View source for Eyebrow

{{Short description|Facial feature}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Distinguish|eyelash}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Infobox anatomy
| Name        = Eyebrow
| Latin       = supercilium
| Greek       = 
| Image       = Jeremy Cadot's eyebrow.jpg
| Caption     = An eyebrow and eye
| Width       = 180px
| Image2      = 
| Caption2    = 
| Precursor   = 
| System      = 
| Artery      = 
| Vein        = 
| Nerve       = 
| Lymph       = 
}}

An '''eyebrow''' is an area of short hairs above each [[eye]] that follows the shape of the lower margin of the [[Supraorbital ridge|brow ridges]] of some [[mammal]]s. In [[humans]], eyebrows serve two main functions: first, [[human communication|communication]] through [[facial expression]], and second, prevention of sweat, water, and other debris from falling down into the eye socket. It is common for people to modify their eyebrows by means of hair removal and makeup.

==Functions==
A number of theories have been proposed to explain the function of the eyebrow in humans. One approach suggests its main function is to prevent moisture (mostly sweat and rain) from flowing into the eye.{{fact|date=December 2023}} Another theory holds that clearly visible eyebrows provided safety from predators when early [[Hominidae|hominid]] groups started sleeping on the ground.<ref>[[Joseph Jordania]], ''[[Why do People Sing? Music in Human Evolution]]'', chapter "I Can See you! Eyespots in Humans." Logos, 2011, p. 96</ref>{{Clarification needed|date=August 2021}}

Recent research, however, suggests eyebrows in humans developed as a means of communication and that this is their primary function. Humans developed a smooth forehead with visible, hairy eyebrows capable of a wide range of movement. Such eyebrows can express a wide range of subtle emotions – including recognition and sympathy.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Godinho |first1=Ricardo Miguel |last2=Spikins |first2=Penny |last3=O’Higgins |first3=Paul |title=Supraorbital morphology and social dynamics in human evolution |journal=Nature Ecology & Evolution |date=June 2018 |volume=2 |issue=6 |pages=956–961 |doi=10.1038/s41559-018-0528-0 |pmid=29632349 |s2cid=4698765 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2018NatEE...2..956G |hdl=10400.1/11513 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/human-face-evolution-expressions-eyebrows-forehead-hominins-york-university-a8871176.html|title= Human face evolved to help us communicate emotions, scientists say|date= 15 April 2019}}
</ref>

==Cosmetic modification==
{{refimprove-section|date=August 2021}}
[[File:Eyebrow5.PNG|thumb|right|An eyebrow that has been modified via [[waxing]]]]

Fashion in eyebrow shape has changed throughout the ages and eyebrows have always featured heavily in female fashion, often as part of cultural demands made on women about [[body hair]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://theconversation.com/friday-essay-shaved-shaped-and-slit-eyebrows-through-the-ages-123872|title=Friday essay: shaved, shaped and slit – eyebrows through the ages|last=Edwards|first=Lydia|date=15 November 2019|work=The Conversation}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|date=10 April 2014|title=The History of Women and Their Eyebrows|url=https://www.marieclaire.com/beauty/makeup/a9381/eyebrows-through-the-years/|journal=Marie Claire}}</ref>

Cosmetic methods over the centuries have been developed to alter the appearance of eyebrows by adding or removing hair, changing the color, or changing the position to meet the aesthetic ideal of the time, for example, by tinting the eyebrow with permanent dye, similar to hair colour, often in order to darken them.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Cosio|first=Robyn|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1043525546|title=The eyebrow|date=2000|publisher=HarperCollins Publishers|isbn=978-0-06-039326-7|location=New York|language=English|oclc=1043525546}}</ref>

[[Cosmetics]] tools such as eyebrow brushes, shaders, and pencils are often used to define the eyebrow or make it appear fuller. These can create an outline for the brows or mimic hairs where there are sparse areas. Brow gels are also used in creating a thicker brow; they allow for the hairs to be more textured, which gives the appearance of thicker, fuller brows. Lastly, brow powders or even eyeshadows are used for those who want a fuller and more natural look, by placing the brow powder or eyeshadow (closest to the natural hair colour) in areas where there is less hair.

Several options exist for removing hair to achieve a thinner or smaller eyebrow, or to "correct" a [[unibrow]], including manual and electronic [[tweezing]], [[waxing]], and [[Threading (epilation)|threading]]. The most common method is to use [[tweezers]] to thin out and shape the eyebrow. [[Waxing]] is becoming more popular. Lastly, there is [[threading (epilation)|threading]] eyebrows, where a cotton thread is rolled over hair to pull it out. Small scissors are sometimes used to trim the eyebrows, either with another method of [[hair removal]] or alone. All of these methods can be painful for seconds or minutes due to the sensitivity of the area around the eye but, often, this pain decreases over time as the individual becomes used to it. In time, hair that has been plucked will stop growing back{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}. Some people wax or shave off their eyebrows and leave them bare, stencil or draw them in with [[eye liner]] or [[tattoo]] them on. In Western societies, it has become more common for men to pluck part of their eyebrows.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

To create a fuller look, eyebrows can be cloned in an [[eyebrow transplant]]. Individual strands of the eyebrow are created to mimic a natural-looking eyebrow of the desired shape. The process of eyebrow transplant is quite similar to the process of hair transplant. In this process as well, follicles from an active area are transferred to the area where there are no hairs. Follicles are mostly taken from the back of the head because it is the best harvesting site when it comes to hairs. The follicles are then injected into the skin.

