You may find yourself wondering ‘do eyelashes grow back?’ Everybody loves full, long, dark, lush, and beautiful lashes. In fact, it’s a beauty standard in today’s world, and I can imagine why eyelashes falling out can be horrific.
Well, you shouldn’t be worried about losing your eyelashes, it’s normal. Humans lose an average of 2 strands of eyelashes daily, but they grow back in about six weeks under normal circumstances.
Why Do Eyelashes Fall?
Why do eyelashes fall out, anyway? How come they don’t stay glued to the eyelids forever? I understand your frustrations. There are many reasons for eyelash loss, like the body’s natural eyelash growth cycle, underlying health conditions, eye irritation from using the wrong eye makeup, psychological conditions, or certain cosmetics.
Here are some of the most common reasons for eyelash loss:
1. Burns
Exposure to heat can cause eyelash loss. The heat may singe your eyelash off! So, if you’re using a heated eyelash curler, you might want to consider an alternative. Also, don’t get too close to fires to prevent your eyelashes from getting burned.
2. Eyelid Infections
Eyelid infections are another major reason eyelash hairs fall. They can be caused by bacteria or trauma to the eye area. These include Blepharitis, Stye, and Chalazion.
Symptoms of eye infection may include:
Watery eyes
Red eyes
Eyelashes sticking together
Photophobia (sensitivity to light)
Itchiness
Swollen eyelids
Blurred vision
A burning sensation in the eye
These infections can cause inflammation of the eyelids and make the eyelashes begin to fall. They sometimes resolve on their own, but antibiotics help in management. If you notice any of the symptoms listed above, contact an optometrist ASAP.
3. Alopecia Areata
This is a health condition that causes baldness. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease that causes the body’s immune system to attack the hair follicles, causing hair loss — not only on the head but also on the eyelashes.
Alopecia areata cannot be cured; it can only be managed by certain treatments and home remedies that help to boost the hair’s natural growth process.
4. Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a kind of treatment that uses drugs to kill fast-growing cells in your body. It’s usually used to treat cancer since cancer cells multiply faster than most body cells. It causes severe hair loss.
5. Thyroid Conditions
The thyroid gland aids brain development and regulates body metabolism. It also plays a vital role in hair loss or growth.
When there’s an imbalance in the production of thyroid hormones, body metabolism slows down, and to compensate, the body begins to shut down “less important” functions, like hair growth. Also, an overactive thyroid or an underactive thyroid can hinder hair growth.
6. Trichotillomania
Trichotillomania is a mental disorder characterized by a recurring, uncontrollable urge to pull out body hair, including eyelashes.
7. Lash Extensions
If eyelash extensions are fixed wrongly or removed too roughly, the natural lashes/lash line can get damaged, and that can cause eyelash loss.
8. Eye Cosmetics
Eye makeup like liners, shadows, and especially mascara can cause lash loss. Some of these products might contain compounds that you may be allergic to. They may also be generally unsuitable for or are just generally not suitable for the health of your eyelashes.
How Long Does It Take to Grow Back?
Eyelash regrowth may vary from person to person, but it takes about 4-16 weeks for eyelashes to grow back.
How Fast Do Eyelashes Grow Back?
Eyelashes grow an average of 0.12 – 0.14 millimeters per day. But it typically depends on factors like:
Sex
Hair growth varies according to gender. Hair growth in males is usually faster than in females, so typically, eyelashes grow faster in males than in females.
Age
In the teenage years to the early twenties, the eyelashes grow fast. In the thirties and above, eyelashes typically grow back slower. Hair loss usually occurs at thirty, so many people start to experience receding hair lines and balding.
Genetics
Lash growth is also dependent on your genes. If your parents had “rich” hair, you might also get good hair, and your lashes may grow back faster as well.
Nutrition
Your nutrition is also very essential to the growth of your eyelash hair. To have fast-growing lashes, consume foods that aid hair growth, like nuts, berries, legumes, chicken, and avocado.
What Is the Eyelash Growth Cycle?
The eyelash growth cycle is the series of processes for your eyelashes to grow from scratch. It consists of 4 phases:
Anagen Phase
This is the period it takes for a new eyelash to grow from the eyelid. It typically takes about 4-10 weeks. If your eyelash gets plucked in this period, it won’t grow until the cycle is complete.
