Preparing for an Eyebrow Transplant: Brow Design Consultation, What to Pause and the Day Before

She has a small photograph folded in her wallet: herself at nineteen, brows full and slightly unruly, taken before the years of over-plucking and, later, the thyroid trouble that thinned what was left. Now she draws them on each morning, and the pencil never quite matches the real thing. The appointment is booked. What she wants to know is not whether the surgery exists, but what the next few weeks are supposed to look like.

That is where eyebrow transplant preparation earns its attention. The operation itself is a few hours of careful, repetitive work under local anesthetic. The decisions that shape how it turns out, and how smoothly the recovery goes, happen earlier: at the drawing board of the design consultation, in the conversation about which medicines or supplements might need a pause, and in the unglamorous choices about smoking, sun and sleep in the days before.

This explainer walks through each of those steps as the mainstream evidence describes them, and leaves every clinical decision where it belongs, with the team who will hold the needle.

What actually happens during an eyebrow transplant?

An eyebrow transplant is a hair transplant scaled down and turned sideways. Small groups of hair, called follicular units (the natural bundles of one to four hairs that grow together from the skin), are removed from a donor area, usually the back or sides of the scalp, and placed one by one into tiny openings made along the brow.

Two harvesting methods exist. Follicular unit excision, often shortened to FUE, removes each unit individually with a small punch, leaving dot-like marks that fade into the surrounding hair. Follicular unit transplantation, or FUT, removes a narrow strip of scalp and divides it under magnification, leaving a thin linear scar. MedlinePlus describes both as outpatient procedures performed under local anesthetic, meaning the skin is numbed while you stay awake.

Brows differ from scalp in three ways that shape the surgery. First, the hairs must lie almost flat; brow hair exits the skin at a very shallow angle, so the surgeon makes each opening at a low pitch rather than the more upright angle used on the scalp. Second, direction changes across the brow: hairs near the nose often point upward, hairs along the top edge angle down and outward, and the tail sweeps toward the temple. Third, single-hair units are preferred, because a two- or three-hair cluster in a brow looks like a tuft.

The transplanted hairs keep the growth habits of their scalp origin. MedlinePlus notes that transplanted hair usually sheds within about six weeks and new growth appears over the following months. Because scalp hair has a longer growth phase than native brow hair, the new hairs will need regular trimming, sometimes for life. Some patients report the growth pattern settles closer to brow behavior over time, but the evidence for that is mostly observational, and your team should frame it as a possibility rather than a promise.

Who is eyebrow transplant preparation usually for, and who is asked to wait?

Surgeons generally consider the procedure for brows thinned by a stable, non-inflammatory cause. The most common stories are over-plucking or waxing that never recovered, thinning that comes with age or thyroid disease once the hormone levels are treated, scars from injury, burns or previous surgery, and brows that were always sparse at the tail.

The word that matters most is stable. A transplant moves hair; it does not stop a disease that is destroying follicles. Mayo Clinic groups hair loss into hereditary, hormonal, autoimmune and scarring types, and the last two are the ones that most often prompt a pause. Alopecia areata, an autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks hair follicles, can affect brows in patches and often flares and remits unpredictably. Frontal fibrosing alopecia, a scarring condition that typically thins the brows and hairline and is more common in postmenopausal women, destroys follicles permanently while it is active. In both, grafts placed into inflamed skin may fail, so teams usually ask for documented quiet periods first, often confirmed by a dermatologist.

Other reasons a team may suggest waiting include trichotillomania (a repetitive hair-pulling behavior) that is not yet under control, since pulling would remove the new grafts; recent brow tattooing or microblading, because pigment and scar tissue change the skin the grafts go into; uncontrolled diabetes or a bleeding disorder; active skin infection or severe seborrheic dermatitis around the brows; and a recent course of isotretinoin, which some surgeons prefer to see finished well before elective skin surgery. Pregnancy and breastfeeding are usually reasons to postpone elective procedures under local anesthetic.

None of these is a permanent no. They are reasons to let the treating team gather more information before anyone commits to the design chair.

What happens at a brow design consultation?

The design consultation is the part of eyebrow transplant preparation most people underestimate. It is where the surgery is effectively decided, hair by hair, before a single graft is moved.

