Some people were born with sparse eyelashes or their eyelashes thinned as the person aged. Others may have lost their eyelashes in part or entirely due to trauma such as burns, disease or treatments such as chemotherapy or even through self-plucking from obsessive-compulsive disorders such as trichotillomania.
Mascaras aimed at making lashes fuller and longer are of no help if one doesn’t have enough eyelashes to thicken. Latisse, the treatment discovered from the use of glaucoma medication, must be applied daily or new growth of eyelashes will fall out. A more recent surgery that provides a permanent solution is eyelash transplantation.
How it is done:
Donor hair is selected from an appropriate location such as the scalp, nape of the neck, eyebrows or legs. Fine hairs are the best ones to use. The surgery takes one to three hours to perform and more than one session may be needed depending how full one wants their eyelashes to appear. Mild sedation is given to the patient and an eyeball protector may be placed to prevent damage to the eye. The cost of eyelash transplantation is between two to three thousand dollars.
Who are candidates?
People with any of the reasons described in the first paragraph are candidates for eyelash transplantation provided they have healthy tissue and a blood supply to support new growth. One exception would be those with trichotillomania who have not been successfully treated for their illness, or those with other psychological issues that can affect how the person would view their results. Certain immune conditions would prevent someone from being a candidate if the cause of their eyelash loss was related, for example, alopecia areata.
Some doctors will not provide eyelash transplantation to a patient for purely cosmetic reasons so one would need to find a reputable practitioner who does if you fall into that category.
Risks and care after eyelash transplantation:
The most common side effect after surgery is moderate to severe itching. Itching that persists beyond the first day should be examined by the doctor while general discomfort may last for several days. Scratching must be avoided which would dislodge the newly implanted eyelashes. Some doctors have their patients sleep in goggles to avoid scratching at night while they sleep.
The hair chosen to be transplanted is placed at an angle so it will grow away from the eye. Since the hair is not true eyelash hair it may need to be “trained” to curve away from the lid. Transplanted hairs will also continue to grow so must be periodically trimmed.
Risks include infection, scaring or trauma to the eyelid causing the eyelid to turn inward (entropion) or the lashes to grow inward (trichiasis), poor placement of eyelashes or too coarse a selection of hair causing a less aesthetic result.
After meeting with a doctor, you both will decide if this surgery is for you. Otherwise, there is always the option of wearing false eyelashes each day, which except for possible sensitivity to glue, have very little risk to your eyes.
sources:
www.ishrs.org/articles/eyelash-transplantation.htm
www.cosmeticsurgerytoday.com/eyelash-extension/eyelash-transplant-surgery-2/
Michele is an R.N. freelance writer with a special interest in woman’s healthcare and quality of care issues. Other articles by Michele are at www.helium.com/users/487540/show_articles