What are eyelashes?

An eyelash is a hair that grows at the edge of your eyelid. It serves as a sensatory organ, as when it is touched it produces a warning to the eye that a foreign object is too close for comfort. Eyelashes can also be fluttered as a form of non-verbal communication.

How long does it take an eyelash to grow?

It takes about two to three months to grow.

History of eyelashes

Woman Using Eyelash Curler

Many people consider luscious, beautiful, thick eyelashes to be a statement of feminine beauty in most cultures all over the world. The belief was enhanced greatly in the 1960’s with the use of mascara.

Eyelash diseases

There are a number of diseases that can affect your eyelashes such as the following:

• Madarosis is the loss of eyelashes
• Blepharitis is the irritation of the lid margin (where eyelashes join the eyelid). The skin often becomes flaky.
• Trichiasis is ingrown eyelashes
• Eyelashes may become infested with crab louse parasites
• An eyelash may become infected and form a stye.

Eyelash transplantation

This procedure was originally developed purely for medical reasons, to help people who have suffered hair loss in this area due to burns, accidents, diseases, genetic defects and numerous cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation. In a little while word went round about this procedure and it became extremely popular. Today it is estimated that as over 80% of eyelash transplants are for cosmetic reasons.

The process involves taking micro-grafts of individual hairs from the back of the scalp – just between 30 and 40 hair follicles and implanting or sewing them into the eyelid. The surgeon will usually remove any excessive dermis, fat or epidermis away from each micro-graft. There is use of local anesthesia on the eyelid and an eye shield is placed over the eye during the procedure to protect the eye. The surgery is complete after each hair has been transplanted allowing the new, permanent health hair follicles to grow and thrive and thus creating natural lush lashes.

How long does it take?

You will discover that there is a lot of detail that is involved in the whole simple but complex procedure. So eyelash transplant surgery will take anywhere between one to three hours and can be performed at the surgeon’s office or in outpatient setting.  You will most likely receive between 20 and 40 hair follicles on each eyelid. For the reason that the new follicles are from the scalp and not the eyelid, these hairs will grow longer, faster, and require trimming or curling. While this may look like an irritating nuisance, the good news is that the new lashes continue to grow permanently.

How long is the recovery period?

On average it will take about one week for the recovery of the eyelash transplant to take place. There will some little discomfort of the eye and the area of the scalp where the follicles were removed from and usually the surgeon will prescribe medication to treat the pain. It is important for patients who receive eyelash transplantation to follow the strict guidelines given by their doctor that will include details of post operative care, such as how to clean the eyelid and the new lashes without damaging the area or causing any harm.

There is likely to be some little bruising and swelling which will settled own in a few days. The stitches binding the new lashes to the eyelid will take a month to dissolve and it is recommended that women avoid or minimize the use of makeup such as mascara, eye shadow and eyeliner for about a week or until the area heals completely. There are sometimes when there may be a need for more than one eyelash transplantation.

Can I be able to afford it?

This medical procedure may not be very affordable to everyone who admires it. You must prepare a nice budget for it since on average it costs about $3,000 per eye. For those who will be seeking the procedure for purely cosmetic and aesthetic reasons, you may as well want to find out from your insurance company if they can cover the costs for you. But then a good research is also good so that you can choose a surgeon who is licensed and certified to do this kind of operation. You may want to see some before and after photographs of some of their patients as well.

Go for the best

As you can already see, an eyelash transplant is a delicate procedure where the main purpose is to restore and replace donor hair into the natural eyelashes. The procedure will usually require a highly skilled team as well as the right instruments or else you are going to end up with poor results and so much of your money having gone into it. Using the wrong technique will not permit the growth of new hair follicles and some cases it could end up destroying the existing ones.

Natural looks, minimal and undetectable scarring and Permanent results!

Finally, a good cosmetic surgeon will vary the density with gender, since females more often than not have a bigger number of eyelashes than males. The other variation will also be on the number of lashes that are implanted in each case according to our differences. The good news is that when it is completed you will get value for your monetary investment. You will regain your natural looks and there will be very minimal scarring if any. The results are not easily detectable and the procedure is permanent.  Some people have called the procedure the best imitation of nature.