Is an Eyebrow Transplant Painful?

Most of our San Diego area patients find the procedure very tolerable. Local anesthesia is used to numb both the donor and recipient areas completely, so you should not feel pain during the procedure. Mild tenderness or tightness afterward is normal and can be managed with any over-the-counter pain relief.

How Many Appointments Will I Need?

Most eyebrow transplants are completed in one appointment lasting around four to six hours. For some patients, a follow-up or touch-up session may be recommended a few months later to perfect the density or shape.

How Long Until I See Results?

After completion of the eyebrow transplant procedure, it can take up to a full year to achieve final results. Many patients experience initial growth of the transplant grafts around three months after the procedure. To increase density, a touch-up procedure may be required.

Can I Combine an Eyebrow Transplant with Other Procedures?

Yes, an eyebrow transplant can be combined with our eyelid surgery, facelift, or PRP therapy. During your consultation, Dr. Kolstad will discuss all your options and design a plan that best fits your goals.

What Are the Risks Associated with an Eyebrow Transplant?

Eyebrow transplants carry small risks, such as swelling, bruising, or temporary redness. In rare cases, some grafts may not take, or a minor infection could occur. These issues are uncommon and typically resolve quickly with proper care.

San Diego & La Jolla, CA

Eyebrow Transplant

Name: Kolstad Facial Plastic Surgery
Brand: Kolstad Facial Plastic Surgery
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.8 (95 reviews)

A beautiful young woman with dark hair and a white top posing indoors, with dramatic lighting. Focuses on her cheek and jawline definition.

Eyebrow Transplant San Diego

Eyebrow transplants are one of our fastest growing procedures at Kolstad Hair Restoration. Full, elegantly sculpted eyebrows are now an option for everyone through a surgical procedure that can be performed in the office.

Eyebrows frame the eyes. They convey anger, surprise, emotions, beauty, and youth. An eyebrow transplant is a process of moving hairs from the back of the scalp and placing them into recipient sites created on the face. This procedure is one of the most technically challenging to perform.

Each transplanted hair needs to be placed in a specific orientation and at a consistent density throughout the eyebrow. Dr. Kolstad’s expertise in both hair restoration and facial plastic surgery helps improve aesthetic outcomes and natural appearance results.

Both men and women can lose eyebrows for a variety of reasons. Some common causes include medications, chemotherapy, thyroid disorders, trauma, and burn injuries. Repeated waxing, threading, and plucking can also result in partial or complete loss of eyebrow hair.

Some ethnicities have a genetic tendency toward thin, underdeveloped eyebrows. Regardless of the cause, many patients can experience a significant increase in eyebrow density through the process of eyebrow transplant.

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What is an Eyebrow Transplant?

At Kolstad Hair Restoration in San Diego, we offer both FUT and FUE eyebrow transplants. The difference between the two procedures is how the hair grafts are removed from the back of the head. FUT refers to the process of removing a strip of scalp in the back of the head to obtain the grafts. Using state-of-the-art Neograft technology, hair grafts can also be removed one at a time during an FUE procedure.

Eyebrow transplants can be used to add volume to areas of thinning or to create an eyebrow that was lost completely. An important concept of eyebrow transplants is that hair grafts borrowed from the back of the scalp will continue to grow long and quickly.

Most people will need to trim the transplant brow hairs every 2 weeks to keep them from growing too long. Sometimes the transplanted hairs will need to be sculpted using conditioner to help them lie flat against the skin.

Eyebrow transplants typically require 150 to 700 hair grafts per eyebrow. The number of grafts depends on the density already present as well as the length and width of the desired eyebrow. We do not charge per graft; we prefer set pricing for eyebrow transplants.

What Is The Ideal Eyebrow Shape?

Artistry of Eyebrow Creation

More than any other feature on the face, the shape, thickness, and position of the eyebrow are altered according to trends. The goal of an eyebrow transplant is to create a youthful eyebrow based on principles of normal human anatomy rather than fashionable trends. There is never one eyebrow shape for every face, but general rules apply to creating a youthful brow.

Anatomy

1. The medial origin of the eyebrow should be in the same vertical line as the nostril and medial canthus (inner corner of the eyelid).

2. The highest point of the eyebrow arch should be at a line above the lateral limbus of the cornea (2-3 mm away from the outer edge of the iris).

