Eyebrow hair loss is as bad news as head hair loss. It can happen to anybody. In some cases, it can grow back, especially if you detect the reason behind it and troubleshoot it. In other situations, the damage is done and eyebrow hair loss is irreversible. If you are unsure of which one of these groups you belong to, read on to find the reason causing it.
Once you discover why your eyebrow hairs are falling out, try treating it with small solutions at first. Home remedies, hair masks, cosmetic cream, serums, and potions are all part of the treatment; along with changing the lifestyle that caused your eyebrow hair loss in the first place. If any of the treatments works, there is no need for further treatment. You can follow some skincare routine to protect your eyebrow from falling out. But if the eyebrows do not answer to domestic treatments, then it is time for trying cosmetic methods.
Here you can find some of the reasons why eyebrow hair falls out unexpectedly. We’ll also lay down some possible treatments for it. Let’s go through this article to find out the best cure for eyebrow hair loss.
What are the causes of eyebrow hair loss?
There is not much of a difference between head or eyebrow hair loss. They both can happen because of the same reasons. Let’s take a look at a few of these reasons:
Eyebrow hair loss due to genetics
If losing hair runs in your family, then probably there is no possibility of escaping from it. Nevertheless, there are some less common reasons behind eyebrow hair loss. For example, a skin condition called Netherton syndrome aims for the immune system, affecting the eyebrow hair in the process. Netherton syndrome or bamboo hair can make the hair fragile.
Eyebrow hair loss due to aging
Another reason with no escape. when people get older, their body goes through some changes. The wrinkled loose skin and hair loss are both parts of this process.
There are many ways to prevent head and eyebrows hair loss, especially if it is due to aging. Although none of these methods can stop the hair loss process completely, they will slow it down. Not to mention some other methods that can rejuvenate the hair follicles and the skin cells, giving you a younger look.
Skin conditions causing eyebrow hair loss
Skin and hair are closely related. Hair growth is directly affected by skin health conditions, because hair follicles form and grow from under the lower layers of the skin. Therefore, any damage to the skin or skin disease can lead to hair loss. Skin inflammation, dry skin, and rubbing or itching around the eyebrows can all be reasons behind losing the eyebrow hair.
Eyebrow falling out due to hormonal changes
The thyroid hormone has a direct effect on the skin, hair, and nails. Any imbalance in thyroid levels in the body can make a big difference in your appearance. There are many reasons for the mismatch in the amount of thyroid in the body, but in general, the thyroid can affect your hair growth. And you will face hair loss, especially in one-third of the outer part of the eyebrow that is the thinnest part. If you are noticing some dryness in the hair, nails, skin, and scalp that comes with itchiness and brittle skin, it is enough to get your thyroid hormone checked.
Eyebrow hair falling out due to diseases
Although having thyroid and hormonal changes may not be completely considered as diseases, other diseases can affect the growth of hair on the head and eyebrows. To be specific, some diseases target hair growth. All these diseases eventually lead to eyebrow hair loss.
Alopecia
Alopecia is a type of autoimmune disease. The body mistakenly considers hair follicles as enemies and attacks them. As a result, after a limited time, no more hair remains on the surface of the body. Of course, this disease has different types and sometimes it causes only parts of the body to suffer from lack of hair instead of complete baldness. To this day, nobody has a clear reason why alopecia occurs and how it is treated. But if you have this disease, do not lose hope. Apart from the fact that alopecia can come and go, there are many ways to maintain the appearance of hair and eyebrows.
Eczema
Eczema too is an immune system disease affecting hair growth. It is a skin illness, causing redness, itching, and skin irritation. Since the hair and skin conditions are tied to one another, it can also lead to loss of eyebrow hair.
Psoriasis
Another skin disease rooted in the immune system. Psoriasis stimulates skin cells to multiply quickly. The outcome is red, thick, scaly, and painful skin blocking the hair follicles and preventing hair growth, eyebrows included.
There are other skin diseases caused by bacteria or fungus or immune system conditions. They all affect hair growth. If you are diagnosed with one of them, do not worry about loss of hair. Your hair may grow back afterward. Eyebrow hairs, on the other hand, are more sensitive. Still, there are ways to make eyebrows look fuller and in shape.
Lack of essential nutrients causing eyebrow hair loss
Hair loss has a direct connection with nutrients in the body. If the food diet doesn’t provide the necessary nutrition the body needs, it would present with hair loss. Lack of fatty acids, Biotin, and zinc can lead to hair loss. it is how the body reacts to a lack of nutrients, by losing some of its unnecessary hair to save up energy.
Other conditions such as chemotherapy, pregnancy, anxiety, wearing too much/expired makeup, and over-plucking can all be factors in losing eyebrow hair.
What are the possible treatments for eyebrow hair loss?
Depending on why your eyebrows are losing hair, you can choose a treatment to stop the hair loss or provoke it to regrow the hair or to cover it up. Eyebrow hair is more delicate and sensitive than the head hair. Regrowing it is way more difficult. The hair loss on the head has more possibility of coming back than the eyebrow hair.
Below we have described some of the most popular ways for treating or dealing with eyebrow hair loss:
Medications
Taking medications is one of the treatments worth trying out. The most popular medication for hair loss is minoxidil. This medication is available over the counter in many countries.
Keep in mind minoxidil pills are different for men and women due to different body structures. Minoxidil kills hormone-based growth retardation within a few months. However, you should keep in mind that once you start taking Minoxidil, usually there’s no turning back. You must keep using it for a very long period of time.
Lifestyle changes
Acupuncture can also be an effective treatment. It could be even more efficient if your eyebrow hair loss is due to the immune system failure or similar diseases. Acupuncture can stimulate blood circulation and slow the hair loss process. Therefore the illness can not harm hair follicles fast enough.
