Short on time? Poosh here for the summary.
Once upon a time, I had full, thick eyebrows. Granted, they always grew down and were a bit unruly, but they were full.
I was five.
As a child of the ’90s, I began to pluck them away, one glorious hair at a time. By 1996, I had pencil-thin brows, which were the trend of the times, thanks to Kate Moss’s iconic look featuring her skinny brows.
Then came the eyebrow piercing—horrible choice. The hairs at the piercing site fell out and never returned. Many of my plucked hairs never grew back either, so after years of trying growth potions and finally resorting to microblading (not for me—left a pinkish undertone on my skin that I have to this day), I was about to give up and pray to the heavens for skinny brows to come back in style. Then, a friend told me about a recent procedure she had done—an eyebrow transplant.
Interest piqued.
The procedure was done by Dr. Jason Champagne, LA’s premiere eyebrow transplant expert, who happens to work in the same office as friend-of-Poosh Dr. Jason Diamond. I immediately booked a consultation.
The good news: Eyebrow transplants are relatively simple with little downtime and highly effective results.
The bad news: In my quest for fuller brows, I had succumbed to the microblading trend, leaving scar tissue that could hinder the growth of the transplant hair. Dr. Champagne explained that about two to three weeks post-transplant, all of the newly inserted brow hairs fall out, and new growth normally blossoms at approximately four months. But because of the scar tissue, I would likely have slightly less growth than someone who hadn’t done microblading.
He also explained the procedure itself. He’d take a thin layer of hair from the back of my head and stitch that area so even my haircutter wouldn’t miss the strands. The stitches would be removed within 10 to 12 days. I’d have to sleep sitting up for two to three nights due to the incision in the back of my head and the new hair on my eyebrows. Honestly, this was the most annoying part of the entire process. After two weeks, the newly implanted hairs would begin to fall out, and I wouldn’t be able to touch the brow area or use any creams, moisturizers, or brow products that would clog the new follicles.
In about four months, the new, permanent hair growth would begin and culminate at six months with real hair from the back of my head becoming my new brow hair. Since the new hairs come from my scalp, Dr. Champagne said that I’d likely need to trim them once or twice a week, so they don’t grow longer than my existing brow hairs. And let me tell you, the hair on my head grows realllll fast. I trim my brows about three times a week. On safari in Africa, while camping in a tent, I still managed to use a seven-step skincare routine and trim my brows. Priorities.
So that was the process—not too bad and definitely worth it for a lifetime of thick arches. Even 75% more hair growth than my current brows was a win for me, so I quickly decided to set a date.
The morning of the procedure, Dr. Champagne and his team of nurses made me very comfortable with a lidocaine shot and a Valium. Then Dr. Champagne took a very thin line of hair from the back of my head, cutting below the root.
Next, Dr. Champagne made tiny little punctures in my brows and inserted the hair and follicle into the minuscule holes. It’s a tedious process that requires precision and patience, so I dozed in and out of sleep (thanks to the sedative meds), listened to a podcast, stayed still so as to not disrupt their work, and after about six-ish hours, the procedure was complete.
I looked in the mirror and, for the first time since my pre-teens, I had full AF brows. Gorgeously shaped, too. Dr. Champagne had drawn the arch to my approval prior to hair placement, ofc.
I was immediately obsessed. But I also knew that once the hair fell out, there was no telling how much regrowth I’d have. At this point, it was a waiting game.
After the hairs fell out and new growth sprouted, I was so impressed with how full my brows stayed, even with the terrible effects of microblading. Sure, they weren’t as thick and full as immediately following the procedure. But I was expecting 75% growth at best, and I definitely had more significant growth (I’d say 80%, but I didn’t count each strand).
Two years later, I am still so in love with my brows. There isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not ecstatic I went through the procedure. Full brows provide better framing for my eyes and make my face seem more youthful.
When I look in the mirror, I’m no longer bummed about the random bald patches that won’t grow or the leftover pinkish microblading color that has permanently tinted my skin. Now, I have hairs to cover up that disaster.
But the best benefit?
My fuller arches give me more confidence, as if I have redeemed my teenage mistakes. The fact that I was tweezer-happy and trying my best to follow trends should not have to be a regret I live with—and it no longer is. Getting any sort of elective procedure should be about how it makes you feel, and I feel fantastic with my choice.
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TL;DR
I got a brow transplant, a relatively simple and painless procedure where hair strands from the back of my head were removed and implanted into the sparse areas of my brows. I love it, and I swear it's made my face look younger. Thank you to Dr. Champagne for making my dream of fuller brows a reality!
