Losing Your Eyebrows And Eyelashes During Chemotherapy

Dr. Singhal provides some guidance on caring for your brows and lashes during chemo and beyond

Hair loss is one of the most challenging aspects of cancer treatment for cancer patients. It announces your cancer to everyone, whether you like it or not. Hair on your scalp can be replaced by wigs but it’s not so easy to fake eyebrows and lashes. To make harder for the patients, eyelashes and brows are in everybody's eyesight all the time, which can make patients feel self-conscious.

What Are The Odds For My Eyelashes To Fall Out After Chemo?

How likely is that you will experience eyelash and brow loss depends on the type of chemotherapy you are receiving. If there are good chances that your treatment will result in extensive or total hair loss, the chances are that you will lose your eyelashes as well. Although this is not a rule without its exceptions. In some cases, eyelashes will  just get thinner. Some cancer patients lose a few and others temporarily lose all their eyelashes. It may be just a few hairs, but preservation of brows and eyelashes during chemotherapy is a comforting thing to many patients during cancer treatment. If you lose your eyelashes your eyes might sore easily. For inflamed eyes ask your cancer care team for a possible remedy to reduce the soreness.

For thinning and weak hair Dr. Shyamali Singhal, oncologist, recommends using Hope & Beauty products, such as Alra Conditioning Shampoo, a gentle cleanser + conditioner combo that provides relief from irritated, dry and itching scalp during and after cancer treatment and Emu oil an oil that helps nourish dry skin and penetrate hair growth.

Tips And Tricks For Thicker Eyebrows And Eyelashes

If you lose your eyebrows, or find that they are thinner, you may be very conscious of how this changes the way you look. You can recreate a natural appearance by using eyebrow make-up in a shade that matches your original hair colour. You can also  enhance your eyes a little with makeup and imitate the colourful line that your eyelashes usually add around your eyes. If you want to create expressive eyes with makeup, go for the soft approach and create a smoky-eye effect using eye shadower. Some people choose to have their eyebrow shape recreated with permanent or semi-permanent makeup, also known as micropigmentation. Micropigmentation is a form of tattooing that can create a long-lasting eyebrow shape. Microblading is semi-permanent and uses a slightly different technique where pigment is implanted into the skin. A precision hand tool is used instead of a machine to recreate hair-like eyebrows.

How Long Will It Take For My Eyelashes To Grow Back?

Eyelashes almost always grow back. It’s just a matter of patience and in some cases it takes longer than in others. Most people find that their eyelashes grow back fairly quickly after chemo. Everyone is different, so it may take longer for some people. The thickness of eyelashes can also vary once they do grow back. Avoid highly perfumed deodorants if you’ve lost hair under your arms, as they can irritate the skin. Other body hair, such as your eyebrows and eyelashes, may grow back more quickly or more slowly than the hair on your head. Eyelashes can be quite patchy when they start to grow back. They may take up to a year to grow back fully although they will usually grow back in about six months after treatment finishes. Recent studies have also shown that applying certain drugs can promote eyelash growth. You can talk to your trichologist or a dermatologist about whether this is an option.

Dr. Shyamali Singhal recommends cancer patients who are suffering from hair loss to use emu oil, as it is touted as a viable treatment for eyelashes and eyebrow regrowth. Although the reports are anecdotal rather than scientific, emu oil is thought to condition eyelashes and eyebrows and stimulate longer and thicker. Also, Lashbinder’s eyelash extensions are perfect for cancer patients who lost their eyelashes and are in the process of growing them back.

The Bottom Line

Like our hair follicles, our skin, nails and hair take a real hit from chemotherapy treatment. Dr. Singhal advises all cancer patients to take special care about their skin, hair, and nails after the chemotherapy. How we feel matters, and reflects to our health.