Castor oil is one of the most effective ingredients for hair regrowth. Its use goes back to centuries ago when there was not such a thing as the cosmetic industry. Caster oil is highly recommended to strengthen eyebrows and eyelashes.
Nutritional supplements are advantageous options as well. Dietary supplements containing antioxidants, omega-3 and 6 fatty acids can help your body get any possible needed nutrition. The result of taking these supplements usually shows up after 2 or 3 weeks, so you should be patient. Taking nutritional pills and vitamins can have more benefits other than regrowing hair, such as stronger teeth, younger skin, and a healthier body in general. Keep in mind that overusing them has its side effects too.
These lifestyle changes and routines usually work for eyebrow hair loss, only if the reason behind it is temporary, such as high stress or if it is not so strong and harsh. In other more serious cases, usually these home remedies will not suffice. In that case you must consider more major treatments such as the ones mentioned below:
Eyebrow hair transplant
If you grow tired of trying lifestyle and domestic treatments and want a permanent option for eyebrow hair loss, an eyebrow hair transplant can be an option.
The whole process is similar to the hair transplant procedure with minor differences. For example, the hair for your eyebrow is taken from somewhere above your ears, not at the back of your head. You would be unconscious the whole time but the whole process takes approximately two to three hours. The whole process of the surgery should be done at a hospital or clinic by an experienced surgeon.
The surgeon transfers the hair follicles along with individual hair, planting them one by one into your eyebrows. Planting the hair follicles helps ensure new hairs would grow later in your eyebrows once the procedure is done.
Eyebrow hair transplant pros and cons
- One of the perks of eyebrow hair transplantation is the natural new look. The planted hair is your own, so the new eyebrows would not be so much different from the ones you had before.
- On the other hand, one of the downsides of eyebrow hair transplantation is that you are limited in doing brow makeup.
- The whole procedure is so expensive. An eyebrow hair transplantation can cost from $3,000 up to $6,000. You also should know that so many insurance companies do not cover eyebrow hair transplantation due to its cosmetic purposes.
- Plus, it might take a few months to see the final results. Simply because the planted hair needs time to function as an eyebrow hair.
- Also, there’s a chance that the process does not work at all.
- The eyebrow hair transplantation recovery process is faster than the hair transplant. Yet you may need at least three weeks after the surgery to recover from it. In the meantime, it’s important not to pick your eyebrows.
- Aside from nerve damage, bruising, infection, and scarring, some redness, itchy eyebrows, and irritated skin are normal side effects of hair transplantation. Your doctor might give you some medications to reduce the discomfort. But if you have any bleeding, swelling, or pus at the surgery area, call your doctor immediately.
Eyebrow tattoo/eyebrow microblading or eyebrow micropigmentation
Each of these cosmetic treatments is recommended for eyebrow hair loss. Eyebrow microblading and eyebrow micropigmentation are both forms of eyebrow tattoo and are non-surgical, non-invasive treatments. Their effect lasts at least about 8 months up to 15 months. Also in comparison to eyebrow hair transplantation, they are much more cost-effective.
Plus, their side effects are not that many. Regardless of their similarities, they each have a unique style, treating eyebrow hair loss differently. Let’s take a look at how each of them can help eyebrows gain a Fuller look.
- Eyebrow tattoos for eyebrow hair loss: Consider eyebrow tattoos as semi-permanent make-up. They are like real tattoos with tiny differences. For example, eyebrow tattoos use different ink rather than body tattoos.
- Eyebrow Micropigmentation: Eyebrow micropigmentation is one type of eyebrow tattoo. The operator uses a hand piece device inserting cosmetic pigmentation under the first layer of your eyebrow skin to draw your full shape eyebrow. At the tip of the hand piece device, there are micro-sized needles coated with pigments. Micropigmentation is also known as Nano brows. You might feel some redness and irritation after the process but it will go away approximately a day after the treatment.
- Eyebrow microblading: Microblading is another cosmetic solution to give eyebrows the naturally thicker look with more volume. Just like the other two solutions, eyebrow microblading uses a hand piece device and inserts natural pigmentation under the skin. The blades at the tip of the hand piece device barely scratch the surface, drawing Strokes of eyebrow hair.
Eyebrow tattoo vs. eyebrow hair transplant
As cosmetic tattoo experts, we have constantly encountered clients suffering hair loss (both eyebrow and head). And we can safely tell you that eyebrow tattoo, whether done as microblading or nano brows, is your best bet against eyebrow hair loss.
The side effects are minimal, there’s no down time or extreme aftercare and there will be no surgical procedures necessary as in hair transplant, all making eyebrow tattoo a complication-free treatment for eyebrow hair loss. The only maintenance needed for eyebrow tattooing is a touch up session after it has faded.
In addition to all the things mentioned above, you should know that eyebrow micropigmentation has an effect similar to microneedling, as it boosts collagen production due to micro injuries applied on the skin bringing more blood flow and nutrients that induce new stem cells that support hair growth. Meaning this treatment not only covers eyebrow hair loss, but also helps with healing it.
Conclusion
Although anyone might lose the eyebrow hair volume due to various reasons, it does not have to be a permanent situation. As we said earlier in this article, to treat your eyebrow hair loss, first you need to diagnose why it is happening. There could be multiple reasons behind eyebrow hair falling out. The Next step is choosing the right solution for it.
Some eyebrow hair loss can recover with simple domestic treatments or just with a change of lifestyle habit. But in some other cases, home remedies might not be good enough anymore. In these situations, clinical and cosmetic options are recommended. Treatments such as eyebrow hair transplantation, eyebrow tattoo, or eyebrow microblading.
All of these treatments have their perks and side effects. You can choose the best option for you only by gaining more information on each of these treatments and consulting with an expert.
