What to Do about Thinning Brows

Nothing adds more definition to your eyes and face shape than perfectly made up eyebrows. Brows give clues to your emotions. (Brows up? You're happy! Brows down? You're sad. Brows knitted together? Everyone should probably stay away from you for a while.) Brows also brighten your face and make you look rested.

If your brows are looking a little sparse these days, it could be the natural result of aging. As the hair follicles age, they produce thinner and sparser brows. Changes in your body's hormones can also lead to thinner brows. Or maybe you’ve been overplucking your brows for years to get that pencil-thin look many women wanted once upon a time.

There are several ways to use makeup to emphasize your eyebrows. If you're using an eyebrow pencil, fill in your brows with light, short strokes. Drawing one big dark line across your brow line is going to look harsh and fake. You can also fill in your brows with powder and a brow brush. Same rule applies: light, short strokes, then add more product as needed. Powder gives a softer look than pencils. You can also use a brow mascara to define and color your brows. Use it on your brows just as you would on your eyelashes.

If you want a no-makeup look, try soaping your brows. Rub a spoolie brush or toothbrush lightly along a clear glycerin bar of soap. (Glycerin is gentler on your skin.) Then brush your brows up and into the shape you want. The soap will make them stick that way for the day. You can also use a clear brow gel to shape your brows.

If you want a long-lasting effect, try microblading. Microblading is a bit like a brow tattoo. A technician uses a blade to place pigment under the skin, coloring and filling in your brows to the shape you want. Hairlike strokes are used to mimic the appearance of your own natural brow hairs. You can choose a natural look or a bold look. The procedure is semipermanent and can last for a year or two, but you might want a touchup about every six months, depending on how well your skin holds the pigment. The ink fades faster if you have oily skin. Microblading will not affect the growth of your own natural brows. The whole procedure takes only about an hour. Costs vary widely, from $400 to $2,000.

Eyebrow tinting can also give a longer-lasting effect. A salon technician will use a special eyebrow dye to tint your brows to a darker shade. Be sure to use a gentle cleanser on the brow area to help maintain the tinted effect. The dye will last about 4 weeks. The procedure costs anywhere from $10 to $75.

A technique you might want to check out is brow lamination. This is a relatively new procedure. This chemical process gives your brows a slicked-up look with a high shine. Your salon technician will apply a perming solution and then cover your brows with plastic film. After about 10-15 minutes, the film is removed and your brows are shaped and the hairs combed upward. A setting solution is applied to lock the brow hairs into shape. Lifting the hairs upward can hide small gaps and give you fuller-looking brows. If you like the fluffy eyebrow look many celebrities are sporting, this is perfect for you. A tint can also be applied if you desire darker brows. Lamination lasts about six to eight weeks and costs from $80 to $200.

If your brows need serious help, you might want to consider a surgical solution – a brow transplant. This is performed by a cosmetic surgeon or plastic surgeon and is similar to a hair transplant. Grafts are taken from your scalp, usually from the back of the head or above your ears, and transplanted to the brow area. The follicles are transplanted along with the hairs, which helps to ensure that new hairs are able to grow once the initial transferred ones are shed naturally. It can take several months for the follicles to start producing new hairs, and there’s a chance that the procedure won’t take and new hairs will not be able to be produced. Because this is a surgical procedure, the cost is high – probably at least $5,000.

Supplements can help thicken sparse brows. Try Hair Regeneres™ Softgels from SeroVital® Beauty. This supplement helps regrow thicker and darker eyebrows and combats age-related hair loss.*‡ Bioavailable keratin peptide, in an exclusive^ Chromaviv^TM technology, and crucial nutrients work together to help boost brow growth and help maintain your natural brow color.

Don't let your brows fade away. Keep them looking lush and darker by trying one of these techniques. After all, you want people to be able to read your expressions, right?

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

‡Due to hair loss associated with aging.

^Exclusive license in North America for Hair Regeneres