The healing process after an eyebrow transplant is similar to the process of tattoo. In this process, patients may experience light bruising and crusting of the skin. People who have genetically thin eyebrows or who have over-tweezed are considered ideal for the transplant.

An eyebrow lift is a [[cosmetic surgery]] to raise the eyebrow, usually to create a more feminine or youthful appearance. It is not a new phenomenon, with the earliest description of brow lifting published in medical literature in 1919 by French surgeon Raymond Passot.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dowden |first1=Richard |title=Keeping the Transumbilical Breast Augmentation Procedure Safe |journal=Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery |date=October 2001 |volume=108 |issue=5 |pages=1405–1408 |doi=10.1097/00006534-200110000-00048 |pmid=11604652 |s2cid=10082065 }}</ref> Brows can be affected during a [[face lift]] or an eye lift. In the 1970s, doctors started injecting patients' eyebrows with [[botox]] or similar toxins to paralyse the muscles temporarily, causing the brow to raise.<ref>{{cite journal |first1=Rhoda S. |last1=Narins |title=Creating Beautiful Eyes and Eyebrows With Nonsurgical Procedures |journal=Medscape Dermatology |year=2008 |url=https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/573716 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Japanese women and men from the 8th century practiced ''[[hikimayu]]'': shaving or plucking the eyebrow hair and painting smudge-like ones higher on the forehead or pencilling in thin ones in a different place. This practice is comparable to that in the [[Elizabethan era]] when high-status women would remove eyebrows altogether.<ref name=":0" /> Thin eyebrows, achieved by rigorous plucking, were again fashionable{{Where?|date=May 2024}} in the 1920s and 1930s.

In the 21st century, tattooing became popular as a way to achieve and maintain an eyebrow shape, using a coil machine, rotary machine or a manual tool containing a row of needles. This process, also called cosmetic tattooing or [[microblading]] involves an eyebrow artist implanting pigments in small, precise cuts that mimic the look of hair. Shaving lines in eyebrows is another cosmetic alteration, popular among some younger people in the 1990s and 2000s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1209345907235720.xml&coll=7|title=Teens shaving lines in eyebrows raise gang concerns in schools|author=Bruce Ely, The Oregonian|date=2008-04-28|publisher=OregonLive.com|access-date=2012-06-23}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="140px">
File:Joan Crawford holding mask of herself.png|[[Joan Crawford]] sporting the pencil thin eyebrows that were typical of [[1930s in fashion|1930s fashion]].
File:Black eyebrow.jpg|Eyebrows often thicken with [[puberty]].
File:Beauty Girl Surprise.jpg|Eyebrows can be used to convey emotion, such as [[Surprise (emotion)|surprise]].
File:Audrey Hepburn in Charade 4.jpg|One of [[Audrey Hepburn]]'s trademarks was her thick eyebrows.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/article/audrey-hepburn-beauty-routine | title=11 Things to Know About Audrey Hepburn's Beauty Regime | date=3 April 2021 }}</ref>
File:Unibrow-2010-20-07.jpg|A young adult with hair between the eyebrows—a [[unibrow]]
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Anti-eyebrow]], a body piercing placed below the eyebrow
* [[Eyebrow piercing]], a body piercing done through the eyebrow
* [[Eyebrow restoration]], surgical procedure to change the look of one's eyebrows
* [[Eyelash]]es, a set of hairs on the edges of the eyelids

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite book |doi=10.1109/ICSLP.1996.607235 |chapter=About the relationship between eyebrow movements and Fo variations |title=Proceeding of Fourth International Conference on Spoken Language Processing. ICSLP '96 |year=1996 |last1=Cave |first1=C. |last2=Guaitella |first2=I. |last3=Bertrand |first3=R. |last4=Santi |first4=S. |last5=Harlay |first5=F. |last6=Espesser |first6=R. |volume=4 |pages=2175–2178 |isbn=0-7803-3555-4 |s2cid=6034851 }}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Singh |first1=Richa|author1-link=Richa Singh |last2=Vatsa |first2=Mayank |last3=Bhatt |first3=Himanshu S. |last4=Bharadwaj |first4=Samarth |last5=Noore |first5=Afzel |last6=Nooreyezdan |first6=Shahin S. |title=Plastic Surgery: A New Dimension to Face Recognition |journal=IEEE Transactions on Information Forensics and Security |date=September 2010 |volume=5 |issue=3 |pages=441–448 |doi=10.1109/TIFS.2010.2054083 |s2cid=1210295 }}

==External links==
* {{Commons-inline|Category:Eyebrows|Eyebrows}}

{{Accessory organs of the eye}}
{{Human hair}}
{{Human regional anatomy}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Eyebrow| ]]
[[Category:Facial features]]