Eyebrow alopecia, also known as eyebrow hair loss, can be caused by a variety of factors including genetics, medical conditions, medications, hormonal changes, and excessive grooming habits. The good news is there are treatments available to help regrow eyebrows. Let’s explore the causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatments for eyebrow alopecia.
What causes eyebrow hair loss?
Some of the most common causes of eyebrow hair loss include:
- Genetics – Some people are just prone to thinning eyebrows and hair loss due to hereditary factors.
- Medical conditions – Diseases like lupus, thyroid disorders, and diabetes can trigger eyebrow hair loss.
- Medications – Drugs like chemotherapy and cholesterol medications may lead to brow thinning as a side effect.
- Hormonal changes – Fluctuating hormones during menopause, after pregnancy, and with hormonal birth control can cause temporary brow thinning.
- Excessive grooming – Overplucking, waxing, threading can damage hair follicles and impair regrowth.
- Alopecia areata – An autoimmune condition that causes patchy hair loss on the scalp, brows, and body.
- Trauma – Injuries, burns, and scars on the brow area can destroy follicles leading to permanent bald spots.
What are the symptoms of eyebrow hair loss?
Signs and symptoms of eyebrow alopecia include:
- Gradual thinning of the eyebrows
- Patchy bald spots on one or both brows
- Loss of hair at the head of the brows nearest the bridge of the nose
- Loss of the outer portion of the brows
- Complete loss of hair from both eyebrows
- Red, itchy, painful, burning sensation on the brows (in cases of alopecia areata)
When to see a doctor
Consult a dermatologist or doctor if you are experiencing:
- Sudden loss of hair on your eyebrows
- Rapid brow thinning over a few weeks/months
- Itching, burning, pain or tenderness on your eyebrows
- Patchy hair loss on your eyebrows
- Hair loss resulting from an injury or burn
Getting an accurate diagnosis for the cause of your eyebrow hair loss will allow appropriate and timely treatment.
How is eyebrow alopecia diagnosed?
To diagnose the cause of eyebrow thinning or hair loss, the doctor will:
- Ask about your symptoms, medical history, family history of hair loss
- Examine your eyebrows and scalp to look for patterns of hair loss
- Order blood tests to check for conditions like thyroid disorders
- Take hair and skin samples of the affected brow for pathology
- Refer you to a dermatologist who may perform a scalp biopsy to check for alopecia areata
Once the underlying cause is determined, appropriate treatment can be initiated to stimulate eyebrow regrowth.
Medical treatments for eyebrow hair regrowth
If an underlying condition like hypothyroidism, lupus or nutritional deficiency is causing eyebrow loss, treating it can help brows recover. Medications and procedures that may assist in regrowing eyebrow hair include:
- Minoxidil (Rogaine) – This topical medication helps regrow hair by widening blood vessels and opening potassium channels. It is FDA approved for treating hair loss on the scalp and eyebrows.
- Bimatoprost (Latisse) – This eyelash growth serum can also stimulate growth of eyebrow hair when applied to the brows.
- Corticosteroid injections – Steroid injections help with regrowth in patches of hair loss caused by alopecia areata.
- Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) – Patient’s own plasma containing growth factors is injected into the scalp and brows to stimulate follicles.
- Immunotherapy medications – Drugs like dupilumab can suppress the immune system to help hair regrow in alopecia areata.
- Supplements – Vitamins like biotin, iron, zinc, and omega fatty acids support healthy hair growth.
These medications work best when eyebrow hair loss is caught early and treatment is started immediately.
Natural remedies for regrowing eyebrows
For mild thinning, the following natural remedies may help eyebrows recover:
- Castor oil – This vegetable oil contains ricinoleic acid to improve circulation and antioxidant properties to nourish follicles.
- Coconut oil – This oil has fatty acids to condition brows and anti-inflammatory properties to soothe itching or burning.
- Aloe vera gel – The enzymes in aloe vera improve hair growth and health.
- Onion juice – Onion juice is rich in sulfur which boosts collagen production necessary for hair regrowth.