Expect a medical history first: what caused the loss, when it stabilized, any autoimmune or thyroid diagnoses, medicines and supplements, allergies, bleeding history, past scars that healed thick or raised, and any prior brow tattooing. Bring old photographs. A surgeon cannot see what your brows looked like at twenty unless you show them, and a photograph anchors the design in your face rather than in a fashion.

Then comes the drawing. Most surgeons sketch directly on the skin with a fine pencil, working with you in front of a mirror and often at rest and with expression, because the brow moves. Three landmarks are usually discussed: the head of the brow near the nose, the peak or arch, and the tail. Facial proportion guides these, but so does the asymmetry that every face has; a design that ignores it can look stranger than the sparse brow it replaced.

The donor area is examined too. Hair caliber (the thickness of each strand), color match and curl matter more for brows than for scalp work. Fine, straight hair from the nape often sits better than coarse hair from the crown. The surgeon will estimate roughly how many grafts the design needs and confirm the donor site can supply them without visible thinning.

Finally, the conversation should turn to limits. A well-run consultation includes what the procedure cannot do: it cannot make transplanted hair behave exactly like brow hair, it cannot guarantee density, and it cannot promise how the skin of any individual will heal. If those sentences are missing, ask for them.

Which medicines and supplements are you asked to pause before an eyebrow transplant?

This is the section where a patient explainer has to be careful, so here is the principle first: nothing prescribed should be stopped or changed except on the instruction of the clinician who prescribed it or the surgical team in direct consultation with them. What follows describes mechanisms and typical categories, not instructions.

The main concern is bleeding. Brow skin is thin and vascular, and oozing during graft placement makes it harder to seat each hair at the right angle. Antiplatelet medicines, which stop platelets from clumping, and anticoagulants, which slow the clotting cascade, both increase bleeding at the surgical site. Some people take these to protect a heart stent or prevent stroke, and stopping them without cardiology input can be dangerous. The NHS guidance on preparing for surgery is explicit that patients should tell the team about every medicine and follow individualized advice rather than pausing anything on their own.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, the family of common painkillers that reduce inflammation, also thin platelet function temporarily and are frequently discussed at the pre-operative visit. So are certain supplements. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements notes that high intakes of vitamin E can interfere with blood clotting and increase bleeding risk, and that high-dose omega-3 fish oil may have a similar effect. Ginkgo, garlic extracts and high-dose ginseng appear on many pre-surgical lists for the same reason. Bring the actual bottles, not a memory of their labels.

Topical treatments matter as well. Minoxidil applied to the brows, a medicine that prolongs the hair growth phase, is often paused for a period around surgery because it can increase local bleeding and skin irritation, then sometimes resumed later. The timing is a surgeon’s call. Retinoid creams and exfoliating acids near the brow are typically stopped beforehand so the skin is not thinned or sensitized on the day.

Why smoking and alcohol matter in eyebrow transplant preparation

A transplanted follicle spends its first days living on diffusion. It has been cut from its blood supply and pressed into a small wound, and until new capillaries reach it, it survives on oxygen and nutrients seeping in from the surrounding tissue. Anything that narrows small blood vessels or thickens the blood makes that window harder to survive.

Nicotine does exactly that. It constricts blood vessels, and carbon monoxide from smoke binds hemoglobin so less oxygen reaches the skin. The NHS advises stopping smoking before any operation because smokers have more wound complications and slower healing, and it recommends asking your team for help to quit as early as possible before the date. The same logic applies to vaping and nicotine patches or gum, since the vessel-narrowing agent is the nicotine itself; some surgeons ask patients to avoid all nicotine sources, not just cigarettes, for a period before and after. How long is a question for your team, because recommendations vary and the strongest evidence comes from larger operations rather than hair surgery.

Alcohol works differently but is also unhelpful. It widens blood vessels in the skin, which increases bleeding during the procedure, and it dehydrates, which thickens secretions and can make the local anesthetic less predictable. Heavy drinking over time also affects platelet numbers and liver production of clotting factors. Most teams ask patients to avoid alcohol for a stretch before surgery; again, the specific number of days belongs to the person doing the operation.

Caffeine is a smaller issue. A usual morning coffee is rarely a problem, but a large intake on the day can raise heart rate and make it harder to lie still for several hours of meticulous work. If you rely on it heavily, mention that so nobody is surprised by a headache mid-procedure.

Skin, grooming and brow tattoo history: what to sort out weeks before

The brow area needs to arrive at surgery calm, uncolored and untouched, and that takes planning because most people groom their brows without thinking.

