Eyebrow restoration is a

surgical procedure Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pat ...

to reposition the

eyebrow An eyebrow is an area of short hairs above each eye that follows the shape of the lower margin of the brow ridges of some mammals. In humans, eyebrows serve two main functions: first, communication through facial expression, and second, prevent ...

. With advancing age, a common occurrence is descent of the eyebrow, or brow ptosis. A similar condition is eyelid ptosis. Eyebrow repositioning is a commonly performed procedure in

cosmetic surgery Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery includes craniofa ...

. The brow is repositioned, optimally, for the wishes of the patient as well as to correct the descent.

Surgical procedure

The procedure may be performed either

open Open or OPEN may refer to: Music * Open (band), Australian pop/rock band * The Open (band), English indie rock band * ''Open'' (Blues Image album), 1969 * ''Open'' (Gotthard album), 1999 * ''Open'' (Cowboy Junkies album), 2001 * ''Open'' (YF ...

(through a standard or modified coronal incision) which allows for partial or complete

ablation Ablation ( la, ablatio – removal) is removal or destruction of something from an object by vaporization, chipping, erosion, erosive processes or by other means. Examples of ablative materials are described below, and include spacecraft materi ...

of corrugator supercilii musclesto avoid any need for them in the future but still allow for facial expression, or closed when an

endoscopic An endoscopy is a procedure used in medicine to look inside the body. The endoscopy procedure uses an endoscope to examine the interior of a hollow organ or cavity of the body. Unlike many other medical imaging techniques, endoscopes are insert ...

approach is employed albeit with shorter long-term results. In the very young, eyebrow position may be modified with injection of paralytics but only to a limited extent. Lateral injection into a portion of the orbicularis muscle can elevate the lateral brow to some extent. Generally, injection of paralytics into the forehead will cause a descent of the brow and thus brow position can be tailored by selective injection of paralytic agents, again, to a limited extent. Significant change in position or posture of the brow generally requires a surgical procedure to accomplish the desired goals. Another purpose of this procedure is to customize the appearance of the eyebrows. It was originally intended for

burn victims A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, cold, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ultraviolet radiation (like sunburn). Most burns are due to heat from hot liquids (called scalding), solids, or fire. Burns occur mainl ...

and patients of illnesses that prevent hair from growing in the eyebrow region. Eyebrow restoration surgeries - or transplants - have since evolved into a cosmetic procedure favored by people wishing to have perfect eyebrows. Some traditional

hair restoration The management of hair loss, includes prevention and treatment of alopecia, baldness, and hair thinning, and regrowth of hair. Prevention Scratching of itchy scalp may contribute to hair loss. Health Body weight Prevention of obesity helps. O ...

surgeons offer eyebrow restorations as well. Both procedures should be only performed by certified surgeons who specialize in hair and eyebrow transplantation. The most popular hair and eyebrow restoration surgery technique is

follicular unit transplantation Follicular unit transplantation (FUT) is a hair restoration technique, also known as the strip procedure, where a patient's hair is transplanted in naturally occurring groups of 1 to 4 hairs, called follicular units. Follicular units also contain ...

, which involves the removal of donor follicles from the back of the patient's head where hair tends to be more permanent. The most advanced form of follicular unit surgery is with the robotic system. Once removed, the "donor area" is then stitched back up with no visible scarring. The donor follicles are then transplanted into the "problem areas" of the patient’s scalp.

Eyebrow transplant

Eyebrow transplants are designed to restore growing hair to eyebrows that are overly thin, scarred, or completely missing. The absence of hair can be due to genetics, prior

electrolysis In chemistry and manufacturing, electrolysis is a technique that uses direct electric current (DC) to drive an otherwise non-spontaneous chemical reaction. Electrolysis is commercially important as a stage in the separation of elements from n ...

laser hair removal Laser hair removal is the process of hair removal by means of exposure to pulses of laser light that destroy the hair follicle. It had been performed experimentally for about twenty years before becoming commercially available in 1995 and 1996. O ...

, over-plucking,

thyroid The thyroid, or thyroid gland, is an endocrine gland in vertebrates. In humans it is in the neck and consists of two connected lobes. The lower two thirds of the lobes are connected by a thin band of tissue called the thyroid isthmus. The thy ...

or other hormonal abnormalities, or trauma due to surgery, burns or other types of accidents. The donor hairs come from the scalp which, when transplanted into the eyebrows, continue to grow for a lifetime and therefore need to be trimmed typically once a month. To provide a natural appearance, the hairs are transplanted primarily one and occasionally two at a time, the natural way eyebrow hairs grow. This is a very delicate procedure, requiring perfect placement of these hairs into tiny half-millimeter incisions that are angled at just the right direction and positioned to mimic natural growth. The use of all-microscopically dissected

grafts Grafting refers to a surgical procedure to move tissue from one site to another on the body, or from another creature, without bringing its own blood supply with it. Instead, a new blood supply grows in after it is placed. A similar technique ...

allows their placement into the smallest possible incisions so as to minimize scarring and damage to already existing hairs. A procedure typically involves the placement of 50 to as many as 325 hairs into each eyebrow, depending upon the existing amount of hair and the desired size and density. Performed usually under a mild oral

sedative A sedative or tranquilliser is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement. They are CNS depressants and interact with brain activity causing its deceleration. Various kinds of sedatives can be distinguished, but t ...

, the two-hour procedure is essentially painless, as is the recovery period. For the first two to four days after the procedure, tiny crusts form around each transplanted hair. By three to five days, other than some occasional mild pinkness which fades out by the first week, patients are able to return to normal activities without any sign of having had a procedure. Sutures that are placed in the donor area are removed at one week. The transplanted hairs fall out at around two weeks, then start to regrow at three months, and continue to grow for a lifetime.

References

{{reflist Eyebrow Plastic surgery Hair transplantation