Let’s talk about eyebrows. These little patches of hair help your eyes to be free from sweat, water, and other debris. When they’re not keeping our eyes clean, eyebrows help to communicate emotions by adding emphasis to facial expressions. This is why eyebrow grooming is often a part of our routine.

Eyebrows that are lush and thick communicate youthfulness and health. Likewise, brows that are thin and sporadic can convey an aging, unhealthy appearance. Some people are gifted with full, seemingly immortal eyebrows. This is entirely genetic and heavily influenced by ethnicity. For example, middle-easterners tend to have very thick eyebrows that help to protect their eyes from the scorching sun. This genetic feature can be attributed to living in arid environments for thousands of years.

Brows and Aging

Our DNA changes with age. Our cells can only replicate a certain number of times and each time they replicate they change ever so slightly. You may notice in people around you or as you age those brow hairs can lose pigment, become thicker, longer or sparse.

Note: If you notice the outer edges of your eyebrows falling out or becoming thinner you may want to get your thyroid checked for hyperthyroidism.

You may enjoy reading one of my previous posts on possible skin reactions from waxing.

Topical Treatments to Stimulate Eyebrow Growth

RevitaBrow® 

3mL for $110, 4-month supply. One of many eyebrow growth serums. It contains saw palmetto, biotin, peptides, ginseng, and a prostaglandin-like compound named Dechloro Dihydroxy Difluoro Ethylcloprostenolamide to promote hair growth.

GrandeBROW 3mL for $70, 4-month supply. It has hydrating ingredients, nutrients, ginseng, antioxidants, and l-proline (an amino acid).

Note: It’s possible that these ingredients, especially the plant extracts, create a synergistic effect that promotes hair growth.

Rogaine  360mL for $25, 6-month supply. It has been suggested that using the women’s version (2% minoxidil) or men’s (5%) with a Q-tip on a daily basis for, at least 3 months, might encourage hair growth. You may take a deeper dive into the effects of Minoxidil from my previous post. If you do see an increase in growth, then you will need to continue using it indefinitely to maintain these effects.

Latisse 3-5mL for $120 – $140 for 30-day supply. Latisse is available only by prescription and has not been FDA approved for eyebrows, only lashes. It is also known as bimatoprost and was originally used as s drug to treat glaucoma.

Supplements for Eyebrow Growth

Viviscal is recommended as an internal supplement to encourage hair growth. It contains a drug-free marine complex called AminoMar® which tries to resemble the Scandinavian fish and protein-rich diet.  

Brow Transplants

This does not seem to be a popular procedure. Basically, a medical professional surgically takes hair from the back of your head where it’s the densest and implants them into your eyebrow area. The biggest problem with this is that the new hair continues to grow the way it does on the back of your head. You would have to constantly trim the implanted brow hair which doesn’t sound fun.

In general, there are three ways to achieve more aesthetic eyebrows: grooming, hair growth stimulation, and pigment-based fillers. Stay tuned for my next Freckle post where I discuss brow tattooing and microblading.

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