This MedLibrary.org supplementary page on Eyebrow is provided directly from the open source Wikipedia as a service to our readers. Please see the note below on authorship of this content, as well as the Wikipedia usage guidelines. To search for other content from our encyclopedia supplement, please use the form below:
Related Sponsors
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (July 2007) |
| Eyebrow | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| An unmodified male eyebrow and eye | |
| Latin | supercilium |
| MeSH | Eyebrows |
The eyebrow is an area of thick, delicate hairs above the eye that follows the shape of the brow ridges.
Function
The main function of the eyebrow is to prevent moisture, mostly salty sweat and rain, from flowing into the eye, an organ critical to sight. The typical curved shape of the eyebrow (with a slant on the side) and the direction in which eyebrow hairs are pointed, make sure that moisture has a tendency to flow sideways around the eyes, along the side of the head and along the nose. The slightly protruding brow ridges of modern humans could also still play a supporting role in this process.citation needed Together with the eyebrows, the brow ridges also shade the eyes from sunlight.
Eyebrows also prevent debris such as dandruff and other small objects from falling into the eyes, as well as providing a more sensitive sense for detecting objects being near the eye, like small insects. Eyebrows protects eyes from damage.
Eyebrows also have an important facilitative function in communication, strengthening expressions like surprise or anger.
Eyebrow modification
Some people use tweezers or waxing to shape their eyebrows. Threading eyebrows has also become a popular method, because it does not pull at the skin. All of these methods can be painful for some 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 the sensation. In the era of the metrosexual it has become more common for men to pluck their eyebrows to appear more youthful and attractive.
There are some who completely wax or shave off their entire eyebrows, then, either leave them bare, or draw them in with eye liner. Entirely shaved eyebrows will grow back in approximately 1 week.
See also
 |
This eye article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
|
|||||||||||
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 11 October 2008, at 19:30.
Wikipedia Authorship and Review
Wikipedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by MedLibrary.org. Wikipedia content is authored by an open community of volunteers and is not produced by or in any way affiliated with MedLibrary.org.
Wikipedia Usage Guidelines
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "Eyebrow".
The URL for this specific entry is:
All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.