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Why You May Be Experiencing Thinning Brows: The Ultimate Guide

Full, natural eyebrows are widely coveted today, but not everyone is lucky enough to have thick, healthy brows that grow well.

Several ways to achieve bold brows exist. You can use pencils, powders, and gels, or opt for services like microblading, tinting, and brow lamination. But choosing the right option can feel overwhelming and time-consuming, especially if your brows are thinning. Instead of hiding the issue, it's better to understand why you're losing eyebrows or have thin brows in the first place

Eyebrow Thinning

Eyebrow thinning can happen for various reasons. One reason is how you groom or care for your eyebrows. Other reasons can include genetics, auto-immune disorders, or stress. Aging can also cause eyebrow thinning.

Here, we’ll explore the most common causes of thinning brows, and what you can do to improve your eyebrow health for the long haul.
Here are a few reasons why your brows may be thinning:

1. Aging

Like our skin and the hair on our heads, our brow area goes through changes as the years go by. Eyebrow hairs can change in thickness and color. They may turn gray or white, making them look less defined. They can also lose density and grow in thinner, resulting in sparse-looking eyebrows.

By age 50, 40% of women will experience visible hair loss, and this can include eyebrow thinning. Hair loss as you age is common and can be genetic. It happens when hair follicles shrink and stop growing hair.

Brow Expert Tip: To fill in and define your brows, consider using a brow pencil or tinted brow gel for a natural look.

2. Hormonal Changes

Women’s hormones fluctuate throughout natural life stages, including puberty, pregnancy, and menopause. Medical conditions can also affect hormones. And hormonal changes can affect your hair, including your eyebrows.

Hair loss is a common symptom of thyroid disease, postpartum recovery, or menopause. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common cause of hormonal imbalance in women, and hair loss can be a symptom.

Brow Expert Tip: If you suspect your thinning hair or eyebrows may be a result of hormonal issues or a medical condition, talk to your doctor or dermatologist.

3. Stress

Stressed out about thinning eyebrows? It’s understandable. Unfortunately, too much stress can cause a type of hair loss called telogen effluvium, affecting the hair on your head as well as areas like your eyebrows.

Telogen effluvium prematurely triggers hair follicles to enter the shedding stage, resulting in hair loss. Causes can include stressors like illness, severe lack of sleep, psychological stress or trauma, major surgery, or childbirth.

The good news is that stress-related hair loss is usually temporary. Addressing the root cause of your stress and focusing on healing your body and mind is the first step to feeling (and looking) better.

Brow Expert Tip: Focus on self-care with activities like meditation, gentle exercise, or a spa treatment to reduce stress.

4. Poor Nutrition

Along with emotional stress, nutritional deficiencies can contribute to telogen effluvium. Not eating enough protein, iron, biotin, and vitamins can affect your hair and brows.

Eating enough protein in particular is critical to maintaining healthy hair. Protein sources include meat, fish, dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt), and plant-based options like legumes, nuts, seeds, and soy products (tofu). Nutrition experts recommend including protein at every meal.

Brow Expert Tip: A balanced diet, daily multi-vitamin, and/or supplements designed to address hair loss can help prevent eyebrow thinning due to nutritional deficiencies.

5. Alopecia Areata

Hair loss and thinning eyebrows could be caused by alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder where the body attacks hair follicles. This condition can affect hair anywhere on the body, including eyelashes and eyebrows.

The word “alopecia” means hair loss, while “areata” means patchy. Patches of missing hair are a sign of this condition. While there is no cure for alopecia areata, treatments may be available through your physician. Some people may have only a single episode of patchy hair loss, while others may have episodes throughout their life.

Brow Expert Tip: If you believe your hair loss could actually be alopecia (early signs include sudden onset of hair loss and hair loss in patches), a visit to your doctor may be in order.

6. Overgrooming

If you lived through the ‘90s era of overplucked brows, you may still be suffering the consequences. Too much tweezing, waxing, and processing can cause eyebrow hair follicles to suffer trauma and die out as a result.

