Eyelashes: Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

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Eyelashes are subject to many of the same issues as scalp hair, but their shorter anagen growth cycle allows eyelash issues to resolve more rapidly. Dermatologists can recommend cosmetic items and changes in beauty regimens to address patients’ eyelash issues.

Scenario 1: Little to No Growth

A 30-year-old woman presents with concerns that her eyelashes are not growing.

The most common cause of eyelashes failing to grow is breakage and inadvertent removal through pulling, especially with the resurgence of eyelash appliances. One culprit is false eyelashes, which are glued to the skin just above the eyelashes, however even glue application requires a steady hand. When the false eyelashes are removed, a glue remover is used, but it is almost impossible to pull them off without pulling out or breaking some of the natural eyelashes. The most important question to ask this patient is the use of false eyelashes.

Eyelash curlers also can be damaging. These devices clamp the eyelashes between 2 rubber-coated bars that compress the eyelashes and bend them upward, which makes them appear longer. However, the pressure exerted on the eyelashes can break the eyelashes. And curling the eyelashes after applying mascara can further increase eyelash hair breakage. Eyelash curling is best avoided in patients with thin, fragile eyelashes.

Scenario 2: Wishing for Longer Lashes

A 25-year-old woman says that prescription topical bimatoprost (Latisse) did not work up to her expectations. She wants to know if there is a nonprescription way to make her eyelashes look longer.

A new category of eyelash cosmetics is elongating eyelash primers, which are white-colored polymers containing rayon fibers. They are applied to freshly washed eyelashes and elongate and thicken the lashes with the rayon fibers. Their formulation is similar to mascara without pigment. After applying the eyelash primer, mascara is applied. This double application creates darker, thicker, longer eyelashes until the cosmetics are removed.

Scenario 3: Coarse and Short Eyelashes

A 60-year-old woman says she wants a recommendation because her eyelashes are coarse and short.

Eyelash conditioners, similar to conditioners used on the scalp, reduce combing friction, minimize hair breakage, and add shine. Eyelash conditioners are applied with a fine brush to the upper and lower eyelashes at bedtime to minimize eyelash breakage and maximize growth.

Scenario 4: Cosmetic Tattooing

A 45-year-old woman is considering permanent eyeliner and asks your opinion as to the benefits of the procedure.

Permanent eyeliner is becoming more popular and represents a tattoo. Another superficial tattoo procedure that is gaining in popularity is microblading of the eyebrows. The problem with tattooing the face at a single moment in time is that the structure of the face will change with advancing age (ie, eyelids will droop and grow larger). Eyeliner tattoo pigment is phagocytized by macrophages, and in time a sharp line will become hazy, and the color will fade from black to a grayish green, due to the Tyndall effect. Eyeliner tattoos need to be touched up approximately every 4 years. Removal of the pigment is challenging and usually incomplete. Careful thought is necessary before undertaking any type of permanent facial tattooing procedure.

Conclusion

Eyelash hair is a textile much like other natural fibers, such as wool and silk. It must be handled gently, no pulling or tugging or twisting, for optimal performance. Eyelash hair is thinner in diameter than many body hairs and does not withstand trauma. Gently handling the hair is the key to long, lovely eyelashes.

Zoe Diana Draelos, MD, is a consulting professor of dermatology at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina, and Dermatology Times’ editor in chief emeritus.