How Long Does It Take For Eyelashes To Grow Back?
Monday, July 25th, 2011The answer to both these questions depends on the reason why you lost your lashes in the first place. Were they cut off or rubbed off, do you have a long or short term illness, did you singe them somehow, have you been using heated lash curlers? I’m sure there are more reasons, but that will do for starters as it will cover most people. If you are fit and healthy, the normal rate of growth is about half an inch every two months. However, unlike your head hair, your eyelashes do tend to drop out faster or you just wouldn’t be able to see!!
Thankfully, for most people it is just a case of how long does it take for eyelashes to grow back after a minor incident. However, for some it’s not as easy. For example, there are some illnesses that mean you are unlikely to have much in the way of eyelashes. Most notably is alopecia where the entire body is hairless (similar to the effects of chemotherapy). More specifically, trichotillomania is a form of alopecia where there is compulsive pulling of the hair leading to hair loss. Although this is most often associated with the scalp, the second most affected area is the eyelashes and brows. Reasons for most obsessive eyelash pulling are based on low self-esteem, stress, anxiety and depression. Therefore, until these psychological symptoms are treated, the hair pulling may continue and your eyelashes will not grow back properly.
If you have been unfortunate enough to have had chemotherapy treatment and have lost all the hair on your body, then the evidence seems to suggest that the hair on your body will return first, closely followed by eyelash and eyebrow regrowth. As a rule-of-thumb, this should happen within three months but in some instances, may not occur at the same rate as before.
Some thyroid conditions (such as hypothyroidism) affect hair growth, but once you start treatment for this, the growth should return to normal.
If you have been involved in an accident, even if it did not involve your eyes, the shock can stop eyelash growth for a while. However, a normal rate of growth returns when you recover. If you have singed your lashes, for example at a barbeque, you should see regrowth between 4 to 8 weeks. In the meantime, wear fake lashes but be very careful when removing them as to not pull out the lashes that remain.
If you don’t care for your eyes properly your eyelashes will suffer. Make sure you remove your make up daily and do this very gently. Don’t rub or pull at them either. You should also remember that the renewal process of the body becomes less efficient as we age, so if you are 50 rather than 20, the rate of growth will slow. You can of course speed things up a little by using a regrowth serum which really seems to help me personally.
Hopefully, when asking “how long does it take for eyelashes to grow back” you will realise it depends on how they were affected in the first place. Normal rate of eyelash and eyebrow regrowth is similar to that of your head hair.

