Brow Replacement Procedure

By Holly Ames/Medstar

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Published: Mon, October 01, 2007 - 2:46 pm
Last Updated: Monday, October 01, 2007 - 2:53 pm

If you lose your eyebrows there's a way to get them back through an eyebrow-restoring procedure.

Debra Prince can show off her eyebrows now, but not long ago it was a different story. "My eyebrows had just progressively gotten thinner and thinner. So I went to the doctor, he ran some tests and it was my thyroid."

Though thyroid medication helped reverse hair loss on her head, Debra's eyebrows never grew back. "I would use eyebrow pencil, eyebrow powder, you know, everything I could get my hands on to make it look better."

Debra searched for a more natural-looking solution, and found one in hair follicle transplantation. Her doctor is dermatologist Dr. Ken Washenik. "So using this technique called follicular unit transplantation where you take the individual follicles, the way they're arranged in the scalp, and transplant them, they want to grow."

A patch of hair and underlying follicles are removed from the back of the scalp. Then follicles are teased out of the tissue. Dr. Washenik explains, "Our assistants just very, very painstakingly dissect out each individual hair follicle."

Openings are made in the brow at angles matching the direction the transplanted grafts show grow. Then the prepped follicles are slipped into place. The only challenge is that patients have to wait three to four months for the brows to start grow.

Debra says the wait is well worth it. Grooming the transplanted brows is a bit eye opening. Since the transplanted follicles come from the scalp, the brows will grow more quickly than typical hair and will need to be trimmed more frequently.

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