英国一位19岁的女孩日前接受了睫毛移植手术，这是英国国内首个睫毛移植病例。这个女孩因患有拔毛发癖而致使睫毛所剩无几，本以为此生都不会再有浓密睫毛的她在术后表示效果很神奇。据悉，此项睫毛移植手术历时四个小时，期间，医生需从女孩的脑后取下一些头发，然后一根一根植入眼睑上的睫毛开口中。手术花费约为3500英镑，术后4到6个月后睫毛会逐渐变的浓密。

Surgeons have carried out Britain's first eyelash transplant on a 19 year-old from Stockport, Cheshire.

The teenager had the treatment because she suffers from trichotillomania - obsessive¹ plucking or pulling out hair.

The four-hour procedure involves taking hair from the back of the head, and then placing individual hairs into cuts in the eyelid².

It costs around £3,500 and the lashes³ thicken up gradually between four and six months after treatment.

The patient said: "Having suffered from trichotillomania for 17 years, I learned to accept that I'd never have real lashes again. That's quite a hard issue for a young girl to come to terms with.

"When I heard about this treatment it sounded too good to be true but the results are absolutely amazing."

The procedure was pioneered in America.

Shami Thomas from Transform, which carried out the surgery, said: "We often look to America for the latest in cosmetic⁴ surgery as they're the pioneers in the industry, but not all are as successful and safe as this one.

"The eyelash transplant procedure is a very safe, cost-effective and pain-free treatment that can have life-changing effects."

Meanwhile it was revealed that more women over 55 are considering non-surgical treatment such as chemical peels to look younger.

The Harley Medical Group (HMG) said the number of enquiries from women in that age group is up 9 per cent year-on-year.

They have put this down to a fear among older women that they will be replaced in their jobs by younger counterparts.

This has been dubbed⁵ the "Arlene effect" - referring to former BBC Strictly⁶ Come Dancing judge Arlene Phillips, 66, who was replaced by 30-year-old performer Alesha Dixon.

Liz Dale, director of HMG, said: "It's interesting to see that pressure in the workplace is a key driver for women of more advanced years, given the current high level of competition for jobs. Women over 55 have really boosted our non-surgical market, which now accounts for 29% of our total revenue."

Vocabulary

trichotillomania: 拔毛发癖（过度拔扯毛发的行为）

chemical peel: 化学蜕皮术