How is an eyebrow transplant planned?

The aim of an eyebrow transplant is to restore the shape and density wanted, along with the natural direction and growth angle of the eyebrows. Unlike a beard transplant, and particularly for men, who make up a significant share of patients wishing to restore their eyebrows, most eyebrow transplant patients do not always have a precise idea of the eyebrow shape they want. Here is how these patients are helped to make their choice.

How is an eyebrow transplant planned?

Planning the eyebrow transplant

The most frequent case in women is that of eyebrows thinning because of repeated plucking, ageing or genetic factors. Where the eyebrows are entirely absent, a certain type of alopecia must be ruled out, alopecia areata, before a transplant is considered. Men generally lose hair on the outer sides of the eyebrows with age, and want to thicken them overall. Patients who have had permanent make-up are told that this can potentially compromise eyebrow regrowth. These tattoos can guide the drawing of the eyebrows for the transplant, but they often turn out to be asymmetrical and/or unattractive. Most patients manage to draw the eyebrows they want to obtain, with the practitioner's help and adjustments for a better result.

The donor area is almost always the scalp, because its regrowth is reliable. Other areas of the body can be used, but without reliable regrowth or availability. The harvesting of hair for an eyebrow transplant is commonly carried out using the FUE technique (follicular unit extraction). The transplanted hairs must be trimmed regularly, since they grow like scalp hair.

Preparing for the transplant

The patient's involvement in drawing the eyebrows is important. Once the adjustments and refinements have been made, the eyebrows are measured. Men who come for eyebrow restoration generally want to fill in the areas lacking density. The male eyebrow is drawn with less curve, and as an extension of the existing brow. Photographs can be taken once the drawing of the eyebrows is complete. The eyebrow can be divided into three parts: the head (inner side: 5 to 8 mm), the body (centre: 2.5 to 3.5 cm) and the tail (outer side: 2 to 2.5 cm).

In women, the point at which the tail and the body meet to form the arch of the brow is generally located at the outer side of the corneal limbus. For a more pronounced look, this arch can extend as far as the lateral canthus, the outer corner of the eye. In men, the arch of the brow is not emphasised; it is characterised rather by a widening of the eyebrow along the area associated with the outer side of the corneal limbus.