One hair at a time
Eyebrow transplant in Istanbul
Rebuild thin, over-plucked or scarred brows with single hairs moved from your scalp. Your surgeon plans the angle and direction of the grafts, so the hairs can lie flat and follow the shape of a natural brow.
i
- Graft type
- Single hairs only
- Grafts per brow
- About 150–400
- Crusts
- About 7–10 days
- Most of the result
- About 12 months
Is it right for you?
Who it suits
- Brows thinned by years of plucking, threading or waxing that have not grown back.
- Gaps or scars in the brow from an injury, a burn or surgery.
- Brows that have always been sparse, short or uneven.
- People who are happy to trim their brows regularly.
Who should wait, or choose something else
- Patchy brow loss from alopecia areata that is active or keeps coming back.
- Hair pulling that is hard to stop (trichotillomania); getting support for it comes first.
- Brow loss from a scarring condition, such as frontal fibrosing alopecia, while it is active.
- Brows that thinned for no clear reason, until a doctor has checked for causes such as a thyroid problem.
- Anyone expecting the crisp, filled-in look of a brow tattoo.
Not sure what you need?
Send four photos. Our lead surgeon replies with your plan, a graft estimate and the full price, in writing.
Free, no obligation
What is an eyebrow transplant?
An eyebrow transplant moves single hairs from your scalp to your brows. Each graft holds one hair root, because natural brow hairs grow one at a time. Hair from the back of the scalp usually keeps growing for life, so the new brow hairs stay once they have grown in.
People choose it after years of plucking, threading or waxing, after an injury or burn, or because their brows have always been sparse. It is different from microblading or a brow tattoo. Those add colour to the skin; a transplant adds real hair that you can shape, trim and brush.
Why direction and angle matter
Natural brow hairs lie almost flat against the skin, and their direction changes along the brow. Near the nose they point upwards, and at the tail they point outwards and slightly down. In between, the upper hairs point outwards and slightly down, and the lower hairs outwards and slightly up. The two rows meet in a soft line along the middle.
Single hairs only. Each graft holds one fine hair, set almost flat to the skin in the direction your brow grows.
A transplant only looks natural if every graft follows this pattern. Hairs placed too upright stick out from the skin, and hairs facing the wrong way catch the light differently. That is why your surgeon plans each channel at a very low angle and in the right direction, and checks the work as the grafts go in.
How many grafts you may need
The number depends on how much hair is missing and how full you want your brows to be. Filling a small gap or a scar may need fewer than 100 grafts per brow. Rebuilding most of a brow usually needs a few hundred, often around 150–400 per side. Our graft calculator is built for scalp hair loss, so send close-up photos of your brows for your free plan instead.
Your surgeon chooses the finest single hairs from the back of your scalp, sometimes from just above the neck, where hairs are naturally finer. Usually only a small area needs to be trimmed. If your hair is longer, the hair above it usually covers this area while it grows back.
Transplanted hairs behave like scalp hair
This is easy to underestimate. Transplanted hairs keep the growth cycle of the scalp hair they came from, so they do not stop at brow length. You will need to trim them regularly for as long as they grow. Some hairs may also need a little brow gel to lie in the right direction, especially in the first months.
Brow fashions change, but a transplant usually lasts. A natural, slightly soft shape usually ages better than a very bold or sharp one. Your surgeon will tell you honestly if the shape you want may look out of place in 10 years.
Before you decide
The most important question is why your brows thinned. Over-plucking and scars are usually good reasons to consider a transplant. Thinning that appears without a clear reason can have a medical cause, such as a thyroid problem or a skin condition. In that case, a doctor or dermatologist should check you first, because treating the cause may let the hair come back.
Alopecia areata, where the immune system causes patchy hair loss, can attack transplanted hairs in the same way. A dermatologist should treat it first, and surgery is only considered after a long, stable period. Scarring conditions such as frontal fibrosing alopecia are similar. A transplant is not done while the condition is active, and results are less predictable even when it is stable.
If you pull out your brow hairs and find it hard to stop, you are not alone. This is called trichotillomania, and it is a recognised, treatable condition. A transplant would not help yet, because the new hairs would be at the same risk.
A family doctor, a dermatologist or a therapist who specialises in hair pulling can help. Once the pulling has been under control for some time, we are glad to look at your brows again.
Results and recovery
Expect some swelling around the brows for a few days, which can spread down towards the eyelids. Tiny crusts form around each graft and usually fall off within 7–10 days. Do not pick them, and follow your aftercare plan for washing and make-up.
Most transplanted hairs shed within the first few weeks. The roots stay, rest, and start growing new hairs from about month 3–4. Most of the result usually shows by about 12 months, and our recovery timeline shows the stages in between.
Risks and side effects
Swelling, redness and temporary numbness are common and settle on their own. Less often, people get small spots (folliculitis) or ingrown hairs as the new hairs come through. Infection is rare.
The problems that spoil a result are usually hairs at the wrong angle, an unnatural shape or patchy growth. Some grafts may not grow, especially in scar tissue. A careful design, low angles and single-hair grafts reduce these risks.
Before choosing any clinic, ask to see dated, consented eyebrow results. Our guide on how to choose a clinic lists the other questions to ask, including who does each step.
What it costs
An eyebrow transplant is not one of our fixed packages, because plans vary a lot in size. You get a full written price with your free plan. To see how our packages work, visit our prices page.
Sources
How it works, step by step
Photos and history
Send close-up photos of your brows and a photo of the back of your head. Tell us about past plucking, skin conditions or brow tattoos.
Brow design
Your surgeon draws the shape with you at the mirror, based on your face, your own brows and what you like. You agree it before anything starts.
Taking out single hairs
Under local anaesthetic, fine single-hair grafts are taken out from the back of your scalp; your surgeon takes out grafts personally. Usually only a small area needs trimming.
Setting the angle
Each tiny channel is opened almost flat to the skin, in the direction your brow grows at that point, as your surgeon plans. An experienced technician team then places the grafts under your surgeon’s direction.
Healing and regrowth
Small crusts fall off in about 7–10 days. Most new hairs shed in the first weeks and regrow from about month 3–4.
Trimming and follow-up
Once the hairs grow, you trim them regularly. You send photos at 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months for your surgeon to review.
Questions
Questions about Eyebrow transplant
How often will I need to trim my eyebrows?
Usually every 1–2 weeks once the hairs have grown in. Transplanted hairs keep the long growth cycle of scalp hair, so they grow longer than natural brow hairs. Small scissors or a brow trimmer are all you need.
Will the hairs grow in the right direction?
Your surgeon plans the angle and direction of the grafts to follow your brow. In the first months, some hairs may grow a little upright or curl, and brow gel usually trains them. If a few hairs still grow the wrong way, tell your surgeon at your follow-up.
Can I have an eyebrow transplant if I have microblading or a brow tattoo?
Often, yes, but tell us before your assessment. Pigment can make it harder to judge your brow shape and the angle of your own hairs. Your surgeon will look at your photos and tell you if anything should change first.
When can I wear make-up again?
Not on or near your brows until the crusts have gone and your surgeon agrees, often after about 2 weeks. Your aftercare plan gives the exact timing for you.
Will I need a second session?
Some people do. A small second session can add density or refine the shape. It is planned only after the first result has fully grown, usually about a year later.
Is Eyebrow transplant right for you?
Send four photos. Our lead surgeon replies with your plan, graft estimate and full price, usually within 24 hours. Free, and you are not committing to anything.
Like any surgery, a hair transplant has risks. They include infection, scarring, shock loss and grafts that grow poorly. Read about the risks