A raised area of skin made up of three parts (“head”, “body” and “tail”) and covered by short hairs. More mobile in women than in men, it follows the eyebrow arch and separates the upper eyelid from the forehead. The aim: to protect the eyes against external environmental aggression. These are the eyebrows.
But if this is their “primary” function, what seems to be much more important, at least in contemporary society, is their aesthetic value. “What – more than the eyebrows – gives an instant lifting effect that opens the eyes and raises the spirits? By changing their shape, we change the whole face”, confirms Robyn Cosio, make-up artist to Hollywood’s leading ladies and the eyebrow guru who has written the Bible of facial expression “The Eyebrow” (published by Regan Books). It’s still true that make-up alone often isn’t enough to mitigate faults and enhance shape. When this is the case, it’s time to turn to medicine and cosmetic surgery.
Long-term restyling
A radical lift of the eyebrow “body” can be achieved with targeted surgical lifting. Not to be confused with blepharoplasty, which concerns the eyelid and can be carried out together with an eyebrow lift, the operation is carried out (with local anaesthetic and sedation) using an endoscopic technique. It involves extensive detachment of the forehead area, as far as the lower eyelids, and repositioning of the eyebrow at the higher level desired. There is no visible scarring as the incisions are hidden in the hair.
Threads or Botox to “lift”
Softer cosmetic medical treatments are also available. To lift the “tail” of the eyebrow only, it is possible to use threads made of Pdo (polydioxanone), inserted into the area concerned, at subcutaneous level, using micro needles. After fastening them to the tissue thanks to special “teeth”, the specialist puts them into traction, pulling them upwards, reshaping the eyebrows. This operation is carried out in outpatients.
Botox can also be used to “lift” the “body” and/or “tail” of the eyebrows. It works by blocking the underlying orbicular muscle. Micro-injections of this substance are painless and leave no marks, only occasionally a tiny bruise, slight swelling and redness, which persists for a few hours. The improvement is visible 4-6 days after intervention and the effect lasts for about 5-6 months. Then the treatment has to be repeated, before the muscle regains contractility. It’s better not to repeat treatment more than three times a year. The only side-effect: “devilish” eyebrows, due to excessive upward traction. There’s no need to worry though: the specialist can correct the result easily by injecting 2-3 drops of Botulin into the front part of the eyebrow.
More volume with filler and state of the art lipofilling
If the problem is the flattening of the eyebrows, we have two options. The first is the so-called biodynamic filler containing a particular soft and supple hyaluronic acid. This is capable of seconding facial mobility, for a very natural and long-lasting effect (up to 9 months).
Alternatively, a new technique called “nanofat grafting” seems to be effective. It involves taking autologous fatty tissue (from the patient) with fine cannulas. This is then centrifuged and purified using special filters to obtain a finer emulsion than that of classic lipofilling, suitable for injection, without irregularities, even into the more superficial layers. Besides adding volume to the eyebrows, the treatment is a source of highly regenerating stem cells. Both interventions are carried out in outpatients.