It is often said that the eyes are the windows to the soul, but, if this is the case, the eyebrows are the frames that define them. Recently, topical treatments for eyebrow hypotrichosis have enabled physicians to redefine this region. Topical bimatoprost has been demonstrated to improve the growth of eyebrow hair. When used in conjunction with botulinum toxins, light sources, topical cosmeceuticals, and fillers such as hyaluronic acid, the physicians’ ability to treat this region has vastly improved.
Eyebrows are important from both a psychological and a social perspective. As Dr. Carruthers so elegantly discusses, they have been the focal point of fashion and aesthetics for centuries. Societal status has been defined by different eyebrow shapes in different societies at different times; but the eyebrows have always been critical to appearance.
Dr. Nguyen discusses the biology of brow hair to help explain how it grows. As with hair in other parts of the body, brow hair grows in cycles; however, it has receptors that make it amenable to treatment with prostaglandin analogues. An improved understanding of the biology of brow hair is likely to result in better treatments for eyebrows and perhaps lashes as well.
Treatments for the periorbital region have been improving over the past decade, and our ability to treat this area, as well as patient interest in these treatments, have increased in tandem. My article reviews treatments with botulinum toxins, lasers, fillers, cosmeceuticals, and bimatoprost. Combining these can produce dramatic results. However, treatments of the periorbital region also require a greater degree of skill and experience than do many other aesthetic treatments.
The goal of this supplement is to review our understanding of the biology of the hair in the periorbital region, the treatments available for aesthetic improvement of the periorbital region, and the social and psychological impact of the periorbital region.
Kenneth R. Beer MD FAAD
Esthetic, General and Surgical Dermatology
West Palm Beach, FL
West Palm Beach, FL
