Dear Brow Beaten: Women, in the process of getting gorgeous, seem to go hog wild and over pluck to a thread of a brow's existence- they tweeze holes, wax off ends, or shave half their eyebrows away.

And, there are women, who like yourself, space out yanking brows hair by hair.. guess it's a bad habit akin to a guy who keeps stroking his beard. Don't, fret, I've heard worse eyebrow horror stories.

But, finally, there appears to be a solution other than permanent eyebrow tattooing- which I find too confining, particularly since eyebrow shapes and styles do change with fashion and your face as it ages. Imagine if you had tattooed huge Groucho brows back in the eighties. you'd really be kicking yourself now.

Rogaine works with the natural growth process and texture of hair by lengthening the growth phase of the hair cycle allowing hair follicles that had become dormant to become active again. According to the company representative, in many cases, it appears to thicken brows.

To help get the old brow wow back, they suggest:

- Rub bald spots on overplucked brows with a toothbrush once a day to stimulate follicles.

- Use Rogaine Extra Strength for Men, which contains 5% minoxidil as opposed to Rogaine for Women Rogaine For Women, which has 2%.

- For faster results, dab product on with a Q-tip.

- Be careful of coming close to eyes.

- Apply for at least 4 months time.

The product is not recommend for pregnant and nursing women since they were not tested in clinical trials.

While brows are sprouting, make sure to fill them in with an eyebrow pencil or brow powder, advises beauty guru, Laura Mercier. "Sometimes powder looks a little more natural and is easier to apply. If you use brow gel to keep the hairs in place, you might be less likely to mess with your brows. If you can bare it, try not to tweeze at all and then, after they have grown in, go to an expert and let them shape your brows for the first few times. After the shape is defined, it is relatively easy to tweeze any strays," Laura reminds.

To avoid overtweezing brows, Laura suggests that you try to respect the natural shape of your eyebrows. Follow a sort of "comma" shape...a little thicker at first and then thinner as you go towards the end, avoiding going into a half-circle.

I find that the best way to fill in eyebrow bald spots is in three steps:

- Use a very sharp brow pencil in a color closer the darker side of your brows-apply in quick strokes, rather than draw in a line.

- Then lightly apply strokes of a softer shade of brow powder to simulate hairs.

- Set with eyebrow gel.

Laura Mercier Cosmetics has a wonderful Brow Powder Duo that used in combination with the line's Brow Brush allows you combine colors for a more natural look and professional application.

During the re-growth process, shy away from having hair pulled back or any severe hairstyle that emphasizes your forehead. Long and shaggy fringe does a bang-up job of distracting from eye brow bald spots.

If you are unsure of shaping your brows, race to a professional eyebrow expert for waxing or tweezing before you do any more damage.

--December 6, 2002