Start with what you do to the hairs. Tweezing, waxing and threading all traumatize the follicle and irritate the skin. Surgeons usually ask patients to stop these well ahead of the date so they can see exactly where native hair still grows, which affects where grafts are placed to fill gaps rather than duplicate existing hair. Brow tinting and henna should also stop early, because dyed hairs make it harder to judge natural color match against the donor hair.

Then the skin. Retinoids, glycolic or salicylic acid products, chemical peels, laser treatments and microneedling near the brow all thin or inflame the skin temporarily. Most teams prefer the area to have had none of these for a period beforehand; the exact window varies by product and is worth asking about. Sunburn is a particular problem. Sun-damaged skin bleeds more and heals less predictably, so a hat and a broad-spectrum sunscreen for the weeks leading up to surgery are sensible, and a fresh burn on the forehead is a reason to postpone.

Brow tattooing and microblading deserve their own conversation. Pigment sits in the dermis, exactly where grafts will be placed, and the tiny cuts of microblading leave scar tissue that can be less receptive. A transplant can often be done over faded cosmetic tattoo, and some people plan a transplant precisely to replace one, but the surgeon needs to see the skin, sometimes months after the last touch-up, and may ask for removal treatments first. Hide nothing here; a surprise line of pigment discovered on the day changes the plan.

Lastly, treat any dandruff-like scaling or dermatitis around the brows with your dermatologist beforehand, since inflamed skin is a poor bed for grafts.

Eyebrow transplant preparation timeline: from consultation to procedure day

Every team has its own schedule, and the table below is a typical shape rather than a rule. Each item should be confirmed, and where necessary adjusted, by the surgeon and by whoever prescribes your regular medicines.

When	What usually happens	Why it matters
Several weeks before	Design consultation; medical and medication review; photographs; stop smoking or start a quit plan; pause brow tinting, waxing and tweezing; avoid new skin treatments near the brows	Fixes the design early, lets nicotine effects fade, and lets native hair grow in so gaps are visible
One to two weeks before	Team confirms which supplements and over-the-counter medicines to hold, and coordinates any prescription changes with the prescriber; sun protection; treat skin irritation	Reduces bleeding risk and gives skin time to settle
Two to three days before	Avoid alcohol; keep hydrated; arrange transport and a quiet few days off; buy plain saline or whatever cleansing product the team specifies	Vessels behave more predictably; recovery starts organized rather than improvised
The day before	Wash hair and face with a mild product; no makeup, hair products or brow pencil next day; light dinner; early night; final read of written instructions	Clean skin lowers infection risk; rest lowers blood pressure and restlessness
Procedure morning	Eat breakfast unless told otherwise; comfortable clothing that does not pull over the head; bring a list of medicines and any consent paperwork	Local anesthetic surgery is usually done fed; a button-front shirt spares the fresh grafts

Two footnotes. MedlinePlus lists a scalp hair transplant session at roughly four to eight hours; an eyebrow session is typically shorter because far fewer grafts are involved, but the team will give its own estimate. And a reminder that every medication entry in that table is an example of what gets discussed, never a self-directed step.

The day before an eyebrow transplant: what to do and what to leave alone

The day before is mostly about subtraction. There is little to add and a good deal to leave undone.

Wash the night before with a mild, fragrance-free cleanser on the face and a normal shampoo on the scalp, since the donor area at the back of the head will be trimmed and cleaned in the morning. Skip conditioner if you tend to use heavy leave-in products, and skip styling products entirely. In the morning, arrive with no makeup, no brow pencil, no moisturizer near the brows and no false lashes; adhesives and pigments get in the way of the surgical marking.

Eat normally. Unlike surgery under general anesthetic, a procedure under local anesthetic does not usually require fasting, and arriving hungry makes lightheadedness during the injections more likely. Your written instructions will say if your team differs. Drink water through the day, and finish alcohol avoidance rather than starting it.

Plan the practical side:

• Arrange someone to drive you home. You may be given a mild sedative, and even without one, several hours lying still followed by a numb forehead is not a good state for traffic.
• Lay out a shirt that buttons or zips at the front. Pulling a T-shirt over fresh grafts is the single most common avoidable mishap on day one.
• Set up a sleeping arrangement with your head elevated on two or three pillows, which most teams recommend for the first nights to reduce swelling around the eyes.
• Clear the diary. The NHS suggests many people return to work about three days after a hair transplant, though a brow is more visible than a scalp, and you may prefer longer.

