Question:
Due to an accident, a portion of one of my eyebrows has never seemed to grow back and this looks very funny. I am wondering if the eyebrow transplant would be a suitable remedy for my situation. It seems this procedure is mostly performed on women but do men ever get this procedure as well?
Answer:
We have many patients here at the Foundation for Hair Restoration who elect to have eyebrow restoration performed due to accidents and other events that cause scarring or loss of eyebrow growth in either one or both eyebrows. It is always possible to create re-growth in an area that no longer has hair as long as the scar tissue still has blood flow to the region. If the scar tissue is too thick there may be a decreased percentage of re-growth or in very rare cases no re-growth whatsoever.
By having an evaluation with Dr. Epstein or another Foundation for Hair Restoration doctor, they can tell you with great certainty whether you are a great candidate or not a great candidate for eyebrow transplants. As long as there is blood flow to the area, most patients can be excellent candidates. We do perform a large number of eyebrow transplantations on both men and women. Dr. Epstein likely performs more of these procedures himself than any other hair restoration doctor in the country, which means he has a large clientele of both men and women who have had the eyebrow transplant performed.
Posted by Jon Hoffenberg, Executive Vice President FHRPS
If done properly, absolutely. It is important that the surgeon pays particular attention to the angle at which they are creating the recipient sites for each individual follicle to be placed because this will dictate not only the shape of the eventual eyebrows but also the density of the transplanted hairs and most importantly the direction in which the hairs eventually grow. Particularly with the “head” of the eyebrow toward the bridge of the nose, it is important that the hairs typically grow more vertically and of course very close to the skin instead of perpendicular to the skin.
Question:
I am not happy with the placement of my eyebrows and do not want to have a brow-lift. Are you able to simply transplant brow hairs from a lower location to a higher one? And what is the fee?
Answer:
Thank you.
Dr. MJ – Yes, it is possible to elevate the eyebrows with a transplant. However, to actually elevate the brows, the lower edge of what are the existing eyebrows will need to plucked, unless you want the eyebrows to be thicker.
Posted by Jeffrey S. Epstein, MD, FACS
I am a 21 year old male who has been suffering from Alopecia since I was a child. Is eyebrow transplantation right for me? I have some eyebrows but they are sparse, and thin. I’ve tried medication such as cyclocort, minoxidil (5%), and cortisone injections, but results have been minimal.
Yes, this is an effective procedure for someone with your condition. Once performed, the transplants are permanent.
Question:
I am seriously considering this procedure, but have a few questions. I am an over-plucker with very thin brows–I would love to have my thicker, more natural brows back. Do you remove the existing eyebrow hairs and put the transplant hairs in their place (along with transplanting hair to make the brow thicker) or do you work around the few existing hairs? Thank you!
Answer:
Usually with these eyebrow transplants, I will work with and around the existing hairs for several reasons- they provide some additional coverage, and they help guide the natural direction of hair growth. This results in the nicest fullest eyebrows.
Of course, if you continue to pluck the eyebrows, the transplanted hairs may meet the same fate as the original hairs.
Posted by Jeffrey S. Epstein, MD, FACS
I had a car accident 6 weeks ago where I lost some hair from the right eyebrow also leaving a scar. I use silicon gel for treatment. Please reply with your advice. Best regards.
At just 6 weeks after your accident, it is important to keep the healing protected from the sun (but not with a sunscreen until 2 months), and be patient for the hairs to regrow.
Please feel free to send some photos in another 2 months for me to evaluate.
Posted by Jeffrey S.
Question:
In eyebrow work do you use FUE or strips for harvesting?
Answer:
Almost always strip- for several reasons: the donor strip is rather small so this is not such a big deal; the FUE grafts usually require having their hairs trimmed very short, making it more difficult to determine the curl of the hairs when they are being transplanted.
What is the recovery time for a hair transplant?
Posted by Jeffrey S. Epstein, MD, FACS
Question:
Hi, I already asked this question before, but since I had some trouble with my e-mail account, I want to ask you again:
I had my eyebrows tatooed about 4 years ago, and now they are fading away, and I would like to know about a transplant.
Approximate cost, recovery time, procedure, and as it is head hair, does it grow in eyebrows?
Please send me as much information as you can, because I am considering seriously the eyebrow transplant
Answer:
It is a pleasure to reply to your questions.
This is a procedure I, as well as many of the other Foundation for Hair Restoration doctors, perform several times a week, with typically quite impressive results after just a single procedure of 200 to as many as 375 hairs per eyebrow. Having had a permanent tattoo to the area presents no problems. The fee for such an eyebrow restoration procedure will depend upon the number of hairs transplanted. Once performed, all the crusts fall off after 4-5 days or so, with most of my patients flying back home as soon as the first day after their procedure.
Posted by Jeffrey S. Epstein, MD, FACS
Question:
I am not happy with the placement of my eyebrows and do not want to have a browlift. Are you able to simply transplant brows from a lower location to a higher one? And what is the fee.
Answer:
Yes, it is possible to elevate the eyebrows with a transplant. However, to actually elevate the brows, the lower edge of what are the existing eyebrows will need to plucked, unless you want the eyebrows to be thicker.
Posted by Jeffrey S. Epstein, MD, FACS
Question:
Hello. I am a 21 year old male who has been suffering from Alopecia since I was a
child. Is eyebrow transplantation right for me? I have some eyebrows but
they are sparse, and thin. I’ve tried medication such as cyclocort,
minoxidil (5%), and cortisone injections, but results have been minimal. Thanks
Answer:
Yes, this is an effective procedure for someone with your condition. Once performed, the transplants are permanent. There are several donor areas I can use- the best is the scalp, but if there are not hairs available for transplanting in that area, I have used the legs, chest, and big toe for donor areas.
It would be a pleasure to evaluate any photos you send to me, along with whatever information you can provide me with about your alopecia.
Posted by Jeffrey S. Epstein, MD, FACS