That doesn’t mean that one bad wax or overzealous tweezing session will leave your brows bald forever. Typically, follicle damage that leads to eyebrow hair loss is the result of repeated trauma over time.

Brow Expert Tip: To fix over-groomed brows, allow them to grow back naturally for three to four months. This is the average time it takes for eyebrows to regrow.

While waiting for your eyebrows to grow, use a brow pencil to fill in sparse areas and shape your brows. Having your brows professionally tinted can also help them appear fuller.

To keep your brows healthy long-term, tweeze only stray hairs and leave any serious shaping to a trusted professional. Only a professional brow specialist should perform other services like brow lamination, tinting, and waxing. They can also give you advice on how to take care of your brows post-treatment for the best results.

Frequently Asked Questions about Thinning Brows

What age do eyebrows start thinning?

Thinning eyebrows can happen due to aging or female pattern hair loss, starting in your 40s or 50s. During the years of perimenopause and menopause, hormonal changes can affect the look of your hair, including your eyebrows.

Can thinning eyebrows grow back?

Yes, in many cases, proper treatment can help regrow brows once the underlying cause is addressed. However, repeatedly tweezing or grooming your eyebrows can cause permanent damage to the hair follicles over time. It's best to be cautious to avoid this.

How can you prevent thinning eyebrows?

The best prevention is caring for your brows with nourishing ingredients that keep hairs strong, flexible, and less prone to breakage. Minimize plucking and other types of grooming that damage brows. You can't stop all causes of thinning eyebrows, but monitoring your health can help you catch any problems early.

Should you see a doctor for thinning brows?

If you notice sudden hair loss or thinning eyebrows, see a doctor to check for any underlying health issues. A dermatologist can help with skin, hair, and eyebrow problems. Your primary care physician can check for nutrient deficiencies and common health issues.

Conclusion: Thinning Brows Can Have Many Causes. These Eyebrow Care Tips Can Help.

At the end of the day, a variety of issues can cause thinning brows. Your eyebrows may appear thinner because of aging, hormonal changes after childbirth, or menopause. A medical condition, such as an autoimmune disorder or illness, could cause your eyebrow loss.

The Choice is Yours When choosing between lash extensions and false lashes, it's important to consider what works best for you. False lashes are easy to use and come in various styles, but they're temporary and can sometimes damage your real lashes.

Lifestyle factors like stress, sleep deprivation, a low immune system, and nutritional deficiencies can contribute to eyebrow thinning. Your grooming habits could be the reason, especially if you have a history of over-tweezing or overprocessing your eyebrows.

It's important to take care of your mental and physical health every day. It's also important to have a routine that helps keep your eyebrows healthy. Making sure to remove makeup nightly, not overplucking, and using nourishing ingredients can do wonders for overall brow appearance.

However you choose to approach the issue of thinning brows, know that you’re not alone, and you’re not without options. Your dermatologist, brow specialist, and your trusted brow experts at RevitaLash Cosmetics (of course!) can help you achieve the healthy, beautiful brows you want.

On the other hand, lash extensions last longer and look more natural, but they cost more and need regular maintenance.

No matter which you choose, using a lash serum like RevitaLash® Advanced can keep your natural lashes healthy and strong. It’s all about finding the balance between achieving the look you want and taking care of your lashes in the process.

Sources:

“Hair Loss: Who Gets It And Causes”. American Academy of Dermatology, https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/hair-loss/causes/18-causes. Accessed 18 March 2024.

“What causes female hair loss?”. UCLA Health, https://www.uclahealth.org/news/what-causes-female-hair-loss. Accessed 18 March 2024.

“Telogen Effluvium”. Cleveland Clinic, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24486-telogen-effluvium. Accessed 18 March 2024.

“Hair Loss Types: Alopecia Areata Overview”. American Academy of Dermatology, https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/hair-loss/types/alopecia. Accessed 18 March 2024.

Why You May Be Experiencing Thinning Brows: The Ultimate Guide

Full, natural eyebrows are widely coveted today, but not everyone is lucky enough to have thick, healthy brows that grow well.