Then stop. Read the instruction sheet once more, put the phone down, and sleep. A rested patient with normal blood pressure is easier to operate on than an anxious one, and that is the one contribution only you can make.

How painful is an eyebrow transplant, and what is done about it?

Most people who have been through it describe the same arc: a sharp, stinging minute or two, then hours of pressure and tugging that are strange rather than painful, then a tender evening.

The stinging is the local anesthetic. The surgeon injects a numbing medicine into the donor scalp and then into the brow area, and the initial needle pricks and the spread of fluid are the uncomfortable part. Many teams use a vibrating device, a cooled compress, or a slower injection technique to take the edge off, and some offer a mild oral sedative for anxiety. Once the area is numb you should feel touch and movement but not sharp pain; if you do, say so immediately, because the anesthetic can be topped up.

Eyebrow transplant pain afterward is usually mild to moderate and short-lived. The brow skin feels tight and bruised, and the donor area at the back of the head can be more sore than the brows themselves, especially with FUT where a strip has been closed. The NHS notes that after a hair transplant the scalp is commonly tight, swollen and tender for a few days, and that simple pain relief recommended by the team is usually enough. Which pain medicine is suitable is a decision for the surgeon, partly because some common painkillers affect bleeding.

Swelling can migrate. Fluid injected into the forehead tends to drift downward over two to three days, and puffiness around the eyes is common and alarming if nobody warned you. Sleeping with the head raised and gentle cold compresses on the forehead, not directly on the grafts, are the usual advice. Itching arrives as the small scabs form and is a sign of healing rather than trouble, though scratching would dislodge grafts, so patients are asked to resist.

How long do eyebrow transplants take to heal? Eyebrow transplant recovery time explained

Healing happens on two clocks: the skin’s, which is fast, and the hair’s, which is slow. Confusing the two is the main source of worry in the first months.

The skin clock runs in days. Tiny crusts form around each graft within a day, and the NHS notes that scabs after a hair transplant typically fall away within about two weeks, at which point the grafts are considered anchored. Redness in the brow and small pink dots in the donor area fade over the following weeks, faster in lighter skin and slower in darker or sun-exposed skin. Most teams ask you to avoid rubbing, direct water pressure, sweating heavily and sun on the area during this phase, and to clean it exactly as instructed, usually with gentle dabbing rather than wiping.

The hair clock runs in months. Somewhere between the second and eighth week, most of the transplanted hairs shed. MedlinePlus describes this as expected: the follicle survives, but the hair shaft it carried is pushed out as the follicle resets. The brow can look sparser than before surgery at this point, which is disheartening if you did not know it was coming. New growth begins as fine hairs and thickens over time; Cleveland Clinic places the point at which most of the result can be judged at around six to twelve months for hair transplants generally.

Two related words come up. Shock loss is temporary shedding of native brow hairs near the grafts, caused by the disturbance of surgery; it usually regrows. And density is judged late, because the hairs come in staggered rather than all at once. Any decision about a second session to fill gaps is typically deferred until the first result has fully matured, and belongs to the surgeon’s assessment rather than the calendar.

What people often get wrong about eyebrow transplants

The myths here are mostly optimistic, and a few are dangerous.

The result you see online is the result you will get. Searches for eyebrow transplant before and after photographs turn up flattering images taken under studio light with brows groomed and often penciled. Photographs are useful for judging a surgeon’s design sense, and you should ask to see them at consultation, but they show other people’s skin, hair caliber and healing. No mainstream body publishes reliable success percentages for eyebrow transplants, and an honest surgeon will not quote one.

Transplanted hair becomes brow hair. It does not, or not reliably. It keeps the scalp’s longer growth cycle, so it needs trimming, and it may keep a slight curl or a different texture. Choosing fine, straight donor hair reduces the mismatch; it does not erase it.

Stopping a blood thinner for a week is harmless. For some people it is; for others, with a coronary stent or a history of clots, it can be life-threatening. That decision is made between the surgeon and the prescriber, never by the patient alone.

A transplant fixes alopecia areata or a scarring alopecia. It moves hair into skin that may still be under attack. Teams generally want evidence of a quiet disease before operating, and even then results in scarred skin are less predictable.

