Full, beautiful eyebrows are something many women desire, but can't always successfully achieve (see Lena Dunham in the "Girls" episode "Hannah's Diary.") Now, instead of filling in sparse, overtweezed areas with a pencil or powder, some ladies are taking drastic measures and getting eyebrow transplants. Thanks to what some are calling the Cara Delevingne effect-the British model known for her high impact brows-ladies (and even some men) are flocking to hair restoration doctors for a permanent fix.

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"It's not the most common procedure, but there's been 20% increase in interest in eyebrow transplants over the last few years," says Audrey Matney, the practice manager of Yael Halaas M.D. In New York City. Full brows may not have replaced full busts on women's cosmetic surgery wish lists, but after several years of thick statement eyebrows on the runways, in fashion magazines, and in beauty ads, doctors are seeing an upswing in clients. If the surgery gets you one step closer to looking like Brooke Shields, Audrey Hepburn, or Lily Collins, why not investigate? Matney said that many people are coming in to learn about the relatively new procedure, and that their office performs several eyebrow transplants each month. For comparison, their most popular procedure is a transplant for receding hairline, and they complete around 30 to 50 operations each month. "Everybody is really different in terms of what they're looking for and when they're scheduling the [eyebrow transplant] procedures, but everyone leaves very pleased with the result."

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Matney confirms, the majority of people seeking transplants are women in their 20s, 30s, and 40s who have overplucked their brows. "We get some men, we do a lot of Asian brows, and people who have had their brows tattooed and don't like the look anymore," says Matney. You can completely cover the tattoo using hair." Matley says if you have thin, patchy, or over tweezed brows you are a great candidate for brow transplants. Those with very light brows won't get the results they're looking for. "This is not going to make hair darker. For a fuller look, there has to be a place in between the follicles to comfortably fit and continuously grow hair."

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Eyebrow transplants with Dr. Halaas cost between $1,000 to $10,000 depending on how many hair grafts you need and the method of hair removal. A traditional strip method removed a small strip of hair from the back of your head and will leave a thin line scar. A more costly method extracts hairs from the root one by one to leave no scaring. Matney says "some clients need 200 hairs to fill out their brows, while some need 700" as it depends on the individuals hair color, thickness, and the shape of the brow. "Technicians use an extremely artistic approach, placing the follicles in just the right angle," says Matney. "It's essential for doctors to have finesse and a real expertise in transplants." The procedure can take anywhere from two to eight hours.

When you leave the office you will have hair follicles there, but they'll fall out and grow back. Matney equates this to "a fish out of water"-the follicle root needs to reattach. For the first seven to 10 days you'll see some tiny scabs, redness, and bruising, and you may experience headaches, but supposedly nothing some extra strength Tylenol can't fix. You should avoid the gym for a week as well as letting the shower stream hit your face. Since this hair grows faster and longer than normal brow hair, you'll need to trim it-unless of course you want to enter Guinness for the world's longest brows. But around three months later you'll have the full eyebrows you've always (or perhaps only just recently) wanted.

To achieve thick brows in a less extreme way, drugstore and department store items can provide a temporary fix. Brow powders and pencils are easy to apply-just buy them one shade lighter than your natural color. Brow markers are less scary than they sound, as they're light and ideal for layering on the desired amount of color. Tinted brow gels can thicken and intensify your brows while grooming them into shape. To darken your brows, head to a local salon for temporary brow tinting.

For info on how to grow out your eyebrows, check out the video below:





Related links:

Brow Rehab: Reshape Your Eyebrows

5 Steps to Perfect Eyebrows

Get Fuller Brows with These Tips