Ideal Eyebrow Shape
Women spend a great deal of time and money beautifying their brows. They pluck and trim and wax and color. Let’s face it, eyes are engaging, enticing, and seductive. So why not? The brows serve to animate and frame the eyes, and are a staring point in communication. They function, in essence, as emotional barcodes. With brow shape we can tell immediately if someone is surprised or angry. Studies show that the eyebrow, more than the eye, identifies a person.
Sure, Botox, Dysport, or Xeomin can help improve brow shape, but grooming them properly is equally important. But how do we know what brow shape is the sexiest? Believe it not, brow shape has been studied by plastic surgeons to answer this very profound question.
As it turns out, there are aesthetic ideals of brow shape and position: The peak in height of the eyebrow should rest at the outer portion of the colored portion of the eye (limbus) toward the outer corner (canthus). The brow beginning and end should be at very similar planes on the horizontal.
However, trends continue to emerge placing the outer brow at a position 1 to 2 mm above its medial counterpart, thanks mainly to grooming and Botox. Most women don’t groom the inner (medial) brow enough. If one draws a vertical line from the inner corner of the eye (inner canthus), the inner brow should ‘stop’ at this line. If the brow is trimmed slightly outside this imaginary line, it gives the illusion of slightly wider spaced eyes which can be considered exotic. Simple steps to beautiful brows!
The thickness of the brow has been less studied. However, like anything else, there have been trends that fluctuate between both ends of the spectrum: Thick brows then thin brow, then thin brow then thick brows.
Eyebrows can be restored with hair transplantation. Hairs from the back of the scalp can be implanted into the brow to create thick, natural, permanent brows. For more on hair transplant, click here.
Dr. Tim Neavin is a board-certified plastic surgeon located in Beverly Hills, California.
