Do eyelashes grow back?

@olisaur (1922)
United States
December 31, 2009 1:41pm CST
If you cut the hair on your head it grows back, if you shave your legs it grows back, but if an eyelash falls out, will it grow back? I've always wondered this. I've noticed everyso often when I curl my eye lashes or put on mascara, that one lash has fallen out. I've never freaked out about it, but I recently started wondering that if eyelashes never grow back, can you lose them all over time? That thought really makes me nervous- I love wearing makeup, namely mascara! I don't wear it everyday and I always wash off all my makeup before I go to bed.
17 responses
@Mayuko (1268)
• United States
26 Jan 13
From my own personal past experience, yes eyelashes do grow back if you cut it. Several years ago, I accidentally cut off some of my eyelashes when I was trimming my hair... I was really upset because one eye looked much different without the extra eyelash length. But time passed & eventually those trimmed eyelashes must have fallen out & new ones grew.
@felliana (114)
• Philippines
29 Jan 11
hmmm...take this, the average life span of an eyelash is about 150 days, and after that it'll grow back! so worry not",) happy lotting",)
@vherzha (223)
• India
1 Jan 10
Dear Olisaur Happy New Year..... Yes, 100% chances are there that Eyelashes will grow back... But we have to wait for long time while compare to the growth of other parts like legs or hands etc... It will take few weeks or few months to get growth depending on the time of lost... So there is no need to worry about it...
@madteaparty (2748)
• Japan
1 Jan 10
They grow back. Think that if the eyelashes that fall weren't replaced by new ones we would run out of them really quickly. It's not as noticeable as head hair as it only can reach a certain lenght, like body hair. I wish body hair would not grow back, but that's a different matter
• Hong Kong
1 Jan 10
Hi olisaur, I think it is a matter of age and health. Moreover dropping of eyelashes is not the same of cutting of hair or shaving of legs, as the hair is still there when cutting or shaving, it is just shorter. Dropping of hair means the hair is gone with the root. I did see some of friends had the eyelashes come out while clearing the mascara or removing the fake eyelashes, and finally their own eyelashes become lesser and lesser. As a result, they have to wear fake eyelashes daily. The same thing happened to my eyebrow. 8 years ago, someone at the beauty salon had re-shaped my eyebrow. A thinner a eyebrow was the trend at that time. However, when I wanted a thicker one, some of the hair cannot grow back. Consequently, I got a small place at my right eyebrow without hair. I think one or two poles are not working anymore. Have a nice day! Happy New Year! agonyaunt69 (1:28am 2 Jan 2010, Hong Kong time)
@bhav27 (442)
• India
1 Jan 10
yes dear eyelashes do grow back , in our human body the waste materials are relesed everyday and after few months they are visible on our body , you know that our nails ,our hair are waste product of our body , when the waste material is thrown out of the body it take some shape as this is the rule of the nature , just like our hari and our nailos , both the nails and hair are waste products of our body . but in modern life , hair and nails are symbol of fashion but actually they are waste material of our body
@drakesuyat (1063)
• Philippines
1 Jan 10
my wife has been trimming my kids' eyelashes during their early years. he told me that she wanted our kids to have a longer eyelashes to make them more look good. i even ask her if it will grow longer should she trim it, she said it will and indeed, it grew longer. im only not sure when it comes to adults coz i never saw her trimming her own. good day olisaur
@reichiru (748)
• Canada
1 Jan 10
Don't worry too much about it, eyelashes do grow back, just at a slower rate than the other types of hair on your body. I have read somewhere that it does take quite a long time for eyelashes to grow back, but they will grow back eventually. They also fall out quite easily, but new ones start growing right away to replace the old ones. And old ones will fall out even if you don't put on makeup or anything of that sort, so makeup doesn't have anything to do with it.
@maezee (42003)
• United States
31 Dec 09
I'm pretty sure they grow back. I use a lot of mascara too and I've noticed that a few will come out here and there. But I still have eyelashes. So they must grow back! lol!
• United States
1 Jan 10
I would guess that they would because common sense says that I have lost probably 2-5 eyes lashes a month and I am 27 so if they didn't grow back that would mean that more than likely I would have no eyelashes left". Now it may take a little while but I think eventually they do end up growing back..
@simonelee (2715)
• China
1 Jan 10
eyelashes - does eyelashes grow back...
Hello, Oli. Yes, eyelashes grow back just like other hair. Here's the explanation i read form "eHow" Hope it answers your questions. All human hairs go through three stages during their growth and development. One stage is anagen. This is the active, growing phase. For eyelashes, this phase lasts 30 to 45 days. During this phase, the hair will keep growing and will not fall out unless pulled, plucked or otherwise forced out. Another phase of hair growth is the catagen phase. This phase is a stage of transition. An eyelash in this phase is no longer growing. The sheath of the outer root of the eyelash shrinks during this phase and attaches itself to the hair's root. The follicle is not making hair during this phase. If the eyelash falls out during the 2 to 3 weeks of this phase, it will not grow back until after the follicle's catagen phase is over. The phase in which most hairs, including eyelashes, fall out is the telogen phase. This is the hair's resting phase. A hair in this phase will rest for about 100 days before eventually falling out. Tugging gently on an eyelash that is in this phase may result in its coming out sooner than it would have on its own. Losing an eyelash during this phase means that the new eyelashes will grow in faster because the growth cycle of the hair was not interrupted. Pulling out eyelashes or plucking them means that the eyelashes that were in the active growth or transitional phases will not be equipped to start new growth as quickly as one that was lost naturally at the end of its resting stage. But, no matter what phase the eyelash is lost in, it will eventually grow back. It can take weeks or months before you have a new eyelash, depending on when it was lost. Happy new year
@MrKennedy (1978)
1 Jan 10
Of course they grow back. Eyelashes are falling out all the time, and usually you may never even notice it. Like 99% of your body, they are replaced by new eyelashes
1 Jan 10
i dont know i am not aware of this and eyelash. i really scared about eyelesh growing in my life. and that thought really makes me nervous- i love wering makeup, namely mascara. i don't wear it everybday and i always wash off all my makeup before i go to bed.
• India
1 Jan 10
Hi, Yes, eye lashed do grow back.I have seen my eye lashes falling down when i rub my eyes.But they havent lessened in number.So it means eye lashes grow back.
@Iram786 (498)
31 Dec 09
i think they probably do grow back... i mean eyelashes always fall out, even when you don't notice it and if they didn't grow back your eyelids would probably be bald by now. eyelashes are there to protect anything from getting into your eyes, so imagine if all our eyelashes fell out just by nature then we wouldn't have anything to protect our eyes. so i really doubt it that they DON'T grow back.
@Alderica (100)
• Germany
31 Dec 09
Yes, they do grow back. In fact, one eyelash has a life span of only 4 months before it is replaced by a new one. So don't worry - as long as you are not putting chemicals on your eyelashes which are killing the roots, you will be fine :-)
31 Dec 09
I think they do grow back, actually I ma 99% sure they grow back. I am not going to promise anything but I am sure my partner has told me before that she had a friend that used to pick her eyelash hairs out and now she has them all again. Dont fret I am also under the impression that eyelashes are there to protect your eyes!