Eyelashes protect our eyes from dust, dirt, and sweat. They are very important for the health of our eyes and we look funny without them. That’s why it can be so traumatic when you suddenly find yourself losing some of your eyelashes. Although most information on hair loss refers to scalp hair, a common question is: Do eyelashes grow back? And are there any vitamins for eyelash growth that can help this process?

Eyelash loss is more common than you might think. It may be less noticeable than the loss of hair on your head, particularly in men, but it is still traumatic and worth fixing due to the safety implications for your eyes. The most common cause of eyelash loss in women is trauma caused by grooming. Eyelash curlers can rip out many or all of your eyelashes at once with one accidental shake of your hand or a bad curler. Removing mascara or false eyelashes and eyelash glue has also been known to leave women with fewer eyelashes than when they began. Both men and women can suffer eyelash loss due to hypothyroidism, which is a condition where the thyroid does not produce enough hormones. And everyone suffers a natural loss of eyelashes the same way everyone loses the hairs on their head to varying degrees.

The good news is that eyelashes do, in fact, grow back. And even better, the amount of time it takes is much shorter than it takes to notice regrowth of scalp hair. The average growth cycle of eyelashes is between four and eight weeks. Like all hairs, eyelashes stop growing once they reach a certain length, and as they sit in their fully grown stage, they are most susceptible to falling out. So with a little bit of patience, your eyelashes grow back on their own. But what if you don’t feel like waiting that long? After all, eyelashes are useful and attractive.

Thankfully, there are a few things you can do to encourage your eyelashes to grow faster. There are several vitamins for eyelash growth that can help increase the rate at which the new lashes grow. The best vitamins for growing eyelashes are, not surprisingly, the same vitamins that help the hair on your scalp grow back. Biotin is the top choice for eyelash growth as well as eyebrow growth and can make a big difference in a short period of times. All of the B vitamins as well as Vitamin C and E can also help boost eyelash growth. Increasing your consumption of protein can also help. Eating a balanced diet can also provide you with the right vitamins to help eyelashes to grow.

So now you know the answer to the question: do eyelashes grow back? Not only do they grow back if you do nothing at all, you can help the process along by taking some vitamins for eyelash growth. What a relief!