I get a lot of questions about shedding and / or losing scalp hair, but there are also a good bit of inquiries about the shedding or thinning of eyelashes and eyebrows. This article will discuss the loss or shedding of eyelashes in particular.
Some Causes For Eyelash Shedding: Medically speaking, this term is called madarosis. You often see it go hand and hand with blepharitis (an inflammation of the eye lid) caused by physical trauma like allergic reactions or chemical burns. This condition is pretty easy to recognize because the eye and the lids will become irritated and red or pink.
Some feel that this can happen if you remove your eye make up too harshly, but I believe that folks who are shedding a lot of lashes know that this is not the case. There is a difference between pulling too hard and losing one or two, but we’re typically talking about much more than this on a much more repetitive basis.
You may also want to consider thyroid issues. Losing the out 1/3 of your brow due to hypothyroidism is a well known occurrence, but some people report that this effects their lashes as well. Finally, some people subconsciously pick at or pull their lashes which can contribute to their shed.
Are You Losing Both Eyelash And Scalp Hair?: If you are shedding scalp hair as well as lashes, then there are other things to consider. There is a lot of controversy as to whether chronic telogen effluvium (shedding known as TE) can cause loss in other areas of the body besides the scalp. Many in the medical profession will tell you that this is very unlikely. However, if you spend any time at all in hair loss forums, you will see that countless people lose lashes as well as hair with TE. I have personal experience with this and I strongly believe that it is possible.
In addition to TE, autoimmune disorders can cause hair loss all over the body. The most commonly known of these is AA or alopecia areata. With this condition, you will often see patchy loss on your head and scalp which is pretty hard to miss. But, almost any autoimmune disorder can affect your hair and lashes. These include autoimmune issues of the thyroid (Grave’s disease), rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and others.
How Do You Treat Eyelash Shedding Or Loss?: That depends on what is causing it. If it is due to a chemical burn or allergic reaction, then you would have a dermatologist treat it like any other skin condition or burn. If it is due to thyroid or autoimmune conditions, you should work with your doctor to best deal with this. If it is due to chronic shedding or CTE, then you should figure out your trigger (the reason for your shedding) and eliminate it.
In the meantime, there are many topicals that claim to restore eyelashes and to help them regrow faster. Often, applying these is like applying mascara. In my own experience, I think that they may have helped just a bit. But, you’ll get the best results if you can aggressively treat and then halt whatever is causing this in the first place.