Catagen Phase
This takes about 2-3 weeks. In this phase, your eyelash stops growing, and the follicles begin to shrink.
Telogen Phase
This is the resting phase. It’s the longest of the growth phase, with a duration of 4-9 months. In this phase, the follicles have matured and will remain like this until the next phase.
Exogen Phase
This is the final stage, and here this is when the lashes get detached from the eyelid and finally fall out. After this, a new lash hair growth phase begins.
How Do I Speed up My Regrowth Process?
Having to wait can be exhausting. There are ways to increase the lash growth rates. Here are a few:
Eat a Healthy Diet
Eat a Healthy Diet
When it comes to our bodies, everything depends on what we eat. If you want your eyelashes to grow faster, your meals should have the right proportions of the following nutrients:
Protein
Your hair is made up of a protein called keratin. So, eating protein-rich foods such as eggs, meat, and milk will provide the body with the necessary nutrients for efficient hair growth.
Biotin
The absence of this nutrient can cause the hair follicle to thin out. To avoid this, you should add biotin-rich food such as eggs, oat, wheat, and spinach to your diet.
Niacin
This helps with blood circulation in the body and helps to bring oxygen to your hair follicles. When they’re properly oxygenated, they’ll grow fast. You can get Niacin by eating: Avocado, peas, chicken, turkey, and peanuts.
Iron
This helps in the production of hemoglobin in the red blood cells. A sufficient supply of hemoglobin aids the transportation of oxygen that helps to recuperate damaged cells in the body.
Some of these cells help the eyelashes grow. Iron-rich foods include white beans, soybeans, spinach, dark chocolate, and lentils.
Take Vitamin Supplements
Instead of constantly worrying if your diet contains all the nutrients you need to grow your hair, you could just opt for supplements.
These should contain nutrients like biotin, protein, zinc, and vitamins A, C, D, and E. You should consult your health care provider about the best options for you.
Use Lash Serums
There are a variety of over-the-counter eyelash serums and conditioners available in stores. You can do research and find out the best options for you. You can also consult your dermatologist and find the one that suits you best.
Latisse Treatment
This bimatoprost-induced eyelash growth treatment increases the duration of the anagen phase and the number of hair follicles.
This helps the natural eyelashes grow fuller and thicker. You would have to revert to your doctor and seek professional medical advice about this treatment method to ensure it’s safe for you.
How Do I Avoid Subsequent Eyelash Loss?
To avoid further eyelash loss, you should:
Change Your Mascara Brand
Changing your mascara brand is an excellent step if you experience eyelash loss. Your eyelash loss could be caused by an allergic reaction to your eye makeup. You should check out waterproof mascara brands that contain compounds like biotin. Biotin aids hair growth and will help to make your eyelashes longer.
Remove Your Makeup Before Bed
When you use mascara, your eyelashes become stiff and brittle, and this can cause them to break off when your eye comes in contact with your pillow.
Removing your makeup before bed will help you prevent eyelash loss. It’ll also help you maintain clear and good skin. You can use a makeup remover or wipes to clean off the makeup before washing your face.
Remove Makeup Gently
While you remove makeup, be gentle. Being rough can injure your eyelids or cause your eyelashes to fall.
Stop Using Eyelash Curlers
Eyelash curlers stress your lash line and cause lash loss — especially when you use them with mascara. Hence, a lash curler is not advisable for you.
You should consider searching for safer DIYs. For example, you can warm your lash wand in water for a few seconds, dry it out on a clean towel, place the bristles on the underside of the lashes and gently press upward.
Carefully Remove False Lash Extensions
Whenever you take off lash extensions, you should be extra cautious so that you don’t remove your natural eyelashes.
You can also take a steamy bath and use an oil-based lash remover. This will dissolve the lash glue and make removing your lash extensions easy without hurting yourself.
Diet
What you eat will reflect in your appearance, so make sure your diet contains healthy nutrients that encourage eyelash growth.
Avoid Rubbing Your Eyes
Rubbing your eyes can cause your eyelashes to fall. This is because it causes friction, especially when you have mascara on and your eyelashes are brittle. If your eyes itch badly, place a clean damp cloth over them until the itching subsides.
Conclusion
Unless the eyelash growth cycle is hindered by an underlying cause, eyelashes grow back! If you want longer eyelashes, pay more attention to eye makeup — particularly lash serum and mascara. Also, add more foods that aid hair growth to your diet.
