The eyebrow transplant is one of the latest cosmetic crazes. Fashion these days tends towards strong, defined eyebrows and for those who have plucked their eyebrows into tiny lines, help is at hand!

The eyebrow transplant takes a couple of hours to complete and normally costs in the region of $4,000. Hair is taken from the back of the patient’s head and the follicles extracted. The surgeon will then make tiny incisions in and around the eyebrow to create the new shapes, with the holes specially angled to indicate the way the hair should grow. Follicle by follicle, the donor hairs are planted into these eyebrow holes with up to 350 needed per eyebrow.

Cheek fillers are the newest must-have in the world of cosmetic surgery.

The problem is this: you may have a slim, toned body but you may find you have a very gaunt looking face, particularly as you get older. The chances are that if you diet and have a svelte figure, your cheeks may be slightly sunken with your skin starting to be a little loose and baggy with some wrinkles. However, if you put on a little weight, your face plumps up slightly, making you look younger.

Last week the US Food and Drug Administration granted approval for a new treatment to combat frown lines, medically called nasolabial folds.

‘Radiesse’ was developed by BioForm Medical in 2002 for use in facial reconstructive surgery, but now the calcium based microsphere technology has been approved for other applications.

The new treatment is longer lasting as it not only fills in facial folds and depressions like existing ‘wrinkle fillers’, but also increases the bodies capacity to produce collagen. Collagen provides body to facial tissues.

Procedure: Changes the basic shape and balance of the face using carefully shaped implants to build up a receding chin, add prominence to cheekbones or reshape the jawline. 
Length: 30 minutes to 2 hours
Anesthesia: Local with sedation or general. 
In/Outpatient: Usually outpatient. Some people may require an overnight stay 
Side Effects: Temporary discomfort, swelling, bruising, numbness and/or stiffness. In jaw surgery, inability to open mouth fully for several weeks. 
Risks: Shifting or imprecise positioning of implant, or infection around it requiring a second operation or removal. Excess tightening and hardening of scar tissue around the artificial implants causing an unnatural shape. 
Recovery: 1 week: Back to work
                 2 to 4 weeks: ‘Normal’ appearance  
                 6 weeks +: Strenuous activities, contact sports
Duration of Results: Permanent.