of anesthesia they’ll use, how long the surgery will take and how you should prepare for surgery.
When you meet with your surgeon, they’ll answer any questions you might have about an eyebrow transplant to ease your concerns. You should also plan to have someone drive you home after surgery. You may need assistance at home during the first 24 hours after your procedure, as you’ll need plenty of rest.
What happens after an eyebrow transplant procedure?
After your eyebrow transplant surgery, you can go hotel the same day. It’s rare to stay overnight in a hospital after an eyebrow transplant.
Your surgeon will give you instructions on how to care for your surgical site(s). Some care instructions might include:
- Get plenty of rest after your surgery.
- Wear bandages until advised to remove them.
- Don’t participate in strenuous activities until your provider tells you it’s safe.
- Take pain medication as prescribed by your provider.
- Some stitches will need to be removed while others may dissolve after several days.
- Take care and use caution when washing your surgical site(s).
- Make follow-up appointments with your surgeon to see if your skin is healing properly.
It’s normal for your newly transplanted hair to fall out a few weeks after surgery. This makes room for new hair to grow. It could take up to six weeks to several months before new hair grows from your transplanted area.
Do eyebrows grow long after an eyebrow transplant?
As the hair for your eyebrow transplant is from your scalp, it’ll continue to grow as it would if it were still on your scalp even though it’s now on your eyebrow. After an eyebrow transplant, you may need to regularly trim the hair of your eyebrows to keep the hair at the length you want it to be.
What are the advantages of an eyebrow transplant?
The advantages of getting an eyebrow transplant include:
- A change to your appearance.
- Increased self-confidence.
- You no longer need to use makeup.
What is the recovery time for an eyebrow transplant?
The healing process for an eyebrow transplant is quick in comparison to other cosmetic surgeries. Within the first few weeks, you should be able to get back to light activities like working. During this time, your eyebrows should start to scab. It can be tempting to pick at these scabs, but avoid doing that because it can interfere with your healing.
Most people can resume any strenuous activities after several weeks at the discretion of their provider. If your activities cause your surgical site to bleed, swell or leak fluid-like pus, stop the activity and call your provider.
It takes up to six to 12 weeks before you’ll notice new hair growth out of the transplanted area. Losing hair from the surgical site is normal — this helps make room in your hair follicles for new hair growth.
What’s the difference between an eyebrow transplant and microblading?
Both an eyebrow transplant and microblading are cosmetic procedures to make your eyebrows look fuller. Microblading is a semi-permanent type of cosmetic tattoo that can last for a few years. An eyebrow transplant is a cosmetic surgery to move hair follicles from your scalp to your eyebrows.
Some before and after photos
