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Dr. Karen Owen Written by Erin D. Updated on 31 Aug 2024
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EXPERT GUIDE

Eyebrow Tattoo vs. Eyebrow Transplant 2024

Medically reviewed by

Dr. Karen Owen

This text was written according to the highest scientific standards and reviewed by medical experts. Find out more about our quality assurance.

Written by Erin D. Updated on 31 Aug 2024
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Currently, there are plenty of eyebrow enhancement options available, including eyebrow tattoos, which utilize micro pigmentation and microblading, and eyebrow transplants. However, you must make sure you assess your individual needs carefully and choose an option that suits you. This guide discusses the pros and cons of each technique in detail to help you make your decision.

Most Important Findingssvg

Eyebrow Tattoo Process Microblading...
Eyebrow Transplant Process FUE, FUT
Advantages Natural...
Disadvantages Cost...

Key Statistics on Eyebrow Enhancement

  • The most common complication linked with eyebrow tattoos is itching
  • Patients who opt for eyebrow transplants have a 4.7/5 satisfaction rate.
  • Since 2010, the number of eyebrow, eyelash and facial hair restoration procedures have increased by 14%.

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Eyebrow Tattoo

Eyebrow tattoos have become increasingly sophisticated with time. The pigment being used currently is better in every way and was specifically designed to reduce the chances of discoloration. 

Keeping that in mind, there are still some concerns about how natural-looking eyebrow tattoos are. So, with that in mind, let’s jump into exactly how eyebrow tattoos work, their benefits and the risks associated with the procedure itself.

Eyebrow Tattoo: Explaining the Process

There are primarily two techniques used to create eyebrow tattoos:

  • Microblading
  • Micropigmentation

In microblading, the tattoo artist will manually draw fine, hair-like strokes on the upper layer of your skin to create the effect of hair. The procedure is carried out using a handheld device with tiny needles attached to it. 

A general local anesthetic is used to numb the target area, even though the procedure is largely non-invasive. Microblading, although cheap, isn’t a permanent procedure, and you will have to return every 1 to 3 years to refresh your eyebrows if you go this route. 

Micropigmentation, on the other hand, is carried out by a full-fledged tattoo machine to implant the pigment deeper into your skin. It’s largely considered the more permanent cosmetic procedure of the two. 

It also leaves you with a more natural-looking result, as the soft, powdery effect it creates emulates the texture and shape of real eyebrow hair exceptionally well. 

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Eyebrow Tattoo: Advantages and Disadvantages

Benefits

While the procedure itself is not as permanent as an eyebrow transplant, eyebrow tattoos have plenty of benefits of their own. These include:

  • Saves you from having to spend extra time doing your eyebrows every day in the morning.
  • Depending on the method used, eyebrow tattoos can last for 1 to 5 years, making them, at the very least, a semi-permanent solution. 
  • They allow for extra customization for your eyebrows.

Risks and Drawbacks

On the flip side, eyebrow tattoos come with plenty of risks and drawbacks as well. These include:

  • If the procedure isn’t performed in a sterile environment, you risk the possibility of an infection. Leaving your redness and swelling surrounding your eyebrow area. 
  • You may have an allergic reaction to the pigment used for the tattoo, causing severe itching, redness and irritation.
  • If the initial result is not up to the mark, changing it later may be difficult and expensive. You might even require laser treatment, which has its own risks.

Eyebrow Transplant

In simple terms, eyebrow transplants involve taking 250 to 400 hairs from your scalp and gradually transplanting them into your eyebrow to kickstart the hair follicles in that area. It’s a long-term procedure that takes 6 months to a year to start showing permanent results. 

With that said, let’s take a look at how these transplants work, their benefits and the risks associated with them. 

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Eyebrow Transplant: Explaining the Process

Like eyebrow tattoos, there are primarily two eyebrow transplant techniques used by surgeons around the world:

  • Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)
  • Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT)

In FUE, individual hair grafts are extracted from the donor area in the scalp (most likely the back of the scalp) and transplanted individually in your eyebrow area using a specialized punch tool. It’s minimally invasive compared to FUT.

In contrast, the FUT procedure involves surgically harvesting a strip of skin from the donor area, isolating the individual hair grafts afterwards under a microscope and transplanting each graft individually in the eyebrow area. This method leaves more scarring but produces faster results.

Eyebrow Transplant: Advantages and Disadvantages

Benefits

Eyebrow transplants are considered a more permanent solution for fixing your eyebrows than eyebrow tattoos. Keeping that in mind, let’s take a look at the benefits of an eyebrow transplant:

  • This process uses your own hair, producing significantly more natural results than eyebrow tattoos. 
  • Eyebrow transplants are permanent, one-time procedures. 
  • If you’ve lost a significant chunk of your eyebrow hair, this procedure can help you regain it instead of trying to cover up the empty areas. 

Risks and Drawbacks

However, it’s worth mentioning that eyebrow transplants aren’t perfect either and have some risks associated with them. These include:

  • Leaves visible scarring on the donor area, which can be triggering for individuals with trypophobia. 
  • There is a risk of infection in both the donor and recipient areas if the environment or equipment is not sterilized prior to the procedure. 
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Eyebrow Tattoo vs. Eyebrow Transplant

Eyebrow tattoos and eyebrow transplants both have their benefits over the other. And both have their drawbacks as well. 

The table below compares both procedures using parameters like cost, longevity and suitability for different types of hair loss or cosmetic needs. 

Eyebrow Tattoo Eyebrow Transplant
Utilizes hair-like pigment to fill in the empty areas, so offers a semi-natural result Transplants your real hair into the empty areas, offering a completely natural result.
Cost typically ranges between $300 - $800 Cost typically ranges between $3000 - $8000
Takes 2-3 weeks to show the final results Takes 6 months to a year to show the final results
Suitable for filling out extremely small eyebrow-less regions for fashion needs Suitable for regrowing hair in significantly large eyebrow-less regions.

Conclusion

All in all, both eyebrow transplants and eyebrow tattoos have their niche of people that favor them over the other solution. Which is quite understandable considering both procedures are designed for specific types of people. 

For example, eyebrow transplants are designed to help people who’ve lost huge parts or their entire eyebrows to illness or invasive treatments regrow all the hair that used to be there. While eyebrow tattoos are for people looking for short-term solutions that can fill up the small empty sections in their eyebrows, making them look younger and in fashion. 

Nevertheless, whatever option you decide to go with, just take into account the key differences between each process that we’ve discussed in this guide. 

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