For eyebrow transplants - what if the hair from the back of your head is grey, will the eyebrows have to be constantly dyed?

Question

My original hair color was dark brown..I am now mostly grey (although I dye it brown every 5 weeks). My thinning eyebrows are also salt and pepper. I have a very full head of hair, albeit grey. Would this process work for me?

Sean Behnam, MD · Answer

Transplanted hair retains its original characteristics. So if your donor hair is curlier, thinner, or a different color, it will be the same once it is transplanted to the new area. If your head is totally gray and there are no colored hairs left, you will either have to dye your eyebrows, live with gray in your brows, or find an alternative treatment plan.

Justin Misko, MD · Answer

The transpanted hair will have the same characteristics as the hair on the donor area. Therefore it will gray as the donor hair does. The good news is the hair in back of scalp is generally late to turn gray. In addition, if/when it does turn gray, they hair can be dyed or colored.

Baubac Hayatdavoudi, MD · Answer

The donor area hair will contain the same genetics when it is transplanted in another region.  There is a phenomenon referred to as recipient area dominance where the transplanted follicles will adapt to their newly transplanted regions by growing longer or shorter, but their color will stay the same.  So if you obtain grafts that are grey, they will grow grey follicles and you would need to dye them to your liking.

Cory Torgerson, MD, PhD, FRCSC - Account Suspended · Answer

An eyebrow transplant works pretty much the same as a head hair transplant procedure would.
After making sure that you are a good candidate for an eyebrow transplant, it is important to determine a donor area that hair can be extracted from. This donor area typically resides along the rear or side regions of the patient’s scalp, the same area that would be used for any hair transplant.If the hair is grey, it will still be grey hair when transplanted. 
Once we have extracted the required amount of hair, we transplant individual follicular units in the desired areas, to restore bald areas and create a natural-looking eyebrow.
  
It is very important that your transplanted hairs for your eyebrows are done in a way that harmonizes well with your eyes. Once we harvest the hair we will also make sure that is implanted at the right angle to replicate original growth.
  
Because the transplanted hair will come from the back of the head, it also requires us to match natural color of the area being transplanted. These hairs will initially grow faster and will require trimming for the 1st year or two.

William Rassman, MD (retired) · Answer

The color of an eyebrow transplant will be the color of the hair from the source. That means that you will have to dye it if you don't like the gray color

For eyebrow transplants - what if the hair from the back of your head is grey, will the eyebrows have to be constantly dyed?

Answers (5)