What can help raise appeal of my eyebrows?
MY EYEBROWS are very thin and have small bald patches where I have over-plucked them. Also my eyelashes seem to be getting sparse. I am 42 and would love to give my eyes more definition. Can you help?
A IT’S so annoying, isn’t it? Just as our hair seems to grow thicker and spring up where we don’t want it such
as on the upper lip, chin and legs, it thins out where we do want it – on our heads, brows and lashes.
Unfortunately it is all part of the ageing process. Various hormonal changes along with falling oestrogen levels are
usually behind this. In addition women often don’t realise the permanent damage over- plucking can do and like you
have found it impossible to get their brows to regrow.
Over the last few years thick lustrous lashes and bold brows have also become a beauty staple.
However if yours are sparse don’t panic as there are a number of high-tech treatments which will restore your brows and lashes to their former glory.
BEAUTIFUL BROWS
Eyebrow transplant
If you want to permanently fix sparse brows then an eyebrow transplant may be right for you. This procedure can be especially effective for those who have bald patches or thin brows. It is usually performed under a local anaesthetic and a surgeon will remove a small patch of hair from the back of your head and then implant each follicle carefully into the browline where it will grow as normal.
Up to 350 follicles are needed for each brow as some do come away but the rest remain deeply implanted. The £3,000 operation takes around four hours. Eyebrows will be swollen for a few days and there is some bruising of the eyelids. After about a week the hair starts to grow and within three months you should see a remarkable difference.
The results are permanent but because the hair is taken from the head your eyebrows will grow faster than before and will need weekly maintenance. Contact The Wimpole Clinic on 020 7935 2617 for more information.
Semi-permanent make-up Semi-permanent make-up has improved greatly during the last few years. It is a form of tattooing where the eyebrows are reshaped and the desired shape and colour is tattooed on to the skin. The hairs are drawn on individually to give a natural and subtle effect.
Two treatments are usually necessary, costing around £500. Go to permanent-makeup.com for more details.
Cosmetics
You can achieve great results using good eyebrow make-up products. We recommend:
The Foolproof Brow kit by Mineral Earth has everything you need to enhance your brows including three reusable
templates for shaping the brow, tweezers, clear brow fix gel and pure mineral shadows to give the right colour.
Available in two varieties, Jet for Asian and dark hair and Auburn for all other hair colours. Price £30 (0800 804 8808).
Make-up brand Mac’s excellent Penultimate Brow Marker, £13.50 (maccosmetics.co.uk) is great for colouring
and styling the brows. It comes with a tapered tip which helps create feathery strokes.
LONG LASHES
Lash stimulators
A new generation of mascaras on the market now combine a make-up and lash treatment in one. One of the most exciting new products from America is RapidLash, a high-performance serum that conditions your lashes and brows to look stronger, fuller and thicker in around eight weeks.
You apply it once daily before bedtime to the base of the upper eyelash, lower lash and eyebrows. It will be available to buy at Boots for £39.99 from June 30 and in the meantime you can join the waiting list by e-mailing [email protected].
Latisse is another new treatment that is only available on prescription and contains the active ingredient
bimatoprost which affects the growth phase of the eyelash.
First it increases the length of this phase and second it increases the number of hairs which grow. Apply once a day
before bed as you would an eyeliner and see results after around eight weeks.
It costs around £120 and you should consult your cosmetic doctor for details.
Lash extensions
Unlike false lashes where synthetic lashes are glued to the eyelid base and then removed after a day’s use, extensions are applied directly to the natural eyelash with a bonding agent and can last up to six weeks.
However ensure you visit a reputable salon and always ask what type of glue they use – you want something
formaldehyde-free to avoid irritation – and make sure you get a single extension per lash as opposed to a bundle of
hairs to minimise breakages of your own lashes caused by the weight of the extensions.
Expect to pay about £100 for a full set. We like jinnylash.com Lash transplants This is a similar procedure to the brow transplant and a permanent solution for sparse lashes. The two-hour procedure transplants 30 to 50 individual hairs and roots taken from the back of the head to the eyelid. The hairs fall out over the first two to three weeks and then regrow.
It costs from £2,000 and is currently only available in the US. We would always suggest a less invasive approach first. l Write to: The Khans, Express Yourself, Daily Express, 10 Lower Thames Street, London EC3R 6EN or e-mail them at [email protected]
They are unable to enter into individual correspondence. l For cosmetic surgery advice consult your GP. See the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (baaps.org.uk) and British Association of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (bapras.org.uk).