Tuesday 17 April 2018

BROW RAISING FACTS ABOUT EYEBROWS






Remember how Priya Prakash Varrier with her dancing eyebrows winked her way into our hearts and became an overnight internet sensation! Eyebrows and expression have a long association and are invalable assets for the exponents of our classical dance forms - Bharatnatyam, Kathakali, Kuckipudi and Mohiniattam.


We Plastic surgeons have been bothered about the eyebrows for a very long time as drooping eyebrows make the face look aged and nice arching eyebrows signify youthfulness. So in our eternal quest of rejuvenation we have been working in and around the eyebrows since quite some time. It was only when we started replacing missing parts of the eyebrow did we realize that each one of them comprises of three sections – head, body and tail and the body has two halves upper and lower and all four of these parts i.e. head, upper body, lower body and tail, have hairs growing in different directions!


If you compare modern human beings to our prehistoric ancestors, one of the most obvious physical differences you'll find is the lack of a massive brow ridge. Over time, human evolution led to us developing finer facial features, smoother foreheads, and eyebrows. But why did this happen?


A recent study, published in Nature Ecology and Evolution claims that eyebrows that are mobile help people with non-verbal communication, which is one of the traits that make us the most advanced human species to ever exist. In contrast, the Neanderthals' jutting brow was used for displays of dominance and sexual attraction instead, similar to the function of a stag's antlers.

"Sexually dimorphic display and social signaling is a convincing explanation for the jutting brows of our ancestors," said Paul O'Higgins, senior author of the study and professor of Anatomy at the University of York. "Their conversion to a more vertical brow in modern humans allowed for the display of friendlier emotions, which helped form social bonds between individuals".

Around 100,000 years ago, human groups began to diversify their social networks, which is why it made evolutionary sense to prioritize emotional responses over violent adaptations. Scientists claim that it is around this point in history that human being began to develop smaller and flatter brow ridges, as well as the mobile eyebrows that we still have today.


Eyebrow movements allow us to express complex emotions as well as perceive the emotions of others. A rapid "eyebrow flash" is a cross-cultural sign of recognition and openness to social interaction and pulling our eyebrows up at the middle is an expression of sympathy. Tiny movements of the eyebrows are also a key component to identifying trustworthiness and deception. On the flip side, it has been shown that people who have had botox which limits eyebrow movement are less able to empathize and identify with the emotions of others.


But why do we have them in the first place? Is it only to communicate through our expressions? The consensus seems to be that eyebrows keep moisture, like sweat and rain, from running down a person’s forehead straight into the eyes. This explanation is easy to visualize when you look at the morphology and facial features involved — most notably, the pronounced slant of the eyebrow hairs which directs water away from the eyes. This has obvious evolutionary survival advantages. Sweat tends to be very salty, and salty liquids getting into your eyes while you’re running in an African Savannah would be a severe hindrance to hunting. It could also be a potentially deadly problem when the tables are turned and you are fleeing hungry predators. Eyebrows give those potentially deadly distractions a detour to the side of the face, instead of right into your eyes.


Beauticians have been dabbling with the eyebrows since ages. According to them there are six facial shapes - Oval Face, Round Face, Long Face, Square Face, Heart shaped Face , Diamond shaped Face and there is a best eyebrow shape suited for each facial shape! Party heart-throbs, brides and cine-artists have all had special attention paid to their eyebrows to make them look more beautiful and sexy. What they as for can then do with this ammunition, only sky is the limit!


Geneticists have established that the shape, color, and thickness of your eyebrows are inherited traits. In one major study in 2015 ( https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms10815 ), scientists found a strong relationship between inheritance of specific genes and eyebrow appearance. Four separate genes may affect eyebrow hair texture, one gene may determine eyebrow shape, five genes affect eyebrow hair color, and one gene determines whether or not you develop a monobrow. But, environmental factors also have a lot to do with how your eyebrows look. Years of waxing or tweezing your eyebrows can permanently affect their shape. Injuries to the skin near your eyebrows can also affect hair growth and eyebrow shape.


Just as eyebrow characteristics are inherited, so are abnormalities affecting the eyebrows. One of the most common abnormalities affecting eyebrows is madarosis, or loss of eyebrows. The term madarosis can also refer to loss of eyelashes. This can be caused by many different inherited disorders. Several congenital facial clefts also traverse the eyebrows, clefting them too!


So, eyebrows are the Swiss Army Knife of the human body—they do everything!




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