It’s not exactly breaking news that the full-brow look is having a major moment. From products that promise faster regrowth to simply putting down the tweezers, everyone seems to be giving it a go.
Miami dermatologist S. Manjula Jegasothy, MD, is also a big fan of the trend and says she’s recently had an influx of patients coming to her for some support from overplucking and overwaxing, but how she’s helping them “reclaim their brows” is a little beyond the norm.
You May Also Like: I Got Dysport and It Totally Changed My Eyebrows
“PRP injections work to grow brows in the same way they work to grow hair. These injections use the growth factors that are always present in our intact platelets to be injected into the skin and grow hair. When a board-certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon draws your blood and then spins it down in a centrifuge, this breaks open the platelets and suspends the growth factors within them into the plasma for injecting.”
Dr. Jegasothy says the treatment works best if you’re having “an acute or recent issue with brow hair growth reduction,” and, in general, people who have genetic tendencies for thin eyebrows will be less likely to benefit.
“On average, patients will see a 30-percent improvement per treatment, and will require a treatment every two to three months until they are satisfied with their brow appearance. Afterward, they will need a treatment annually for maintenance, as results last roughly a year, but that’s variable depending on their age, genetics and how long they’ve had brow issues. If the patient has been plucking or waxing or doing some other method of hair removal on their brows for more than 10–15 years, significant growth is unlikely. Also in patients over the age of 40, significant brow regrowth with any treatment other than hair transplantation is unlikely.”
You May Also Like: 5 Ways to Say Goodbye to Thinning Brows for Good
In her opinion, other options like Latisse (used to grow eyebrows in the same manner as eyelashes) and hair transplantation are also effective solutions. “Many of my patients who have tried Latisse and/or PRP injections with not much efficacy have in fact gone for hair transplantation with a well-researched and known hair-transplant surgeon. In this situation, the hair is taken in single follicular units (i.e. single hair units) and transplanted from the scalp into the eyebrows. The results are generally quite effective—an average of 30 percent increase in hair, however these hairs will grow long as scalp hairs do and may require frequent cutting.”
And if you want to give the popular microplaning route a try? She does warn there are some things to consider. “Microplaning, or microblading, has become relatively popular in many salons and should be performed by somebody who has done more than five treatments a day for more than a year. Also, it is wise to ask questions about the kind of dye being used so it does not change color as time goes on. It is advisable because fashions do change—very thin eyebrows were fashionable in the ‘90s and as recently as 10 years ago—to do a microblading treatment that you know will only last six to eight months. In addition, this is a good idea in case you do not like the results.”
