How to Deal with Loss of Eyelashes

Dark, thick, lush eyebrows have been a sign of beauty since ancient times. They provide a beautiful frame for the eyes, accenting natural eye color and subtly enhancing the appearance of the face. That’s why it can be so distressing when loss of eyelashes occur. Although this may appear to be a cosmetic condition, it can be associated with a variety of medical conditions and even has its own official medical term. The official medical term for loss of eyelashes is madarosis.

What causes madarosis or the loss of eyelashes to occur? There are a variety of serious and not so serious causes for this frustrating condition. These include injury to the eye, eye infections, allergic reactions involving the eye, and tumors involving the eyelids. Other systemic diseases can also cause eyelash loss including an underactive thyroid gland, malnutrition, certain metabolic diseases, and autoimmune disorders. Medications are a not infrequent cause of eyelash loss including some forms of heart and blood pressure medications, thyroid medications, and cholesterol lowering drugs.

The first step in treating loss of eyelashes is to determine the underlying cause. This will likely entail a trip to your physician for blood tests along with closer examination of the eye to see if there’s evidence of disease or injury. Your medication list and diet should be reviewed to make sure you’re not malnourished and that you’re not taking medications that promote eyelash loss.

If an underlying cause is found for your madarosis, correction of the medical problem may be enough to restore eyelashes to their normal growth state. Finding the underlying cause should be the first priority. If no medical cause can be found for eyelash loss, the type of mascara you’re using on your lashes should be reviewed as well as how you’re applying it and taking it off. Waterproof mascaras are notoriously difficult to remove without damaging eyelashes. Many women when removing waterproof mascara tug at their lashes which can cause damage and lash loss. If you have fragile eyelashes, it’s best to avoid waterproof mascaras when possible. Using an oil based eye makeup remover and applying it without pulling at the lashes is the best means of taking off eye makeup.

Although there is a prescription medication called Xalatan that will promote re-growth of eyelashes, its safety is questionable. It’s used in persons who have glaucoma to lower eye pressure and although it will promote hair growth, it can have serious side effects including changing your eye color and altering intraocular pressure. This type of drug is generally not recommended by most doctors due to safety concerns although you may want to discuss this issue with your own physician.

To improve the appearance of the face after loss of eyelashes, various makeup tricks can be used. One of the most effective is to simulate the look of eyelashes by lining the upper eyelid carefully with a liner that’s a shade darker than your natural hair color. There’s also the possibility of using false eyelashes which must be applied carefully to give a more natural look.

Once the reason for the loss of eyelashes if identified and corrected, the eyelashes should grow back in within six months. Until then, lid liner and false eyelashes can help to fill in the gaps.