Do Cut Eyelashes Grow Back Even?
Stroll down the cosmetic aisle of any store and you will find dozens of products promising to give you long, luxurious lashes. While some people are blessed at birth with long, thick eyelashes, others seek cosmetic or pharmaceutical remedies to lengthen, darken or thicken their lashes.
What happens if you cut your eyelashes? Will they grow back? Will they grow back evenly? The answers may be determined by whether you have cut your own eyelashes for cosmetic reasons or a physician has cut them for medical reasons.
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History
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As the cosmetic and fashion world demonstrate by the products available for eyelashes, today's fashion emphasizes cultivating the eyelashes and eyebrows. Like scalp hair that protects the head, eyelashes protect the eyes from foreign substances. Both scalp hair and eyelashes serve cosmetic as well as protective function and both are styled according to the fashion of the day.
Bohidharma, an Indian sage who brought Zen Buddhism to China and Japan, allegedly cut off his eyelids and eyelashes to stay awake while meditating. The eyelashes fell to Earth and, according to legend, took root and grew into the green tea plant which is now marketed for alertness.
Medical Considerations
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Eyelashes are often cut for medical reasons. For example, if parasites (such as lice) are found on the eyelashes, treatment may include cutting the eyelashes at the base.
In the past, eyelashes have been cut in preparation for cataract surgery. Cutting the eyelashes was a preventive measure against infection. Currently surgeons use drapes rather than cutting the lashes to prevent infection.
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Hair Growth Cycle
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What exactly are eyelashes anyway? They are hair. All human hair, including eyelashes, experiences a cycle of hair growth. Hair grows, rests, and falls out. Generally more than 90 percent of a person's hair is in the growing phase at one time. The other hair is resting or shedding. Eyelashes and eyebrows grow at half the rate of scalp hair. The manner in which eyelashes grow back will depend upon their stage in the hair growth cycle when cut.
Misconceptions
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Cutting hair, including cutting hair by shaving, does not affect the way the hair grows back. The texture, color and growth rate of hair are unaffected by cutting or shaving. Each eyelash (like each hair) may be in a different stage of the hair cycle when cut. Therefore, the eyelash may shed sooner causing an uneven appearance. Additionally, the length of the growth cycle for each hair follicle and eyelash follicle may vary slightly, causing an uneven appearance.
Considerations
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Since the growth cycle of an eyelash is much shorter than that of scalp hair, any unevenness apparent following cutting the eyelashes will be short-lived. If you are concerned about the appearance of your eyelashes as they grow back, you can use cosmetic treatments such as mascara or false eyelashes as they grow back. You can also consult your physician about the new drug Latisse which lengthens the growing phase of the eyelashes.
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References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Paul Sapiano
