Eyebrow Transplant & Restoration in Atlanta, GA

Eyebrow Transplant Before and After Pictures

Eyebrows are one of the most important facial features that help define our appearance. In many ways, eyebrows are more important to one’s appearance than scalp hair, as eyebrows are in a central position on the face and serve to frame the single most important facial element, the eyes. The Hair Transplant Center of Atlanta, led by Dr. Frederick T. Work, Jr., offers eyebrow transplants for men and women who live in and around Buckhead, Vinings, and Sandy Springs.

Unlike the loss of scalp hair, the loss of one’s eyebrows is not viewed as a naturally occurring process and is not often seen as cosmetically or socially acceptable. The loss of one’s eyebrows may be due to a variety of reasons, including thyroid and other systemic diseases, alopecia areata, facial burns, tattoos, infections, overzealous grooming, a congenital inability to grow eyebrows and a genetic tendency for eyebrows to thin or disappear over time. Eyebrow transplantation is a procedure similar to other hair transplant procedures performed on the scalp, in that, for appropriate candidates, the transplanted hair is permanent. However, because eyebrows have their own unique attributes, eyebrow transplants differ from scalp hair transplants in a number of important ways.

What is Eyebrow Transplantation?

Eyebrow transplant procedures are one of the most difficult to perform in terms of aesthetics. However, impressive results are often achieved when the transplantation is performed by a seasoned expert. The procedure can be performed utilizing either the FUE or the FUG/strip technique but, most importantly, requires the careful creation of recipient sites for the hairs that will determine the direction and angulation of growth. The aesthetic shaping of what should appear as naturally existing eyebrows which complement the rest of the patient’s facial features is also an important objective of eyebrow transplantation.

While it is easy to overlook full, well-shaped eyebrows as a naturally existing facial feature, it is easier to notice if your eyebrows have become too thin or are practically absent. When this occurs, the appearance of your face and the facial expressions you project due to the lack of an essential facial feature may affect your self-esteem and reduce your confidence. Due to developments in hair transplantation techniques over the past 10 years, natural-looking eyebrow transplantation is now possible and when performed properly, can provide beautiful results. Whether you’ve gone through permanent hair loss in the eyebrow area or are starting to experience thinning due to over plucking or genetic issues, an eyebrow transplant can restore your brows back to a more aesthetically pleasing appearance.

Why Have An Eyebrow Transplantation?

There are other methods of making eyebrows appear fuller, such as with a tattoo or daily makeup application, but they have their drawbacks. One of which is that they are not natural solutions to your problem. As an eyebrow transplant takes the hair directly from your head, the hairs are real, permanent and can be done to appear as close as possible to the patient’s desired results.

Another advantage of the procedure is that it is virtually painless and only takes approximately five to seven days to recover. This is true no matter whether only portions of the eyebrow are being restored or the entire eyebrow is being recreated. Regrowth rates of the transplanted hairs tend to be quite high. However, some patients choose to have a second procedure in order to achieve their desired end result.

Are You A Candidate for Eyebrow Transplantation?

In general, most patients are candidates for eyebrow transplantation. To minimize the risk of complications, you must be in reasonably good medical condition. Patients who have lost their eyebrow hairs as a result of genetics, over plucking or trauma are generally the best candidates. Those patients who have experienced the loss of their eyebrows due to a condition, such as alopecia areata, frontal fibrosing alopecia or other conditions that result in hair loss, may or may not be appropriate candidates due to the risk of unreliable regrowth of the hairs. Your candidacy will be determined by Dr. Work, who may recommend a biopsy of the area or seek a dermatologist’s input. Realistic expectations are critical as the goal is to significantly improve the eyebrows’ appearance and create the best possible result, but perfection is not typically realistic.

Eyebrow Transplantation Procedure

One of the best aspects of an eyebrow transplantation is that the procedure is rather straightforward. Depending on the extent of what you want to be done, whether a small amount of restoration is needed in order to cover a scar or a full restoration to bring back thick eyebrows is desired, the procedure can involve the transplanting of anywhere from 50 to as many as 400 grafts per eyebrow, with each graft containing typically one or two hairs. The first step of the procedure is the designing of the eyebrows, with the patient working in conjunction with Dr. Work in making sure the design is aesthetic and natural looking. Most patients receive oral sedation and once the anesthesia is injected using the Wand® (a computerized device that minimizes any sensation), there is essentially no discomfort during the remainder of the procedure.

Donor hairs are most typically retrieved from the back of the scalp, using either the strip/FUG technique or the FUE technique. The decision as to which technique will be used is determined by you and Dr. Work. And it will depend on how you wear your hair, your ethnicity and your individual goals and concerns. Sometimes, donor hair will be taken from lower down on the scalp in order to utilize the finer hairs that grow there. The grafts are then prepared under a microscope by our specialized eyebrow team, who has assisted in over approximately 500 eyebrow transplant procedures. Dr. Work will make all of the recipient sites, which will then determine the direction and angulation of growth.

The grafts will then be placed one at a time into each recipient site. Several hours later, with most of the hairs transplanted, the eyebrows will be checked (and rechecked as many times as necessary) to make sure that both the patient and Dr. Work are happy with the shape and density of the brow. The procedure is not completed until the very best eyebrows possible are created. Depending on how many hairs are transplanted, the procedure typically takes approximately four hours. Patients can leave the office immediately following the procedure, expecting little discomfort in the donor area. Side effects to be expected during the first five days or so following your transplant include, but are not limited to, tiny crusts around each transplanted hair, as well as some redness which typically lessens to pinkness that can be concealed by makeup. The occasional patient will have rather significant bruising and swelling around the eyes for the first three days, but most have only mild amounts. Sutures, if used in the donor area, will dissolve after several weeks, leaving a fine line scar or if done by FUE, there is no need for sutures and no scar will result.

The transplanted hairs will fall out at around two to three weeks following the procedure. These hairs should then start to regrow at four months post-transplant. During the second and third week, the eyebrows actually look quite nice, given that the hairs have not yet fallen out. Over the next six months, the eyebrows will typically grow denser. Because the donor hairs are most commonly taken come from the scalp, they typically will need trimming every 10 to 14 days and sometimes a bit of grooming will be required as well to upkeep the desired look.

There are very few risks associated with eyebrow transplantation but those that can occur may include prolonged pinkness around the transplanted area, poor growth of the transplanted hairs and widening of a strip donor site. The occasional patient chooses to undergo a second procedure a year or more after the initial transplant to achieve greater density in the eyebrow area.

How long will the procedure last?

The length of this procedure partially depends on how many hairs are being transplanted. If it’s on the lower end, the transplantation should take two to three hours. If it’s on the higher end, then three to five hours is likely. The amount of time is determined by the fact that each individual hair must be precisely placed onto the eyebrow.

What can I expect after the procedure?

The recovery time for this procedure is typically five to seven days. While small crusts will appear around each hair during the first week and leave pink spots once they fall off, the pinkness typically fades over the next few weeks and leaves the area looking natural.

How soon can I return to work?

In general, you are able to return to work three days following the procedure. However, you may want to wait five to seven days for most of the signs that indicate you had the procedure done to disappear.

Dr. Work specializes in hair loss solutions including eyebrow transplantation for women at the Hair Transplant Center of Atlanta. If you live in and around Buckhead, Vinings, and Sandy Springs and are looking for self-improvement in the form of eyebrow transplantation, Dr. Work will accommodate your needs. Please contact us today!