It's normal to lose between one and five eyelashes each day. Sometimes, more rapid lash loss (known as madarosis) can be a symptom of an underlying health problem in the eye or in another part of the body.
Just like the hair on your head, eyelashes naturally fall out and replace themselves in a natural cycle every six to 10 weeks, so it's totally normal to lose between one and five eyelashes each day.
Why Are My Eyelashes Falling Out? Eyelashes naturally fall out, just as you'd shed hair from your head, but it could be unsettling to see multiple eyelashes on your cheek or pillow. An abnormal loss of eyelashes is known as a condition called madarosis. And if you see an extreme amount, you should consult your doctor.
First things first, it's important to understand that lash loss is a normal part of the growth cycle. Just like the hair on our heads, lashes grow (and shed) in a cycle. Wondering how often your eyelashes fall out in this cycle? Well, natural lashes shed every day, and the loss of 2-5 natural lashes a day is normal.
Common reasons include both an overactive and underactive thyroid gland, as well as other hormonal changes. Additionally, alopecia areata—an immune disorder in which cells attack the hair follicles—causes lashes to fall out.
“Patients should seek medical attention for lash loss as it can be the first sign of local or systemic disease,” says Dr. Moskowitz, who recommends making an appointment with your dermatologist or ophthalmologist.
It's normal to lose between one and five eyelashes each day. Sometimes, more rapid lash loss (known as madarosis) can be a symptom of an underlying health problem in the eye or in another part of the body.
There are however seasons throughout the year, specifically spring and autumn, where lashes will shed more noticeably. This is exactly like the process that animals go through, where they shed their summer and winter coats, ready for the next season.
People lose their eyelashes for many reasons, from burns to chemotherapy. Although it may take a while, the eyelashes usually grow back. Similar to the hair on the scalp, eyelashes also go through growth cycles, so shedding a few is usually no cause for concern.
According to board-certified dermatologist Jeanine Downie, M.D., stress is very much a factor in eyelash loss. Just as stress can lead to increased hair shedding, an increase in anxiety can cause a similar effect on those tiny lash hairs.
Loss of eyelashes may occur with several conditions, including a variety of skin diseases, drug side effects, endocrine disorders, metabolic abnormalities, traumatic insults, inflammations, toxins, psychiatric disorders, and systemic disease.
"Mascara can cause your lashes to fall out due to clogging the hair shaft," explains Phillips. "The hair shaft needs to be clean and filled with nutrients to stop it from getting dry or becoming clogged with excessive oil."
Vaseline is an occlusive moisturizer that can be used effectively on dry skin and eyelashes. It can't make eyelashes grow faster or longer, but it can moisturize them, making them look fuller and lusher. It isn't right for everyone, though.
Trichotillomania (Hair-Pulling Disorder)
Despite hair being pulled out, healthy hair follicles will continue to grow hair. So, new eyelashes should slowly regrow and replace pulled-out hairs within a few months.
Catagen (Transition) Phase
This stage lasts for 2 – 3 weeks. If an eyelash unnaturally falls out (or is pulled out) during this phase, that follicle stays empty while it completes this phase and moves on to Telogen. That means you'll have an empty spot until that follicle reaches the Anagen phase again.
On average, most people have 80-120 natural lashes per eye, with a natural shed rate of 2-5 lashes per day. So looking at the maths: in a normal week, 21 lashes are often shed, 42 lashes in two weeks and 63 lashes lost after three. Sometimes (seasonal and hormonal changes) more lashes are shed, and sometimes less.
For more information, visit our medical review board. Eyelashes fall out and grow back every six to 10 weeks, so losing a few lashes a day is normal.
In humans, there are 75 to 80 lasheson the lower eyelid., and the upper eyelid has 90 to 160 lashes. Lash length is variable from individual to individual: they do not grow beyond a certain length (usually less than 12 mm) and then fall off by themselves.
"Generally speaking, otherwise healthy eyelashes grow about 0.15 millimeters per day and are typically about seven millimeters long (beyond the skin). So, doing the math, it takes one to two months to grow a normal-length eyelash from scratch," says King.
The short answer is that it can take between one and six months, depending on how the eyelashes came out in the first place. If it was because of natural shedding, regrowth will take around six weeks. If, however, your eyelashes fell out with force, the regeneration will take a lot longer.
It's normal to lose a few eyelashes each day. That's just part of the lifecycle of your lashes as they grow out and replace themselves. But if you notice that you're losing a lot of lashes all at once, it could be a symptom or side effect of an underlying health issue.
The only proven remedy to lengthen your eyelashes is to carefully use medication. Bimatoprost (Latisse) is the only medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that makes eyelashes grow longer and thicker.
But irregular functioning of T3 and T4 can cause that regrowth cycle to be disturbed — meaning you might notice thinning hair over time, without replacement. This could affect your eyebrows, body hair, and eyelashes, too. It might fall out in clumps or strands.