It is painless. Some marketing says so. Local anesthetic makes the procedure comfortable, but the injections sting and the aftermath is tender. Expect that and it is manageable; expect nothing and it is frightening.

Density is judged at a month. At a month the grafts have often shed. Judging then is like judging a garden the week after planting.

Microblading first, transplant later is simple. Pigment and scar in the dermis can complicate graft placement, and the surgeon needs to know about every cosmetic tattoo before drawing the design.

What I wish I knew before a hair transplant: lessons that apply to brows

Read enough patient accounts and the same regrets recur. They are not about the surgery; they are about preparation and expectation, which is why they belong in this article.

The first is how long the waiting takes. People prepare for the operation and forget to prepare for the months of looking worse before looking better. Knowing that shedding is expected, and that early hairs come in fine, saves a great deal of anxious mirror time. It also helps to decide in advance how you will handle the visible phase: whether you will pencil over the healing area once the team says you may, or take a short break from social plans.

The second is underestimating the donor area. The back of the head is often more sore than the brow, and the small trimmed patch shows in short hair. Anyone with a very short cut should ask how the donor site will be hidden.

The third is not asking about the trimming. New brow hairs from the scalp grow long and need cutting with small scissors, sometimes every week or two. Some people find this tedious; others enjoy the control. Either way, it is a lifelong habit and should be a known one.

The fourth is the design conversation itself. People who later feel their brows look wrong for their face often describe a rushed marking session or a shape borrowed from a photograph of someone else. The strongest advice from the evidence on cosmetic procedures generally, echoed in NHS guidance, is to take time, to be certain the person operating is appropriately qualified and insured, and to feel free to walk away from any consultation that feels hurried or salesy.

The last is the simplest: follow the aftercare sheet literally. Most graft losses in the first days are mechanical, from rubbing, sleeping face-down, or a shirt pulled over the head.

Questions to ask your care team before an eyebrow transplant

A good consultation answers most of these without prompting. Bring the list anyway; the ones left unanswered tell you as much as the ones addressed.

• Is the cause of my brow loss stable, and how do you know? If I have an autoimmune or scarring condition, what evidence of quiet disease do you want first, and should a dermatologist confirm it?
• Which harvesting method do you recommend for me, and why? What will the donor scar or dots look like with my hair length?
• Roughly how many grafts does my design need, and can my donor area supply them without visible thinning?
• Will you draw the design with me in front of a mirror, and may I see it again before you begin on the day?
• Which of my medicines and supplements need to be discussed with my prescriber, and who will make that contact?
• How long before surgery should I stop all nicotine, alcohol, brow tinting, tweezing and skin treatments, according to your protocol?
• What exactly should I do and not do the night before and on the morning of the procedure? Do I eat?
• What pain relief do you recommend afterward, and what should I avoid because of bleeding?
• What is your aftercare routine for washing, sleeping, exercise and sun, and for how many days or weeks?
• When do you expect shedding, first growth and a mature result, and when would you assess whether a second session is needed?
• How will the transplanted hair behave, and how often will I need to trim it?
• What complications have you seen with eyebrow work specifically, and how were they handled?
• Who do I call out of hours if something worries me, and what would make you want to see me urgently?

One more, worth asking plainly: what would make you advise me not to have this done? A surgeon who can answer that comfortably is one who is weighing your interests rather than a schedule.

When to call your doctor after an eyebrow transplant

Most of what you feel in the first week is expected: tightness, tenderness, small crusts, itching, puffiness that drifts toward the eyes, and later the shedding of transplanted hairs. None of those needs an urgent call. A few things do.

Contact the surgical team the same day if you notice any of the following:

• Bleeding from the brow or donor area that does not stop with several minutes of gentle, steady pressure with clean gauze.
• Spreading redness, warmth or swelling that is getting worse after the third day rather than better, especially with yellow or foul-smelling discharge or a fever, which can signal infection.
• Increasing pain that is not controlled by the pain relief your team recommended, or pain that is sharply worse on one side.
• Swelling around the eyes severe enough to limit vision, or any change in vision itself.
• Several grafts that appear to have fallen out with bleeding in the first days, as opposed to the hair shafts shedding painlessly weeks later.
• Signs of an allergic reaction to any medicine or dressing, such as widespread rash, hives, swelling of the lips or tongue, or difficulty breathing. Difficulty breathing or facial swelling that affects the airway needs emergency services, not a clinic call.
• Numbness or altered sensation that persists beyond the period the team told you to expect.

