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Eyelashes are one of those parts of our body that we usually care little about until we lose them. Usually, we may lose eyelashes from accidents, eyelash procedures, or medical conditions. Say if you lose your eyelashes, how long does it take for eyelashes to grow back?
In general, expect about 6 weeks for your eyelash to grow back to its original state, provided that the follicle and the eyelid are healthy and undamaged. If the follicle or eyelid is damaged, it may take much longer. You can take specific actions to help regrow your eyelash, but they may not promise visible results.
This article explores how much time it will take to regrow your eyelash back and what you can do to help your eyelash grow back faster.
We also discuss some steps to cover up your lost eyelashes as they regrow and if certain creams or oils can help eyelashes grow faster.
How Long Do Eyelashes Need To Grow Back?
You may need around 6 weeks to regrow your eyelashes to their normal length. However, this is contingent on your eyelids and follicles being undamaged. You may need much more time if they are since the follicle and eyelids need to heal first.
In general, eyelids grow through a cycle similar to hairs in other body parts. First is the growth phase, which may take around four to ten weeks. At this phase, your eyelids will grow at around 0.12 to 0.14 millimeters daily.
Once fully grown, your eyelashes may enter a degradation phase. Here, the follicles start to shrink, and growth tends to stop here. The final stage is the resting phase. The eyelashes stay the way they are until they eventually fall off your eyelid for new hairs to grow.
Understanding the growth cycle will help explain what happens if you lose your eyelashes. Say if you lose your eyelashes as it is in the final days of their resting phase. In this case, you are lucky because your eyelid follicle will enter the growth phase much faster and regrow. However, suppose you lose your eyelashes in the middle of the degradation phase. In that case, it may take a bit longer to regrow your eyelid.
The explanation above, however, may not apply to all cases, as human bodies have a way to regrow hairs faster, mainly if they detect a sudden hair loss. This may also apply to your eyelashes.
Another factor to consider is if your eyelash hair follicle or eyelid skin is injured or not. If they are, you may need to wait longer since the follicle and eyelid need to heal before hair growth can start again.
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What Can Cause Eyelash Hair Loss?
You may suddenly lose many eyelash hairs for multiple reasons, from external trauma such as fire or eyelid injury. Health conditions such as Alopecia, Telogen Effluvium, or Lupus may also cause eyelash hair loss. Medical procedures such as chemotherapy may trigger eyelash hair loss as well.
Generally, people lose their eyelash hair for three major reasons, external injury, medical conditions, or medical treatments. External injury may range from being too close to a fire that their eyelashes get burned or an accident that results in injury on their eyelid or eyelash follicle.
Medical conditions can also cause eyelash hair loss. These are the common conditions, but there may be more.
- Lupus. Your skin will typically get inflamed due to this inflammatory condition. Occasionally, your hair, including eyelashes and eyebrows, can thin out and fall out.
- Blepharitis. Inflamed eyelids can make you forcefully rub your eyes a lot, which can separate your lashes.
- Trichotillomania. Sometimes, you may experience an unexplainable strong drive or desire to pull your hair out. This mental condition may cause you to pull your eyelashes out.
- Thyroid Abnormality. The body’s biological activities, including hair growth, can be hampered by thyroid hormone levels that are either too high or too low.
- Telogen Effluvium. This condition causes your hair follicles to enter the telogen or resting phase earlier than usual while under stress, which can cause thinning or hair loss. Typically, it is temporary and may resolve itself after the body relieves stress.
- Alopecia. People with alopecia areata experience patchy hair loss. This can also happen to their eyebrows and eyelashes. This condition may be hereditary.
Medical procedures such as chemotherapy also cause generic hair loss over the whole body, including eyelashes. Certain medications can also trigger eyelash hair losses, such as anticonvulsants, anticoagulants, and botulinum toxin injections.
How Can I Speed Up My Eyelashes Growth?
Eyelash hair growth may be sped up with the consumption of particular food and vitamins, as well as applying castor oil. Some serums, such as Bimatoprost (Latisse), may also help eyelash growth.
Biotin
You can start by consuming certain food and vitamins. When it comes to hair growth, nothing is more potent than a type of Vitamin B known as Biotin. Biotin is also known as Vitamin H.
Biotin helps promote skin, nails, and hair growth all over the body. This means Biotin may also work to help regrow your eyelash hair faster.
