Eyelashes at their natural life cycle can take around six weeks to grow back. However, physical injury, illnesses, and other causes can make the regrowth process longer. Talk to your doctor to determine and address the cause first to figure out what to do.
The time it takes for eyelashes to grow back depends on what caused the loss of eyelashes initially and the health of the hair follicle and eyelid. In most scenarios, it will take between 6 weeks and 3 months for eyelashes to fully grow back.
Eyelashes that fall out naturally, get plucked out or are even pulled out accidentally with an eyelash curler will usually grow back within a few months. However, certain underlying conditions can cause permanent eyelash loss and may require treatment.
Eyelashes can grow back if pulled out, but it may take longer than 6 weeks or longer. This is because pulling an eyelash slows down the process of regrowth. While it's quite normal to lose 1-2 eyelashes a day, significant eyelash or eyebrow hair loss (madarosis) may indicate a more serious problem.
The lifespan of an average eyelash is three to five months, opposed to the rest of your hair which lasts two to four years. Eyelashes are the thickest hair on the human body. Most people have between 150-250 individual lashes on the top of the eyelid and between 50-100 on the lower lid.
“Wearing lashes that are too long or too thick can spell damage in the long-run; they weigh more than shorter lashes and can cause stress to the hair follicle,” Marin warns. "That stress can make your natural lashes fall out prematurely, and when that consistently happens it can cause permanent damage.
Conditions that may prevent or change eyelash regrowth include: Damaged eyelid or lash follicles. The lash won't regrow if there's been permanent damage to the eyelid skin or eyelash hair follicle.
Multiple remedies exist for growing back eyelashes. Many people use home remedies such as castor oil, coconut oil, and olive oil. Mixing the oils and applying them to the lashes helps thicken them and makes them appear longer.
Additionally, women over the age of 40 go through menopause, with a reduction of estrogen production, which is vital for collagen production and healthy thick hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. With menopause, most women will notice changes in hair, eyelashes and eyebrows.
Although Vaseline does not make your eyelashes grow longer, it can help to keep your lashes hydrated by locking in moisture and, in turn, preventing lash breakage.
Fusco recommends avoiding eye makeup for the next few days. But fear not: After just a few weeks or so, the eyelashes should grow back on their own. Of course, going even one night without any lashes might be annoying and more than a little embarrassing.
Eyelash Serum To The Rescue
The best thing you can do at this point is to invest in a bottle of daily eyelash serum. Eyelash growth serum was what helped me nourish and repair my lashes, leaving them stronger, thicker and fuller in as little as 4-8 weeks.
Effects of Eyelash Plucking
Aside from cosmetically framing the eye, our lashes also protect our eyes from dust, dirt and other substances. People who constantly pluck out their eyelashes may damage the skin of their eyelids, and also have a greater risk of eye injury, scarring or infection.
Unfortunately, the regrowth process can take up to 16 weeks. Just like the hair on your scalp, eyelashes grow in a three-phase cycle (Cohen, 2010): Anagen phase—This is the growth phase when new hairs grow from eyelid follicles. Anagen usually lasts for 1–3 months and is what determines your eyelash length.
Oils such as vitamin E, castor oil, olive oil, and even petroleum jelly have a positive effect on eyelashes. Dip a disposable mascara wand in your choice of oil and coat the lashes from base to tip. Leave it on overnight. Be careful not to rub any oil into your eye.
This type of hair loss is called telogen effluvium and can be caused by illness, emotiional stress or an event like surgery. The stress causes more of your lash hairs than normal to enter the 'teleogen' or resting phase of their growth cycle leaving you with thinner lashes.
That's simply not true. “As long as you are gently removing the mascara completely at the end of the day, and you are consistent about throwing out your mascara every three months, mascara doesn't have to have a negative impact on eyelashes,” says Dr. Lancer.
In many cases, eyelashes will grow back without treatment. For people who would like to speed up their eyelash growth, treatment may help. If someone is unsure why their eyelashes are falling out, it is best to speak to with a doctor to determine the underlying cause.
If the lashes are too long or too heavy and you have them for a certain duration of time, there is the risk of traction alopecia. Traction alopecia is caused by tension or pulling of hair for a long duration of time, causing hair loss. The hair loss caused by this could become permanent if not corrected in time.
Causes of trichotillomania
It could be: your way of dealing with stress or anxiety. a chemical imbalance in the brain, similar to obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) changes in hormone levels during puberty.
Each time the person pulls hair, the brain releases a small burst of reward hormone. The person feels 'rewarded' with a brief sense of relief.
Trichotillomania. This condition is an impulse control disorder caused by anxiety or stress. Often called “hair-pulling disorder,” people with trichotillomania have the irresistible urge to pull out their own hair, eyelashes or eyebrows. The area of hair loss is usually asymmetric and follows an irregular pattern.
Both collagen and biotin support the body's hair growth process. If your lashes are weak and thin, consider taking collagen or biotin supplements. Before adding new supplements to your routine, consult your doctor to determine which supplement is best for you and review any potential side effects.