Later on, call if the donor scar becomes thick, raised or very itchy, since early treatment of a hypertrophic scar (a raised scar that stays within the wound edges) is more effective than late; if new brow hairs are growing in a direction that looks wrong to you; or if native brows near the grafts have thinned and not begun to recover after a few months.

When in doubt, ring. Teams that do this work would far rather hear about a harmless scab than miss an infection, and the person who examined your skin before surgery is the right one to judge it afterward.

Frequently asked questions

How long do eyebrow transplants take to heal?

The skin usually settles within about two weeks, when the small scabs fall away and grafts are anchored, according to NHS guidance on hair transplants. The hair takes far longer: transplanted hairs shed in the first weeks, regrowth appears over the following months, and Cleveland Clinic places the mature result at roughly six to twelve months. Your team will give timelines specific to you.

How painful is an eyebrow transplant?

The injections of local anesthetic sting for a minute or two; after that most people feel pressure and tugging rather than pain. Afterward the brow feels tight and bruised and the donor area at the back of the head can be tender for a few days. The NHS describes this soreness as usually manageable with the simple pain relief your surgeon recommends.

What should you avoid before a hair transplant, including for eyebrows?

Most teams ask patients to stop smoking and all nicotine, avoid alcohol for a period, pause brow tinting, tweezing and waxing, and stop retinoids, acids, peels and laser near the brows. Supplements that affect clotting are usually discussed too. Prescription medicines, particularly blood thinners, are never stopped without the prescriber’s direct agreement; the surgical team should coordinate that conversation.

Can I look at eyebrow transplant before and after pictures to predict my result?

They are useful for judging a surgeon’s eye for design, and you should ask to see cases with hair and skin similar to yours. They cannot predict your outcome, because healing, hair caliber and skin type vary from person to person and photographs are often taken with grooming and favorable light. No mainstream guideline publishes reliable success rates for eyebrow transplants, so treat any quoted percentage with caution.

What is eyebrow transplant recovery time before I can return to work?

The NHS notes that many people return to work about three days after a hair transplant. Brows are more visible than a scalp, though, and crusting and redness around the eyes can last one to two weeks, so some people prefer a longer break or plan to work from home. Strenuous exercise, swimming and direct sun are usually restricted for longer; your team will set the dates.

Do I need to stop taking medicines for my heart before an eyebrow transplant?

Not on your own. Antiplatelet and anticoagulant medicines increase bleeding at the graft site, so the surgeon will want to know about them, but stopping them can be dangerous for people with stents or a history of clots. The decision is made jointly between the surgeon and the clinician who prescribed the medicine, and sometimes the answer is to proceed without any change.

Can I have an eyebrow transplant if I have alopecia areata?

Sometimes, but usually only after the condition has been quiet for a sustained period, often confirmed by a dermatologist. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune attack on hair follicles that can flare unpredictably, and grafts placed into active inflammation may be lost. Teams generally prefer to see stability first and to explain that recurrence remains possible even after a successful graft.

Will transplanted eyebrow hair grow like normal brow hair?

Not exactly. The hairs come from the scalp and keep its longer growth phase, so they grow past normal brow length and need trimming with small scissors, often every week or two. Choosing fine, straight donor hair reduces the mismatch in texture. Some people report the growth slows over years, but that observation is not well studied and should not be assumed.

What should I do the day before an eyebrow transplant?

Wash your face and hair with mild products, avoid alcohol, drink water, and arrange a driver and a few quiet days. Lay out a shirt that opens at the front and set up pillows to sleep with your head raised. Eat normally unless your written instructions say otherwise, arrive with no makeup or brow pencil, and re-read the team’s instruction sheet.

Does microblading or brow tattooing affect eyebrow transplant preparation?

Yes. Pigment sits in the same layer of skin where grafts are placed, and the fine cuts of microblading leave scar tissue that can be less receptive. Transplants can often be done over faded cosmetic tattoo, but the surgeon needs to assess the skin, sometimes months after the last touch-up, and may suggest removal treatments first. Always disclose it at consultation.

References

• MedlinePlus: Hair transplant
• NHS: Hair transplant
• NHS: Having an operation (surgery): preparing for surgery

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified doctor about your individual situation.