The long and short of how I fixed my balding eyelashes
Once upon a time, I was also a strong advocate for eyelash extensions. I simply loved how quick and effective they made my eyes look. That was, until one day when I noticed that my natural lashes were getting shorter and more sparse after removing my extensions.
If you’re currently in that same position as I was and frantically finding a solution to your predicament, fret not. The one thing good that came out of that fateful experience, was that I became an eyelash expert.
Do Eyelashes Grow Out When Plucked?
The number one question on your mind now is probably, “Will my eyelashes still grow back out?” Fret not! The short answer is, yes they do.
Your bald patch won’t stay bald permanently. However, they do take some time to grow back out. When pulled out or shed, eyelashes typically take around 7 to 8 weeks to grow back out. Made of 10% water and 90% proteins, eyelashes are slow-growing hairs, growing at a rate of approximately 0.12-0.14mm each day, compared to 0.35mm per day for scalp hair.
That seems like quite a L-O-N-G time to bear with a bald patch, but I’m sure you would also rather stay away from falsies for the time being.
Don’t be discouraged! There are definitely still ways for you to speed up your eyelash growth process for that longer eyelash.
Eyelash Serum To The Rescue
The best thing you can do at this point is to invest in a bottle of daily eyelash serum. Eyelash growth serum was what helped me nourish and repair my lashes, leaving them stronger, thicker and fuller in as little as 4-8 weeks.
They typically contain multiple vitamins and peptides that help stimulate, condition and strengthen the eyelashes. Ultimately, they provide heaps of nourishment for your lashes and down to the hair follicles, so they have long lasting impacts and grow out nice and healthily.
And, you'd be ready for the next lash extension.
Why did I choose Long Lashes?
Cangro’s Long Lashes is a vegan, gluten-free and cruelty-free serum, containing peptides, vitamins and active ingredients high in antioxidants. They work in synergy to help strengthen lashes, whilst moisturising and conditioning.
This wonderful lash serum contains a host of peptides which are essential for lash growth - Pentapeptide, Hexapeptide, Tetrapeptide, Biotinyl Tripeptide.
How Do Peptides Help Lashes Grow?
Peptides are made of amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. Similarly, our eyelashes are also made of proteins composed of amino acids. By directly providing the eyelashes with the protein fragments in peptides, we supply our eyelashes with the raw material they need to grow!
The gentle formula, without growth hormones (ie. without prostaglandins), ensures that it is non-invigorating for sensitive eyes. It is usually the growth hormones that give you the side effects like redness, itchiness, tinting of skin and iris, although prostaglandins do grow your lashes faster.
Read here to find out other ingredients you want to avoid when choosing your eyelash serum.
NO SUNKEN EYES. NO DARKEN EYELIDS!
An aesthetic doctor in Singapore saw his patients experiencing side effects from use eyelash serums with prostaglandins analogue. They were having sunken eye appearance with the loss of fats around the eyes and reduced eyeball pressure. And, deposition of pigments in the eyelids worsening dark eye circles.
Look at the unwanted side-effects here.
Do take note to avoid waterproof mascara and false eyelashes too, as both are very difficult to remove and require some force on your natural lashes during removal. If really necessary, apply mascara sparingly. However, eyelash curlers should definitely be avoided as they pull out your lashes inadvertently. Read our article on how different eye makeup solutions may strain your eyelashes.
Pro-tip #1: Applying Twice A Day Is Sufficient
It isn’t necessary to over-apply the lash serum 3 or 4 times a day, as the skin’s absorption is limited. The skin also takes time to adapt to the eyelash serum, and hence applying just twice a day is recommended, to prevent the skin from getting a shock with an influx of serum.
Pro-tip #2: Consistency is Key
Even though applying twice a day is enough, consistency is key. It is important to apply the eyelashes serum continuously for 12 weeks, and then once every 2 days for maintenance. Consistency ensures that your eyelashes are fed with the vitamins at every stage of eyelash follicle hair growth, so that your result will be optimal and you will be seeing the growth quickly.
Fig. Three stages of eyelash growth cycle: Growth, Degradation or Transition, Resting
Pro-tip #3: More isn’t always better
It is also not necessary to apply more than twice a day as absorption is limited and skin needs to adapt to the serum. Waste not!
See how you can apply eyelash serum correctly and easily.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuZSH98fQQk&t=2s
Final Note
While eyelash serums are great in fixing our bald spots in our eyelashes, we have to be discerning when come to choosing the right one. A good serum will not only give us the short-term fix, also long-term benefit including helping us age gracefully without balding eyelashes as discussed here.
Whatever reason you use eyelash serum for, get ready to see long-lasting and miraculous results over the span of the weeks!
Featured in: ExpatLiving, Sassy Mama
References:
Do eyelashes grow back? What you need to know