- Lemon juice – Contains vitamin C, anti-fungal properties, and alpha hydroxy acids to exfoliate clogged follicles.
Always do a patch test before applying these oils and juices to your eyebrows to avoid allergic reactions.
The importance of eyebrows
Eyebrows play a key role in:
- Protecting your eyes from sweat, debris and glare
- Enhancing your facial expressions
- Framing your eyes and highlighting their shape
- Balancing facial symmetry
- Making you look alert, youthful and attractive
This makes it all the more important to treat eyebrow hair loss early and improve regrowth.
When to consider eyebrow transplantation
If medical treatments and natural remedies do not stimulate regrowth, consider eyebrow transplantation which involves:
- Harvestinghair follicles from the scalp using a punch graft tool
- Making recipient sites on the brow area to insert grafts
- Inserting grafts carefully to match natural angle and direction of eyebrow hair
- Repeat until the brows regain shape and density
Eyebrow transplants offer permanent results and may be a good option for scarring alopecia or inadequate response to medications.
Risks and complications
Potential risks and complications to be aware of include:
- Infection at the graft site if proper care is not taken
- Poor growth of transplanted eyebrows
- Misaligned angle of implanted hair
- Unnatural shape or artificial look of transplanted brows
- Scarring at the donor and recipient sites
Choosing an experienced surgeon minimizes these risks and improves outcomes of brow transplantation.
Coping with eyebrow loss
While awaiting treatment results, here are tips to cope with eyebrow alopecia:
- Use brow makeup like tinted gels, powders and pencils to fill in gaps
- Opt for brow extensions like microblading or microfeathering to simulate hair strokes
- Try eyebrow wigs/toupees made with real human hair for natural looking brows
- Use brow stencils as a guide for penciling on brows until regrowth occurs
- Apply castor oil at night to nourish existing brows
- Avoid compulsively overplucking brows to prevent worsening of thinning
Eyebrow regrowth timeline
On average, it takes about:
- 4-6 weeks to see new hair growth with medications like minoxidil
- 3-4 months for transplanted eyebrow hair to sprout and start growing
- 6-9 months for brows to completely fill in after transplantation
- 12-15 months for optimum density from medications, oils, injections etc
Have realistic expectations about regrowth as it is a gradual process taking months for complete restoration.
Preventing future eyebrow hair loss
Steps to avoid excessive brow thinning and prevent alopecia in future:
- Avoid overplucking, waxing or threading – allow brows to regrow fully before grooming again
- Don’t pull the brow hair when brushing, combing or washing face
- Be gentle when applying and removing makeup
- Moisturize brows daily with oils or moisturizers to avoid breakage
- Stay hydrated and maintain a healthy, balanced diet
- Take nutritional supplements like biotin, silica, saw palmetto
- Manage medical conditions properly to stabilize hormone and immune function
- Avoid rubbing, scratching or trauma to the eyebrows
- Protect brows from sun damage by using wide brimmed hats, sunglasses
- Quit smoking to improve hair growth
When to see a doctor again
Follow up with your dermatologist if:
- Your eyebrows fail to regrow within 6 months of treatment
- You experience rapid loss of regrown hair
- There are symptoms like redness, itching, tenderness, burning sensation
- You notice sudden patchy hair loss on eyebrows
- Other areas like scalp and body also start showing hair loss
This could indicate inadequate treatment, poor compliance or worsening of the underlying condition causing eyebrow hair loss in the first place.
Conclusion
Eyebrow alopecia can arise from multiple causes ranging from autoimmune disorders, hormonal dysfunction to simple overplucking. Proper diagnosis of the underlying cause allows targeted treatment with medications, oils, injections or hair transplantation in suitable candidates. Catching it early and being diligent with treatment helps restore eyebrow shape and thickness. But patience is paramount as it takes months for optimum regrowth. With a multi-pronged approach of medical remedies and natural oils, most cases of eyebrow hair loss can be reversed. So don’t panic and start treatment promptly for picture perfect brows once again!