3. The eyebrow should end at an oblique line connecting with the nostril and the lateral canthus (outer edge of the eyelid). The height of the inner and outer brow should be in a similar vertical plane.

Artistry

Ignoring rule 1 and placing the eyebrow closer to the middle can make the nose appear narrower.
The peak and curvature of the eyebrow depend on face shape and ethnicity. Many people of Asian descent have naturally higher eyebrows, and some ethnicities have eyebrows with very sharp peaks. For many faces, a straighter brow is more youthful and more elegant.

What Are the Benefits of an Eyebrow Transplant?

Eyebrow transplants create a natural, permanent solution for thin or patchy brows. The results look and feel completely real because they use your own hair follicles. Patients love that they can achieve a fuller, more defined shape without the daily hassle of pencils or gels.

Our eyebrow transplant is designed to restore symmetry, enhance facial balance, and help our clients look refreshed.

Why Choose Dr. Kolstad?

Dr. Christopher Kolstad is a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon and a proud member of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS).

Known across San Diego for his natural-looking results, Dr. Kolstad combines advanced hair restoration techniques with an artistic eye for facial balance and detail. Every eyebrow transplant he performs is carefully tailored to match your features, ensuring your results enhance your appearance without ever looking artificial.

Who Are the Best Candidates For an Eyebrow Transplant?

The best candidates are men and women with thinning or missing eyebrows due to overplucking, genetics, aging, or injury. You should have enough donor hair on the scalp, usually at the back of the head, for the transplant.

Dr. Kolstad will evaluate your goals and natural features to create a plan that complements your face and restores a youthful, natural look.

What’s the First Step?

Your Eyebrow Transplant Journey with Dr. Kolstad

Customize your rhinoplasty!

Your first step is to schedule a consultation with Dr. Kolstad at his San Diego office.

During your appointment, he will assess your current brow shape, skin, and hair growth, and discuss your goals in detail. You will work together to design a brow shape that suits your features and looks natural.

Dr. Kolstad will then outline the procedure, recovery, and your expected results.

What to Expect on the Day of an Eyebrow Transplant

On the day of your eyebrow transplant, you should plan for around four to six hours to complete the surgery. You will be awake throughout the procedure.

The process begins with Dr. Kolstad marking your eyebrows to indicate the placement and orientation of the grafts. You will have a chance to review the eyebrows to confirm the direction and orientation. Some patients prefer to draw in their own eyebrows.

The donor site area on the back of the scalp is trimmed very close to the skin. Hair from the nape of the neck is softer, thinner, and more closely related to eyebrow hairs. Depending on your preferences and the number of grafts required, donor hair will be removed using the FUT or FUE technique.

Dr. Kolstad will numb the back of your head to ensure you are not in discomfort during the extraction. Using the Neograft, hair follicles will be removed one at a time. The graft extraction process can take 2-4 hours to complete.

The most common feedback we receive is that lying prone (on your stomach) for a long duration can become tiring. You can get up, stretch, go to the bathroom, and move around at any time during the day.

After the grafts are removed, most patients take a break for lunch. Dr. Kolstad inspects the hair grafts to ensure they meet the criteria for insertion. Damaged or poor-quality grafts are discarded.

Small needles are used to create insertion points in the eyebrow skin. The needle is beveled in the same orientation as the surrounding hairs to ensure parallel hair shaft growth. One at a time, the hair grafts are placed into the skin where the brow will be. A pressure dressing is placed over the donor site, and the post-procedure instructions are reviewed.

How Long Does It Take To Recover From Eyebrow Transplant Surgery?

The longer hair above the donor site easily covers the extraction sites. It takes about a week for the extraction sites to heal without crusting. The eyebrow grafts will have a small amount of scabbing present for about 7-10 days.

Dr. Kolstad removes the pressure dressing one or two days after the surgery. He will inspect the healing and review the after-care instructions. Out-of-town patients are recommended to spend at least one day in San Diego following their procedure before departing on a flight home. Most of our patients take a week off from work to recover from the procedure for cosmetic reasons.

How Much Does an Eyebrow Transplant Cost in San Diego, CA?

The cost of an eyebrow transplant in San Diego depends on the extent of restoration and the number of grafts needed to achieve your desired results.

During your consultation at Kolstad Facial Plastic Surgery, Dr. Kolstad will create a customized treatment plan and provide a detailed quote based on your individual goals.