Hair Growth Food
Certain types of food are high in protein and Biotin, which are the major components your body will need to help regrow your eyelash hair. You will need a higher dose of iron as well.
To get these nutrients and minerals from your diet, consider eating more eggs, spinach, fatty fish, sweet potatoes, and nuts.
Castor Oil
Castor oil may help you to regrow your eyelash hair. A 2015 study proposed that castor oil may stop your body from producing certain proteins that inhibit hair growth. This may just be what you need to regrow your hair.
Eyelash Growth Serum
You may also give eyelash growth serum a try. They are usually available over the counter in pharmacies or in cosmetics shops. These serums usually contain chemicals such as Bimatoprost. One famous brand of eyelash serum is Latisse.
You use the serum by painting a thin strip of it on your eyelashes, and in a few weeks, you should see thicker, fuller, and longer eyelashes. However, some people may experience irritation or darkening of the iris when using eyelash serum.
How Can I Hide My Missing Eyelashes?
You can consider individual or whole false eyelashes (falsies) or deftly applied eyeliner to help hide missing eyelashes. These techniques may need you to visit a beautician or spend some time developing makeup skills, but if done well, it would mask your eyelash hair loss very well.
Eyeliner Technique. First, pick an eyeliner that matches your natural hair color. Use brown or grey if you are extremely fair. Choose black If you often wear black mascara.
Work eyeliner into your brush, checking that it creates an even, creamy line. Apply some gel liner with a brush to resemble boot-polish texture.
Now, use some cake liners. Add two to three drops of water and mix it to form a creamy, non-running mixture, similar to watercolor paint.
Next, dot the eyeliner along the top of your lash line, between the eyelashes. This helps to fill up the spaces between your lashes and instantly defines your eyes.
It also gives a more natural look without being overly made up. If your lashes are thin or if you are wearing additional makeup, wear this liner by itself.
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Individual Eyelashes
This method involves gluing false eyelashes to the root of the existing eyelashes to give an impression that the eyelash is plentiful.
It may take exceptionally steady hands to perform, so you may want to visit a beautician if you prefer to spare yourself the trouble.
Start by squeezing some lash glue on the back of your non-dominant hand. Allow the glue a minute or two to dry up and become even stickier before using it.
Pick up each individual lash with tweezers, and then dunk the base of the lash into the adhesive. Then place the lash between the existing eyelashes, ideally in one go. Usually, the eyelash and glue will stick immediately once it touches the skin. Continue until all individual lashes have been laid in.
Try not to over-apply the lashes as they may not look natural. Alternatively, you could create a continuous line down the entire lash line, which would appear more natural than using a single strip all the way across.
Does Vaseline Help Eyelashes Grow?
Vaseline is a moisture locker that may help your eyelashes look fuller, shinier, and thicker. It, however, does not help your eyelashes to grow. It could be a great temporary solution to thicken your eyelash, especially if you have recently lost some.
Vaseline is a brand of petroleum jelly. It is incredibly popular for many skin conditions. It is a strong occlusive, describing materials that help prevent moisture loss.
Many use Vaseline to protect their skin, lips, or earlobes from drying out during winter. Some also use it to reduce friction on skin foldings, such as the armpit and inner thighs.
But many also do not know Vaseline can also be helpful for eyelashes. Vaseline helps to moisturize the eyelashes keeping them healthy. Its gel-like structure also gives the impression of a fuller, thicker eyelash.
This may come in handy if you need a temporary fix to have fuller, thicker eyelashes. You may also consider applying Vaseline every night before you sleep to help nourish your eyelash.
To apply Vaseline on your eyelashes:
- Start by gently and thoroughly cleaning your eyelids. Make sure there is no soap, mascara, or other residues on your eyelashes.
- Dab a small quantity of Vaseline on a cotton swab,
- Now, gently dab the Vaseline to your upper and lower eyelash lines. You may use a dabbing motion with a gentle roll each time before your cotton swab leaves your eyelid.
- Now blink your eyes to help the Vaseline be applied to your eyelashes. Do it several times until you notice the eyelashes have been coated.
- If there is any excess, you may remove it with a makeup remover or warm water on a clean cotton swab.
Despite its use, Vaseline does not help eyelashes to grow. You may require something like an eyelash growth serum such as Latisse to achieve that.
