MANILA, Philippines - Were you one of those girls whose eyelashes were trimmed by your mom when you were a baby because she hoped they would grow back longer and thicker?
While this sounds dangerous (and it is), it is a practice more prevalent than we think. It also shows that parents will bow to tradition and heed Old Wives’ tales to ensure that their little girls get an advantage in the looks department.
Today, of course, there are many ways to enhance lashes—from makeup to extensions to, yes, cosmetic transplantation.
While the first two are temporary solutions, transplantation is permanent.
Harvesting eyelash hair
Dr. Rosario “Rose†Gatmaytan, one of the few cosmetic surgeons in the Philippines offering the procedure, says that it involves taking hair strands from the scalp near the back of the neck and transplanting them individually between the natural lashes. This will not leave any visible scar or bald area on the scalp.
“The hair in our nape is almost identical to the quality and characteristics of our eyelashes,†she explains.
Making a four-centimeter incision on the scalp, Gatmaytan harvests the hair and begins the process of scraping the excess tissue from each strand of hair.
“We do this because the hair graft needs to be very thin and we only take the root of the hair,†she says.
It takes two hours to harvest and prepare the strands before each graft is transplanted into a patient’s eyelid. The actual transplant lasts for only 30 to 45 minutes.
Around 50 to 80 hair grafts are used for each eyelid, using a special hair transplanter that leaves no scar. The hairs will naturally fall off before they grow again permanently, says Gatmaytan, who does the procedure in her own CaraDERMe clinic in Makati.
Patients are given local anesthesia or may be sedated, if they choose to. After the procedure, a little swelling and bruising can be expected, which can last from four to five days to a week.
Because the transplanted eyelashes will grow just like the hair on the head, they need to be trimmed every two weeks.
Long lashes are on trend
However, there are personal preferences. “I do have a patient who wants her transplanted lashes really long. She couldn’t care less because she just curls them,†she recalls, laughing.
Or, perhaps her patient was just being trendy, as long, fancy, colored lashes are all the rage.
Permanent eyelash transplantation is just one of the many procedures Gatmaytan’s clinic offers. She has been a practicing cosmetic surgeon, dermatologic surgeon and clinical dermatologist for close to 20 years so she knows what procedures have risen and fallen out of favor.
Most popular procedures
The most popular, she reveals, are nose lifts, especially among the young.
Breast augmentation has also gained ground, thanks to the openness of actresses in divulging their cosmetic enhancements.
And some moms go for liposuction or smartlipo after child birth.
Her more mature patients often opt for eyelid lifts and eyebag removal.
While she offers a full-on face lift, she also has non-invasive procedures using new machines and lasers to tighten the skin. In fact, CaraDERMe has lasers for all types of problem areas including fat, excess hair, the very hard to remove dark spots among others.
Anti-aging buzzword: Stem cell treatments
Gatmaytan also offers stem cell therapy, the anti-aging buzzword of the moment. She extracts undifferentiated cells from the blood of the patient or from the harvested fat cells and then injects them in the area of the body that needs rejuvenation.
Usually, the procedure is done in three consecutive sessions spaced two months apart. “Rejuvenations last for around two years and maintained with only one session but that’s only because of the natural aging process,†she explains. Stem cells can also be used to treat alopecia or loss of scalp hair.
“The great thing about stem cell treatments is that there are no allergic reactions because the cells come from you,†she adds.
Afraid of needles? Gatmaytan offers a facial option using a galvanic machine to help the stem cells from apples penetrate the skin.
“Phyto stem cell also produces collagen to improve the skin but the effect will be milder than injected stem cells,†she says.
And if you want your stem cells “to go,†Gatmaytan has formulated her own skin cream called Revitacel, which also contains the stem cells of apples.
From permanent eyelash transplantation to cutting-edge technologies like stem cell treatments, Gatmaytan says that for the last 19 years, her clinic has always offered patients the latest, safe and effective therapies for their beauty and well-being.
Dr. Rosario “Rose†Gatmaytan is Board-certified, a diplomate of the Philippine Dermatological Society. She’s a fellow of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery, Philippine Society of Liposuction Surgery, Inc. and The Philippine Academy of Dermatologic Surgery, Foundation Inc.
(For inquiries, visit CaraDERMe Surgicenter located at 3F Eurocrest Building, #126 Jupiter St., Bel-Air Village II, Makati City. Tel nos. (632) 899-9677 / (632) 897-7685and (632) 895-1877 or visit www.caraderme.com.)
(For best results, consult your primary doctor always.)