WALNUT CREEK, CA . . . Eyelash extensions - the latest glamour fad - seem to be everywhere. From models and Hollywood actresses, to the bride and her wedding party, to everyday beauty-conscious women, the lure of long lashes to enhance one's peepers seems to be irresistible. But can this treatment actually harm the lashes they are embellishing?
"Yes, if used chronically,"
Most eyelash extensions are applied by cosmetologists or aestheticians and last weeks to months at a cost of $500-$600. If extensions are applied only once or twice a year, these treatments seem not to cause permanent damage. But people get into trouble when they overlap treatments and end up wearing extensions for years. Also, pulling at the extensions to remove them can traumatize existing natural lashes, causing them to grow back more sparsely or even not at all.
That's when they end up in Dr. Wasserbauer's office. "We're seeing a number of distraught patients who have lost their lashes due to eyelash extensions, and in some cases, their only remaining option is surgical restoration."
Dr. Wasserbauer is one of a small handful of doctors in the U.S. who specialize in eyelash transplant surgery. Eyelash transplants were originally developed for patients who suffered burns or congenital malformations of the eye. But word is spreading and an increasing number of patients are requesting the procedure for cosmetic purposes.
"It's a delicate, microsurgical procedure, done under local anesthesia and light sedation," she explains. "We remove 50-100 hair follicles from the the back of the patient's scalp and then place them one by one into the patient's eyelids." Once safely transplanted and established, the transplanted lashes continue to grow and eventually require some maintenance. Just like head hair, they need to be trimmed regularly and sometimes curled.
In order to prevent the need for surgery, Dr. Wasserbauer suggests patients try going without eyelash extensions for 6 months to a year and letting the native lashes grow. "It can take that long for eyelash growth to recover." Additionally, treatment with medication or some commercially available cosmeceuticals (such as Revitalash or Age Intervention Eyelash) can help hasten the process. These products and medications can also give normal virgin lashes a thicker growth to begin with, possibly avoiding the need for extensions in the first place.
Dr. Wasserbauer was trained by some of the top surgeons in the world and her patients come from throughout the Bay Area, Northern California, and across the United States. She is Board certified by the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgeons and is also a member of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgeons. For more information, see http://www.californiahairsurgeon.com.
