Noticing that your eyelashes are starting to disappear can be upsetting to say the least. Maybe you’ve noticed that lashes come out when you take off your makeup, or maybe there are visible gaps in your lash line. If you’re experiencing any of these it should prompt you to ask: Why are my eyelashes falling out?
Our eyelashes frame our eyes and protect them from debris and dust. If you suddenly lose more eyelashes than normal, you are absolutely right to be concerned. It could be a sign of a serious underlying health condition, or it could just be a sign that you’re being a little too rough with your lashes. In this post, we will cover the possible reasons why eyelashes fall out so that you can discover the underlying cause and fix the problem.
Is it normal to lose eyelashes?
Losing a few lashes a day is completely normal. Hair all over our body, including our eyelashes, has a life cycle. In the end of life cyclea hair or eyelash will fall out on its own and a new one will begin to grow in its place.
Lash loss naturally stops when you consistently lose more than five lashes per day and start to see visible thinning along your lash line. Other signs of concern include loss of eyelashes from both eyes or the appearance of additional symptoms.
Why are you losing more eyelashes than usual?
There are so many possible reasons why you may be losing eyelashes at an increased rate. Understanding why it happens is key to solving the problem, so here are all the possible underlying causes:
1. Eye makeup
The most common reason for eyelash loss is friction and pulling from makeup, especially during the mascara removal process. Research shows that the more often one wears mascara, the greater the chance of losing eyelashes. According to the study, the most damage comes from trying to wash off waterproof mascaras with water.
Other practices, such as rubbing the eyes while wearing mascara, pulling false eyelashes without breaking the glue, or using lash scissors incorrectly can also be problematic.
2. Friction
Aside from makeup, other forms of friction can lead to eyelash loss. Anything that puts pressure on your lashes can cause them to fall out prematurely. This includes sleeping on your stomach with your face pressed into the pillow, rubbing your eyes when you’re tired, and more. Breaking such habits can be difficult, but it is worth it. Your eyelashes will quickly recover once the rubbing stops.
3. Blepharitis
Blepharitis is the medical term for inflammation of the eyelids. Its main symptoms are eyelid pain, itching and crusting, often with some redness and swelling. Loss of eyelashes can also be one of its symptoms.
This condition is usually chronic, but can also occur temporarily as a reaction to external irritants or pathogens, including bacterial infections, mites, allergens, and others. Most treatments involve regular washing of the eyes and eyelashes with gentle, eye-safe cleansers such as Lilac Lash Bath kit.
4. Other eye or skin conditions
Many other health conditions affect the skin or eyes and can lead to eyelash loss. This includes inflammatory skin conditions such as rosacea and striae that may affect the eyes or eyelids. Allergic contact dermatitis can also lead to eyelash loss, especially if the reaction is to something near the lash line, such as eyelash glue or eyeliner.
Some autoimmune conditions cause inflammation of the skin, such as psoriasis and lupus. They can cause eyelash loss if the inflammation affects the eye area. You will have other noticeable symptoms besides eyelash loss with any of these conditions.
5. Alopecia areata
Alopecia areata is one autoimmune condition which can cause eyelashes to fall out. During an outbreak, the immune system attacks the hair follicles or eyelashes, causing thinning, bald patches, or complete baldness.
This condition can occur at any point in life. While hair often grows back within a year, hair loss can recur and fade for the rest of a person’s life. There are many treatments and medications that may help with the symptoms, but there is no known cure.
6. Major hormonal fluctuations
Hormones, especially sex and thyroid hormones, play a large role in regulating the hair growth cycle. Large hormonal fluctuations can disrupt or alter the process, forcing many of the eyelashes into the telogen phase (i.e., resting and shedding) at the same time, leading to sudden and excessive hair and eyelash loss.
This is more common after pregnancy, during menopause, or after stopping hormone-altering medications. Hair and eyelashes normally return to normal function once the body finds its hormonal balance. If it doesn’t, it could be a sign of a more serious endocrine disorder.
7. Cancer treatment
Those undergoing cancer treatments and especially chemotherapy, usually experience loss of eyelashes, along with loss of hair from the head and eyebrows. Chemotherapy works by attacking any growing cells, including the cells that make hair in the eyelashes and in the hair follicle. Hair and eyelashes normally start growing back within a few weeks after treatment, although they may not have the same texture or color as they did before chemotherapy.
8. Thyroid disorders
Since thyroid hormones play a large role in supporting healthy hair growth, hair and eyelash loss is often associated with thyroid disorders.
Hypothyroidism (ie, underproduction of thyroid hormones) is the most common thyroid disorder associated with eyelash loss, but hyperthyroidism (ie, overproduction of thyroid hormones) can also cause problems, as can other related conditions such as Hashimoto’s disease.
Once the underlying hormonal imbalance is addressed, hair and eyelash growth will usually return to normal.
9. Eyelid cancer
Eyelash loss can be a symptom of eyelid cancer, usually along with other visible changes in the lash line, such as discolored growths or lesions that do not heal. Treatment is complex and requires doctors with multiple specialties. It is important to seek medical attention early, as it becomes much harder to treat as the disease progresses.
10. Nutritional Deficiencies
When your body loses essential nutrients, it can’t repair and renew itself properly, which can result in thinning hair and eyelashes. Eyelash loss is most strongly associated with protein and biotin deficiencies.
11. Trichotillomania
Trichotillomania (or trich for short) is a mental health status leading to hair or eyelash pulling. It is often accompanied by stress, anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorder. This condition makes it almost impossible to resist the urge to pull hairs, often leading to bald patches or total loss of eyelashes. It is very difficult to treat trichotillomania alone, so talk to your doctor about treatment.
12. Poor eyelash extension application or removal
If you’re a fan of eyelash extensions, it’s important to pay attention to signs that application or removal is causing your eyelashes to fall out. Improper application techniques, such as placing an extension on multiple lashes, can put pressure on your natural lashes, causing them to fall out.
Removing your eyelash extensions incorrectly can also result in pulling out your natural lashes. Think DIY eyelash extensionswhich are easier to apply and remove yourself at home.
13. Poor eyelash hygiene
Failure to keep your eyelashes clean can lead to eyelash loss. Dust, mites, and bacteria can irritate the lash line, leading to inflamed or blocked glands (i.e., stalks). Any of these can lead to damage to the eyelash follicles.
That’s why it’s important to wash your lashes and remove makeup completely at the end of the day. It’s also important to pay attention to the expiration dates on your makeup products – especially mascara.
14. Stress
It is normal to experience eyelash in times of extreme stress (as well as regular hair loss). Stress increases cortisol levels in the body, pushing hair and eyelashes into the telogen phase. This is more likely to happen due to prolonged stress over weeks or months.
When should you see a doctor about eyelash loss?
Some of the health conditions that lead to eyelash loss are quite serious. If your eyelashes are falling out, you may need to consult your doctor for an appropriate treatment plan. Here are some signs that your condition deserves medical treatment:
- Significant signs of irritation of the eyelids or eyes, such as redness, itching, pain, crusting or peeling.
- You lose hair from other parts of the body, such as your eyebrows or head.
- You are losing eyelashes at a rapid rate with no obvious underlying cause.
- You experience any other physical or mental health symptoms that may or may not be related.
- You think you are losing eyelashes as a result of a medical condition.
Conclusion
Wanting to know why your eyelashes are falling out makes perfect sense. There are so many different possible reasons. By understanding what’s going on with your eyelashes, you can fix the problem and grow your eyelashes back. In the case of underlying health problems, treating the actual cause can provide you with many other health and beauty benefits.