Would My Eyebrow Defect Be Best Fixed By Scar Revision Or Hair Transplants?

Q:  I had an injury and got a little scar over my right eyebrow. Because of this I have slightly lees eyebrow hair over that eyebrow. Is this something you can fix? I only need to fix 5-10% of the eyebrow hair on the right side.

A: Lacerations that cross into and through the eyebrow will frequently result in a bald spot or a scar area that is missing hair. This is the result of either actual injury and loss of hair follicles, separation of the eyebrow hairs by scar, or both. Depending upon the size of the eyebrow defect, there are two approaches to restoring eyebrow hair continuity. In many cases, the scar can be excised and the eyebrow hair margins brought back together through simple scar revision realignment techniques. This works well for small eyebrow defects. In larger eyebrow defects, it may not be possible to bring the normal eyebrow margins together without shortening the horizontal  width of the eyebrow or distorting its shape. In these size defects, eyebrow hair transplants are needed. The hair grafts are harvested from behind the ear. It may only take 10 to 25 hair transplants to correct most eyebrow defects. Meticulous placement is needed to get the right hair orientation that matches the natural changing orientation of the hairs as they go from the inside of the eyebrow out to the tail of the eyebrow.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana