Flo Gets New Eyebrows!

As you can imagine, chemotherapy can really wreak havoc on the body.   In addition to the nausea, weakness and constipation, an added bonus to look forward to is hair loss, and not just the hair on your head. Let’s just say, I went from looking like this:

Longhaired Tabby-and-white cat, Molly

 

To looking like this:

cat 1

But there is something to be said for not having to deal with body hair. For those of you who have read our book, 100 Perks of Having Cancer Plus 100 Health Tips for Surviving It, you will recall that for me, one of the perks of having cancer was getting to try out new eyebrow shapes. I felt like a real Van Gogh with my eyebrow pencil, creating works of art such as:

The McDonald’s Arches

perk pic 011

The Fuzzy Catterpillars

perk pic 013

And my personal favorite

The Jack O’Lantern

perk pic 012

However, while I was having fun with my creative side, I really looked forward to getting my old brows back. But alas, it was not to be. Four years post-chemo and this is the extent of my eyebrow re-growth:

brow 5

For a brief time, I considered eyebrow tattooing, but the permanence of that procedure scared me, because let’s face it, eyebrow styles change. Right now, for example, I would definitely opt for the sexy, heavy browed Kim Kardashian look.

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - DECEMBER 11: Kim Kardashian West arrives at Rihanna's First Annual Diamond Ball at The Vineyard on December 11, 2014 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)

But as you all know, fashion is fickle and it is only a matter of time before pencil thin brows will be back in vogue, and my once stylish Kardashian look, will have me looking more like this:

brow

 

So, I resigned myself to the notion that I would live out the rest of my days sneaking into the bathroom in the wee hours of the morning to draw my brows back on before Steve awoke. But then I discovered (drum roll please……..) EYEBROW EMBROIDERY!

Eyebrow embroidery is very similar to eyebrow tattooing, but it lasts for only a year or two. So, fortunately you don’t get stuck with the same style forever. During the procedure, a semi-permanent pigment is pushed into the surface of the skin with small, hair like strokes using a fine blade. The result is a more feathery, and natural looking eyebrow than you would get with a pencil or tattooing.

Does it hurt? That was my first thought. I was told that I would feel a “mild discomfort”, but I was dubious. I mean, I remember my doctor telling me I would feel some “pressure” when I had a needle biopsy on arm pit lymph nodes. No doc, that is not pressure, that is mind altering PAIN! Seriously, nobody is going to actually tell you, “This is going to hurt like hell!”   Which is why I was pleasantly surprised to find that I really did experience only a mild discomfort.

First, an aesthetic cream was applied to my brow to reduce the sensation of pain. The new brows were traced and then my technician, Michelle, used a small blade to cut very small pieces of the top of layer of skin and applied colour in its place.

brow 4

The whole procedure lasted about 2 hours. There is some discomfort for a day or so after, sort of like the feeling of a cat scratch, and there may be slight redness and swelling. The cost varies, usually between $300 and $600. Mine cost $400.   You can expect the color to fade in the first few weeks, but my salon (The Head Room in Paradise, Newfoundland) offers free touch ups, as do most places I would guess.

So now, what you have all been waiting for…..the After pic:

brow 3

 

Just kidding, that is actually when the color was applied. Here are the real after pic:

 

Brow 1

Was it worth it? Hell Yeah! I would recommend it for anyone with thinning eyebrows, not just those who underwent chemo.  If you are looking for a more economical way to darken your eyebrows, I suggest you use an eyebrow powder and brush as opposed to a pencil.  It is much more natural looking and lasts all day.  Here is my favorite:

brow7

Brow Fix, by Milani

 

Stay tuned for my next post, “Flo Gets New Boobs”….coming soon to a devise near you.

 

This entry was posted on October 14, 2015, in Uncategorized and tagged chemo eyebrows, eyebrow embroidery, eyebrow loss, eyebrow re-growth, eyebrow tattooing, eyebrows, eyebrows cancer. Bookmark the permalink. 23 Comments

23 thoughts on “Flo Gets New Eyebrows!

  1. Hi Flo, I have never heard of eyebrow embroidery, thanks for the tip. I have to say yours look very natural. I too have been wrestling with the whole annoying “no eyebrow post chemo” thing for 5 years now and this looks like a good solution. I’m also afraid of tattooing or dying as I’ve seen it on other women and it looks very fake…..but yours look very natural. Thanks for the tip, it’s a small thing but makes a big difference! xo

    Reply
  2. My goodness you crack me up. I love your send of humour sweet lady. Your new brows look amazing and au naturel! Actually I have barely any eyebrows, just a few strangs. From tweezing my brows never grew back so I always have to put my brows on each morning. I have my entire family trained that if I ever go in hospital please make sure you put my brows on. Lol. Seriously. I use a powder.

    Reply
  3. Hey Flo Did I see the lady who runs the place on NTV last night saying this was going to be offered free for women undergoing chemo? I met with Dana yesterday and she was saying how miserable it was to never have any eyebrows and I saw the segment on the news and was going to send her the info.

    Sent from my iPhone Sharon Foster

    >

    Reply
  4. Florence, you always brighten my day when I read your post. You are a true Newfoundlander. you do such a marvelous job poking fun at yourself. I am still cracking up at your photos and your comments. Keep it coming dear lady!

    Reply
    • Thanks, Ruby. I tried to trick Kaitlyn by texting her the picture with the big brows and saying, “How do my new brows look?” Kaitlyn replied, “Suits you.” Lol!

      Reply
  5. Fantastic writing Flo. You humour and inspire me. And nice humour-scare with the after pic, huge-brow dye picture.
    Didn’t it go something like: “Hey Steve, All done, what do you think dear?” I need an emoticon to show my big eyes and level grin.
    Anyway, you’re a gem, love the writing, and looking forward to the pictures in the next blog.

    Reply
  6. Florence – you are too funny. And your eyebrows are beautiful. 😀. And your blog is always entertaining – thanks for that .

    Reply
  7. They look so natural! No one would guess you had them done. Thanks for writing such humorous and inspiring posts. Reading your blog makes me feel more positive about my own battle with lymphoma. Keep ’em coming!

    Reply
  8. Flo, your brows are beautiful!!!! I love them! I lost mine back in 2003 and they’ve never really come back so I struggle as you did. I love this idea. Thanks for inspiring me to look beyond to something that obviously looks natural and really works!! I’ve had mine dyed but there are so few hairs that it looks ridiculous. This is a viable option…truly, you look beautiful! Great job! Thanks for sharing. ♥

    Reply
  9. You look amazing. I just found your blog. I got my surgery 3 days ago. Next will be chemo and radiation treatment. I want to buy your book and prepare as well as I can for the times ahead. You are such an inspiration and you bring me hope ❤️

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Google+ photo

You are commenting using your Google+ account. Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s