Long and full eyelashes are an incredible asset to your appearance. Not only do they soften your features, but they can also highlight your eyes. And their function goes well-beyond appearances, as they are the primary defense system keeping your eyes protected from harmful agents. But despite the incredible defense they put up against things like dust, pollen, and lint, they are relatively fragile and can easily break or fall out. When you notice your eyelashes thinning or becoming shorter, you probably want to know how long do eyelashes take to regrow. Fortunately, it is not as long as the hair on your head, but you will need some patience. Here’s what to know about regrowing eyelashes.

If your lashes have fallen out, you are probably anxious to see them come back. Most experts say that lash regrowth takes about 2 months to regrow, or for at least noticeable growth to occur. However, some people may take up to 4 months to see their lashes return. With that said, you should start to see lashes growing about 3 weeks after they fall out. Getting a new eyelash to start growing isn’t the timely part, per se, but rather getting them to grow to their original length is what takes time.

Like your hair, there are 3 stages of the eyelash growth cycle: anagen, catagen, and telogen. Anagen is the phase of active growth; catagen is a transitional phase from growing to resting; telogen is the final resting stage before a lash sheds. The entire eyelash growth phase takes about 3 months, but this amount of time may change depending on how you lost the lash in the first place. For example, if a lash fell out from the root, such as from pulling, it will take around 2 months to grow back. However, if part of it was just cut or singed off (say, by the fire warming your grill), it can take about 6 weeks.

The best way to avoid having to regrow eyelashes is, of course, to prevent losing eyelashes in the first place. Bear in mind, it is normal for eyelashes to shred, much like it is for your hair on your head. However, certain factors can increase the amount of shedding or breakage, including:

• Allergies
• Irritation from cosmetics
• Using lash extensions or lash curlers
• Excessive eye rubbing (such as from sleep deprivation or allergies)
• Medical conditions like thyroid problems, skin cancer, inflammatory diseases, and blepharitis.
• Some medications, like chemotherapy drugs that target rapidly dividing cells (like hair and eyelashes).
• Hereditary factors

As you can see, some of these causes can be avoided, like beauty habits, whereas others cannot. If you are losing eyelashes because of harmful beauty practices, know that there are other ways to enhance your lashes without damaging them. Likewise, if you have a medical or genetic condition causing eyelash thinning, there are certain steps you can take to help your lashes grow back.