Mum of four Elizabeth Cook has made UK medical history by having an eyelash transplant and eyebrow transplant at the same time at Crown Clinic.
She became the first patient in the UK to have both procedures on the same day. Both operations were carried out by our surgeon Asim Shahmalak.
Elizabeth had the £4,000 eyelash transplant after damaging her eyelids using false lashes.
She also chose to have a £4,000 eyebrow transplant at the same time for cosmetic reasons because she wanted a fuller brow.
The fuller brow has become increasingly popular due to role models such as the Duchess of Cambridge and the supermodel Cara Delevingne, who both have bushier brows.
Elizabeth, 36, a mother-of-four from Harlow, Essex, said: “I am really happy with my new eyelashes and new brows. It’s the best money I have ever spent.
“I had very thin lashes after damaging them through using false eyelashes over many years.
“I had never been entirely happy with my eyebrows. They had naturally been quite thin and I wanted a fuller brow. I just think they look far better following the transplant.”
Dr Shahmalak carried out the eyebrow transplant in the morning and the eyelash transplant in the afternoon – and the patient was able to leave the clinic that day.
Elizabeth was so relaxed she fell asleep during the eyebrow transplant.
She said: “I knew that I was in very good hands. Both procedures were very straight-forward. I would recommend them to any woman who was unhappy with her lashes and wanted a permanent solution to her problems. This way, you don’t have to worry about causing damage to your natural features using products like false eyelashes. I am thrilled with my new look.”
Eyelash and eyebrow transplants have been pioneered in America in the last few years.
A number of cosmetic surgery clinics in the States offer the treatment to patients who have either damaged their lashes or brows or want to recreate the ‘perfect’ brows and lashes of their favourite stars for cosmetic reasons.
Both operations have been introduced to the UK by Dr Shahmalak, one of only nine surgeons in the world who can carry out both procedures.
This was the first time Dr Shahmalak had performed both operations at the same time on one patient.
He said: “It was an exhausting day for all of us – no one has attempted to do both operations on the same day before.
“Elizabeth had damaged her eyelashes and required a transplant. She thought it made sense to fill out her brows at the same time.”
A strip of hair was taken from the back of Elizabeth’s scalp and the individual hair follicles removed.
The surgeon then transplanted the new hair into her eyelashes and brows.
She had 35 new lashes threaded into upper eyelids using a special needle.
For her new brows, around 400 hairs were transplanted individually to fill out the brows in a similar procedure to a hair transplant like soccer star Wayne Rooney’s.
Dr Shahmalak had four technicians working with him to extract the hair follicles for the transplants.
Both operations were carried out under local anaesthetic and lasted around three hours.
Because hair from the head is used which grows as it would on the scalp, the new lashes and brows need curling and trimming every couple of weeks.
Dr Shahmalak said Britons are now embracing surgical techniques which have been pioneered in America.
He explained: “I am the only surgeon in the UK to currently carry out eyelash transplants.
“We are fast catching up with America where both these procedures have been common in the last few years.
“Elizabeth’s new lashes and brows will last her for the rest of her life. It is amazing what these operations can do for a woman’s confidence and overall well-being.
“So many patients come to me lacking in confidence because they are so unhappy about their hair.
“Eyelashes and eyebrows make an important contribution to facial symmetry. Get them right and they frame the face perfectly.
“I can make subtle but very important changes to a patient’s appearance and completely transform their lives.”
