Teen gets first UK eyelash transplant

Published on Saturday 8 August 2009 19:53

SURGEONS have carried out the UK's first eyelash transplant.

Louise Thomas, 19, had the treatment because she suffers from trichotillomania – obsessive plucking or pulling out hair.

The four-hour procedure, pioneered in America, involves taking hair from the back of the head, and then placing individual hairs into cuts in the eyelid.

It costs around 3,500 and the lashes thicken up gradually between four and six months after treatment.

Thomas, from Stockport, Cheshire, said: "

When I heard about this treatment it sounded too good to be true but the results are absolutely amazing."

Shami Thomas from Transform, which carried out the surgery, said:

"The eyelash transplantis a very safe, cost-effective and pain-free treatment that can have life-changing effects."

Meanwhile it was revealed that more women over 55 consider non-surgical treatment such as chemical peels to look younger.

The Harley Medical Group (HMG) said the number of enquiries from women in that age group is up 9 per cent year-on-year.

They have put this down to a fear among older women that they will be replaced in their jobs by younger counterparts.

This has been dubbed the "Arlene effect" – referring to former BBC Strictly Come Dancing judge Arlene Phillips, 66, replaced by 30-year-old performer Alesha Dixon.

Director of HMG, Liz Dale said: "It's interesting to see that pressure in the workplace is a key driver for women of more advanced years."