Update May 31, 2022:
Six months after the transplant procedure, Teigen posted an update showing the status of her eyebrows today—full and bushy, with more than a few extra-long hairs ready to be trimmed. “Blessing and a curse, this eyebrow procedure. 10/10 would do again lol,” she captioned the post.
This story was originally published November 23, 2021.
Chrissy Teigen is well known for her unfiltered social media presence, and that includes candidly sharing her cosmetic procedures with her 36 million Instagram followers. Last year, she posted a photo of her breast implant scars; in September, she spoke about undergoing buccal fat removal, to slim her cheeks. Her latest treatment? An eyebrow transplant. Over the weekend, the 35-year-old shared a trio of Instagram stories showing off the results of the procedure, during which hair follicles are taken from the back of the head and surgically placed into the eyebrow.
Eyebrow transplants are a permanent and natural-looking solution for those with thinning or absent brows due to hair loss from a medical condition or, in Teigen’s case, overplucking. Those with scarring, naturally thin or short eyebrows, or those who simply want fuller brows as an aesthetic preference can also be candidates, says Dr. Gary Linkov, a board-certified facial plastic surgeon in New York City. During the procedure, which has a 95% Worth It Rating among RealSelf members and an average cost of $4,450, the surgeon typically places 50 to 350-plus hairs per eyebrow while the patient is under local anesthesia and oral sedation. There is little to no downtime post-op, but full results usually take up to a year to see.
“Once the transplanted hairs start to grow the results are permanent, although occasionally a touch-up procedure is needed 10 to 12 months later to add fullness to any areas where some hairs may not have grown in,” explains Dr. Linkov. He adds that as long as patients understand that, most are very happy with the procedure, and that the three-dimensional, natural-looking results it yields are unparalleled.
Teigen captioned her first story: “I never wear makeup so I was excited for this eyebrow transplant surgery where they take hairs from the back of your head!!” She tagged Beverly Hills, California, board-certified facial plastic surgeons Dr. Jason Diamond and Dr. Jason Champagne; Dr. Diamond also performed Teigen’s buccal fat removal. In a second slide, she showcased a more candid photo of the results, saying her brows look “so cool,” with the caption, “This is right after surgery!! Crazy!!” Her final story came with a word of advice, warning teens not to pluck off their entire eyebrows, like she did.
Dr. Diamond shared Teigen’s story on his own Instagram account, along with a caption detailing the benefits of an eyebrow transplant. “Eyebrows play a huge part in the facial aesthetic. They frame the eyes and can either be an asset to the eyes or the annoying part of your morning you have to spend 10 minutes filling in. I know too many people, entire generations, who either overplucked brows as part of the trend or are simply experiencing eyebrow thinning with time. #EyebrowTransplantation is a procedure where we mutually agree on shape, density, etc., and skill takes it from there,” he wrote.
