Long, thick and beautiful eyelashes are without doubt one of the most desirable facial attributes of the moment. If you aren’t blessed with naturally luscious lashes, you may be wondering what you can do to be able to achieve this look. Despite the trend for artificial lash enhancement, going fake isn’t the only option and in some cases, can hamper your natural lashes. 

Fortunately, there are things that you can do to ensure that your natural eyelashes are not only as long as they can be, but also healthy and in great condition so that you can maintain this feminine feature indefinitely and your eye doctor can help. Here are the top 5 things that you should ask your eye doctor about lash health and growth. 

1. Is it natural for eyelashes to fall out?

Losing eyelashes can be a cause for concern, but you may be surprised to learn that eyelashes grow, fall out and regrow again in a natural cycle – just like the hair on your head. Finding the odd eyelash on your face or pillow isn’t anything to be concerned about, but if you are noticing more than this, or if you notice that your eyelashes are looking more sparse than normal, there may be an underlying issue. There are lots of things that can potentially affect our eyelashes, including alopecia, thyroid problems and chemotherapy. Eyelash loss can also be caused by an inflammatory condition affecting the eyelids called blepharitis. If you are concerned about eyelash loss, don’t hesitate to speak to our team. 

2. Does my diet affect lash growth?

Eating a healthy, balanced diet is essential for various areas of our health and wellbeing, including helping us to grow strong, healthy hair. Certain nutrients are particularly beneficial for hair and lash growth, and these include:

• Protein (found in meat, fish, eggs and helps our body to produce keratin, which is essential for lash growth and health).
• Biotin (also supports keratin production and is found in kale, broccoli, onions, cauliflower, nuts and whole grains)
• Vitamins A&C (supporting collagen production, found in berries, dark orange and yellow fruits and vegetables and avocados)
• Niacin (improves blood flow to follicles, found in many products including poultry, fish, beef and peanuts)
• Iron (prevents hair from entering the resting phase, found in dark, leafy greens, seafood, beans and dried fruit)

Our eye care team will be able to advise you if your diet contains the correct nutrition for eye health and lash health and growth.

3. How do cosmetics affect my lashes?

Countless different cosmetic brands have products that can be used on the eyes. What’s important to remember is that our eyes are very sensitive and using the wrong product can be disastrous for lash health. Here are a few tips:

• If your cosmetics irritate your eyes, you should cease using them immediately and switch to a hypoallergenic brand.
• Don’t apply eyeliner inside the eyelids as this is more likely to give you an eye infection, which in turn could affect your lashes.
• Ditch the eyelash curler as this puts unnecessary stress on your lashes and puts them at risk of breaking. 
• Cosmetics have a shelf life and so you should replace eye makeup every 6 months to minimize your risk of developing problems. 
• Try not to wear eye cosmetics every day.

4. Do I need to take my makeup off before bed every night?

Yes, this is one habit that you really shouldn’t break! Eyelashes that are coated in mascara are more brittle and thus more likely to break and/or fall out, particularly if you end up rubbing your face against your pillow when you sleep or inadvertently touching your eyes. Doing this also risks transference of cosmetics into the sensitive eyes themselves, increasing your risk of developing an infection. Remove any eye makeup carefully using a sensitive remover product or just water. 

5. Are eyelash extensions safe?

If you do choose to go artificial, at least until your natural lashes have grown some more, you may be wondering about the safety of lash extensions. Offered by beauty salons in virtually every town across the U.S. there’s no getting away from their popularity. However, just like many other beauty treatments, there is a degree of risk involved. Some of the things that can go wrong include:

• Poor application leading to substandard results
• Infection of the eyelid
• Infection of the cornea
• Swollen eyelids
• Temporary natural lash loss
• Permanent natural lash loss

We thoroughly recommend that if you do opt for artificial lash extensions, you take great care when choosing the professional who will carry out your treatment. Make that they are certified and working at a reputable establishment, that they patch-test the adhesive that they will use on your skin to ensure that no reaction occurs and that they practice adequate hand-washing and sterilization protocols. 

If you’d like more advice on lash health and growth, our expert team of eye care specialists would be delighted to help. Please contact our offices to schedule an appointment.