TAKING SHAPE SURGICAL PROCEDURE RESTORES WOMEN'S EYEBROWS DAMAGED BY TWEEZING, WAXING, SHAVING.

Byline: SEMHAR DEBESSAI

>LA.COM 

Thin is no longer in. And that was a problem for Leone Izumi.

"For many years, since the age of 13, I used to tweeze my eyebrows -- and wax them and shave them," said the 43-year-old owner of Leone Mosaique Beauty Salon in Beverly Hills. "I actually had very nice eyebrows, but over a period of time, the hair stopped growing."

First, Izumi tried penciling the missing eyebrows in, but the daily task was time-consuming. She considered tattooing, but she never saw a tattooed eyebrow that looked completely natural.

Then Izumi's boyfriend introduced her to Dr. Edwin Suddleson, assistant medical director of Bosley in Beverly Hills.

Now Izumi loves her brows. They're perfectly shaped and much fuller than the ones she had before. And best of all, no one can tell they're transplants.

Izumi is just one of many satisfied customers who have recently taken advantage of the advances in hair-growth technology to achieve a fuller, more natural brow line.

Follicular Unit Transplantation has been around for years to fill in the balding areas atop the heads of men and women alike. But more recently, demand for the same hair restoration for the brow line has risen, according to Bosley medical director Dr. Ken Washenik.

Driving the trend are the thick, natural-looking brows on famous faces, from Jessica Alba to Sandra Bullock.

"Back in the '90s, people would come in (for a transplant to cover) an injury or scar," says Washenik, who also serves as a faculty member at NYU's Dermatology Department. "Now, as cosmetic surgery has become popular, the fashion has been to correct the effects of years of severe plucking."

To some, the surgery may seem drastic, involving a small incision at the back of the head and follicle implantation that can lead to scabs lasting weeks. To others, it's just another entry in the how-to guide for proper vanity.

"I'm pretty obsessed with the shape of the eyebrows," Izumi admits, explaining that as a hair stylist and beauty expert, it's her business to be obsessed with such things.

And she's hardly alone. Pages and pages of women's magazines have been dedicated to addressing the space above our eyelids. These days, the impeccably shaped brows on that cover model are as highly coveted as her Jimmy Choo shoes.

Natalie Plain, the 33-year-old owner of Billion Dollar Brows salon in Beverly Hills, recalls her own brow-grooming experiences as a young girl.

"My mom used to take me to Beverly Hills to get mine done," says Plain, who has always had naturally thick eyebrows, a popular look in contrast to the dramatically thin and drawn-in spider legs of earlier decades.

It's a popular notion in the world of beauty that properly groomed brows enhance features and can even change the symmetry of a face. Not so obvious is the fact that follicles can become traumatized when subjected to years and years of excessive self-grooming.

"Sooner or later, if you pluck enough times, they often don't grow back anymore," says Washenik.

Thankfully, today's hair restoration techniques are not the artificial-looking plugs of years passed.

During the two- to three-hour outpatient procedure, individual hair follicles are taken from a location where there's an abundance of hair growth (typically the side of the scalp) and, after being dissected and trimmed under a microscope, are placed in tiny holes poked into the brow area. (Picture planting a tree into the ground.)

Washenik puts heavy emphasis on the "individual" part. While some plastic surgery procedures adopt the method of removing a larger portion of hair at once, the removal of follicles "one by one" is what enables a natural look, he says.

With all this hair pulling, one may liken the process to a form of cruel and unusual punishment. But doctors insist the pain is minimal, and patients seem to confirm that claim. A local anesthesia administered to the brow and area of the scalp where hair is retrieved certainly helps.

"The only pain I felt was itchiness (around the donor area) on the second day," Izumi says.

Last month, Rocio Ramirez checked in for her surgery at Bosley. She is now starting to see new hairs and looks forward to getting to the three-month benchmark her doctor gave her to see full growth.

For Ramirez, 45, it was a procedure she believed "would change my whole world."

More than just a victim of overplucking, Ramirez was told by her doctor that the six surgeries she undertook to treat her fibroid growth likely contributed to the dwindling hair along her brow line.

For others, genetics play a factor in the lightness and thickness (or overall presence) of eyebrows.

With the procedure costing upward of $5,000, some brow enthusiasts may have to opt for less-costly camouflaging techniques such as long bangs or oversize sunglasses as they save their pennies.

Though it's too early to know for sure, doctors claim that virtually all transplanted eyebrow hair lasts a lifetime (with a small percentage potentially lost with age).

"If there's one thing I know, it's that hair wants to grow," says Washenik.

Semhar Debessai, [phone],

[e-mail]

Creating perfect brows - with a little cosmetic assistance

The constant attention and inquiries from other women about her brow-grooming techniques inspired Natalie Plain to leave her job as a TV writer and start her own business, Billion Dollar Brows, giving a boost to brows -- and confidence -- while appealing to the cost-conscious.

At her barely year-old salon in Beverly Hills, trained technicians not only carefully treat but teach clients to ensure long-lasting results.

Using protein- and vitamin-enriched products, as well as some eye-makeup application techniques, "We show them how they can have a natural, thick brow," says Plain.

So you can go the pros, or just look like you do with products available at Plain's salon and online at www.billiondollarbrows.com.

>S.D.

CAPTION(S):

13 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- cover) ARCH RIVALS

SURGICAL PROCEDURES CAN RESTORE ABUSED EYEBROWS TO THEIR FORMER GLORY

(2 -- color) no caption (woman's eyebrow)

(3 -- 4 -- color) Rocio Ramirez had a hair-transplant procedure done on her brows, which were likely affected by her six surgeries to treat her fibroid growth.

(5 -- color) BROW BOOST

$19.95

A deep-conditioning treatment designed to help restore thin, over-plucked and undernourished eyebrows.

(6 -- color) BROW BABE KIT $39.95

Includes Brow Boost, Brow Powder and Brow Gel. The brow powder enhances your brow line and gives a natural finish. Lock in the look with Brow Gel.

(7 -- color) 3 STEPS TO BEAUTIFUL BROWS KIT

$36.95

Includes the Universal Brow Pencil, Brow Boost and Brow Gel. The pencil is formulated to work with all skin tones and hair colors.

Before & After

(8 -- 9 -- color) Leone Izumi

(10 -- 11 -- color) Kelly Becker

(12 -- 13 -- color) Tara

Patient photos courtesy of Bosley

Box:

Creating perfect brows - with a little cosmetic assistance (see text)