It’s official: Bold brows are not going away. You can achieve the look with deft makeup skills, treatments and some self-control—lay off the tweezing!—and now plastic surgeons are getting in on the game by offering a permanent solution using technology previously reserved for hair restoration on the head.
Beverly Hills, CA, plastic surgeon Gary Motykie, MD, who performs the SmartGraft procedure, coins it today’s “most contemporary” option for hair restoration—including hair restoration of the brows (in the above before-after images, the 22-year-old woman experienced stunted growth of the eyebrow hairs due to overplucking and frequent tweezing). “It combines innovative hair follicle extraction technology with precise surgical placement in order to bring patients scarless, natural-appearing results. Through the use of the SmartGraft machine, hair grafts can be precisely extracted and automatically placed into a holding canister that immediately counts, sorts and moistens the delicate hair grafts. This state-of-the-art moistening and storage process reduces the hair graft processing time and equates with a higher survival rate of the implanted hair grafts. The extremely advanced and streamlined process translates into patients having a more natural-appearing hairline and improved overall hair restoration results.”
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While it is a minimally invasive surgical procedure (it’s performed under local anesthesia, so you are awake during it), Dr. Motykie says most patients are very comfortable during both the extraction and insertion process since the sites remain completely numb during the entire procedure. “In fact, many patients often take a nap, read a book or watch television during the procedure. The SmartGraft device allows precise and gentle removal of the donor hair follicle grafts, as well as immediate storage of them in a sterile, controlled environment. After all the hair grafts have been extracted, they are prepared and implanted using tiny incisions that are no larger than a pinprick.”
Like most procedures, the downtime varies for everyone and really depends on the amount of hair you have placed (i.e. the larger the number of the grafts placed, the longer it may take for swelling and inflammation to resolve), but, in general, after the single-day treatment is completed, you can expect some swelling for a few days. “Most patients can resume normal activities within a few days, but the grafted and donor areas should be protected for several weeks following the procedure,” Dr. Motykie says.
*Depending on the individual, doctor and geography, the procedure can range from $5,000 to $7,500.
