Woman, 30, whose EYELASHES were permanently ripped out during a fall on a night out has a transplant using hair from the back of her scalp
- Itinder Kaur ripped her right eyelid when she fell on an evening out with friends
- Friend tried to help her up but accidentally dragged her face through gravel
- Force of the trauma cut off the blood supply to her lashes, making them fall out
A woman has undergone an eyelash transplant after her eyelid was ripped open during a fall on a night out.
Itinder Kaur permanently damaged her right eyelid when she stumbled while out with friends five years ago.
The now 30-year-old, of London, lost a clump of lashes from the centre of her right eye when her friend accidentally dragged her across gravel while trying to help her up.
Surgeons at the Crown Clinic in Manchester transplanted 16 new eyelashes into Miss Kaur’s ‘gap’ using hair from the back of her scalp.
Footage of the operation was shown at a conference, teaching dozens of surgeons from around the world how to perform the intricate procedure.
Itinder Kaur was left with clump of lashes missing from her right eyelid (pictured) after she fell on a night out five years ago. A friend tried to help her up, only to accidentally drag Miss Kaur face down across gravel. This ripped her eyelid open, causing a quarter of her lashes to fall off
Miss Kaur is pictured after undergoing the transplant, which involved taking hairs from the back of her scalp. These were then curled and trimmed so they blended in with her lashes
Surgeons Dr Asim Shahmalak (right) and Dr Parsa Mohebi (left) performed the £4,000 operation for free on the condition footage would be broadcast at a conference. This will hopefully allow medics from around the world to learn the intricate procedure
Speaking of the transplant, Miss Kaur said: ‘I am thrilled to have my eyelashes back.
‘It will be a few months before they grow back properly but then I will have lovely lashes right across my upper eyelid again.
‘I cannot thank the doctors enough and I hope lots of new surgeons will start carrying out the procedure so more people can benefit.’
After her fall, Miss Kaur, an associate director at an engineering-services company, was rushed to hospital, where medics tried to repair the damage.
‘They stitched up my eyelid but a few days later the stitches fell out and I need further surgery,’ she said.
‘Because of the trauma to the eyelid, blood stopped flowing to the central area and I lost around 25 per cent of my eyelash cover in my right eye.’
Although she does not blame her friend for what happened, Miss Kaur struggled to accept her new appearance.
‘Before the accident, I had always had gorgeous long eyelashes and people used to say I had beautiful eyes,’ she said. ‘I was very proud of them.
‘Obviously it was very upsetting to suddenly have this gap in my eyelash cover. Your eyes are such a crucial part of your overall beauty.
‘I would cover it up by wearing eyeliner when I was on a night out but I was always aware of the problem. I chose not to wear glued on false eyelashes.
‘I am so glad I have now found a permanent solution to the problem.’
Pictured before the procedure, Miss Kaur lost her eyelashes after the trauma of the fall caused blood to stop flowing to the centre of her eyelid. Around 25 per cent of her lashes later fell off
Pictured are the hair follicles that were taken from Miss Kaur’s scalp for transplantation
This before and after shot demonstrates how much thicker her lashes are since the surgery
WHAT IS AN EYELASH TRANSPLANT?
Eyelash transplants were initially developed to help victims of accidents, such as burns, whose natural lashes had been permanently damaged.
The procedure was first carried out in Brazil in 1999, with just a few surgeons worldwide being able to carry out the operation today.
The surgery is now performed for aesthetic reasons, such as on those who feel they have naturally thin eyelashes.
Or people who have permanently damaged their eyelashes using glue-on fake ones.
The glue can rip out the natural follicles, leaving patients with virtually bald eyelids.
The operation may also be carried out on those with the psychological condition trichotillomania, which causes them to have an uncontrollable impulse to rip out their hair.
Radiotherapy or chemo patients may also benefit.
The transplant can only be carried out on the upper eyelid due to hairs on the lower lid growing straight, and being difficult to trim and curl.
Hair is usually removed from the back of the head, where it tends to be longer.
This is because long hair is easier to thread through the upper eyelid.
The hair is then separated into single follicular grafts.
After the patient’s eye has been anaestheised, the grafts are threaded with a curved needle.
A normal eyelid has between 100 and 150 lashes per eye.
In a transplant, 25-to-60 new lashes are added.
Bruising and swelling is normal for a few days after the operation.
It takes around six months for the new lashes to grow to their full length.
Source: Aesthetics journal
Miss Kaur’s surgeon Dr Asim Shahmalak agreed to carry out the £4,000 operation for free, providing it was broadcast at the FUE [follicular unit extraction] Europe conference.
Dr Shahmalak, who operated on Miss Kaur alongside the Beverly Hills hair-restoration surgeon Dr Parsa Mohebi, was the first medic to carry out an eyelash transplant in the UK in 2009.
He took hair from Miss Kaur’s scalp, which was then curled and trimmed so that it blended seamlessly with her remaining eyelashes.
Dr Shahmalak is known as ‘surgeon to the stars’ after performing hair transplants on patients such as Jack P Shepherd, who plays David Platt in Coronation Street, former footballer Didi Hamann and Homes Under The Hammer star Martin Roberts.
Only a handful of surgeons in the world can currently perform eyelash transplants which have been used by Dr Shahmalak.
He is keen for other surgeons to benefit from his knowledge, particularly in his native Pakistan, where acid attacks are rife.
Dr Shahmalak has performed several free transplants in Pakistan.
He restored the eyebrows of 24-year-old Kanwal Ashar, of Karachi, who was doused in acid by a man after she rejected his marriage proposal.
The medic, who lives in Cheadle with his GP wife Rubina, said: ‘It is nice to give something back and help these women who have been left with such horrific injuries that you want to weep.’
The transplant also benefits patients who suffer from the psychological condition trichotillomania, which causes them to rip out their hair.
‘Along with Parsa Mohebi, I was delighted to be able to teach so many new surgeons this usual technique so that thousands more people benefit from the procedure,’ Dr Shahmalak said.
‘My colleague from Pakistan, Dr Mohammad Humayun Mohmand, was in the audience and will be able to learn how to perform the operation.
‘I am so thankful to Itinder for agreeing to be filmed.
‘The operation went very well and Itinder’s eyelashes should be fully restored in the next six months.’
Miss Kaur (pictured before) would cover up her missing eyelashes with liner on a night out
Dr Shahmalak (right) and Dr Mohebi are pictured during the operation. They hope medics in Dr Shahmalak’s native Pakistan, where acid attacks are rife, will learn the techniques
She is expected to have full lashes within months and is thrilled to have a ‘permanent solution’
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