If you pull your eyelashes out will they grow back

When you start asking certain questions, like “Do eyelashes grow back if pulled out?”- it’s fair to assume that something rather unfavorable has happened to you.

But don’t worry, you’re in good company.

Anyone who has ever used a pair of eyelash curlers has had the dreaded accident: you line it up against your lashes, you clamp down on it, and then something happens – you sneeze, you get startled, someone pushes you, etc. and you end up yanking your lashes out.

Or you have false lashes on and you pull them out improperly. Or, you have extensions and you decide to take them out yourself (big no-no! find out how to remove lash extensions safely!), or perhaps the technician glued all of your eyelashes together in clumps, and now they are all coming out.

However you ended up in this situation, the result is the same – your eyelashes are gone, your lid is bald and uneven, and you’re staring in horror wondering if they’ll ever grow back.

The good news is that yes, your lashes will grow back. But let’s learn more about how that works.

Do Eyelashes Grow Back If Pulled Out?

Let’s start by calming your fears – hair rarely stops growing after being pulled out, so you’re safe on that front.

You’d have to regularly yank them out for years in order for them to stop growing. You know, kind of like how you get bald spots in your eyebrows, or in your legs after years of waxing. 

But if we’re just talking about pulling your lashes out by mistake, you don’t have to worry; they’ll grow back, you just have to wait for a while, and that may be annoying, and somewhat inconvenient, because of the difference in look from one eye to the other. 

How Long Does It Take For Lashes To Grow Back?

Listen, it can take a while for lashes to grow, but it also depends on where your lashes were in the growth cycle when you lost them. 

Let’s start with the short answer: You only have to wait around a month or two (or 6 to 8 weeks, if you want to get technical) to see new lash growth.

And now for the long one: Eyelashes begin to develop during the Anagen stage, which can take up to 45 days. This is the time when they grow thicker and longer, but it also feels like it will never end, so it can really test your patience, especially when you’ve had an accident and can’t wait to get them back. 

Next is a transitory stage known as the Catagen stage, which doesn’t last nearly as long as the Anagen one. This one’s only 2 to 3 weeks long, but get this – your lashes don’t actually grow during this time; the follicle even undergoes a shrinking action. 

You see, how long it’ll take for your lashes to grow very much depends on the stage your lashes were in when they were pulled out.

If it was during the Catagen phase, bad news – lashes need to get to the end of this stage before they can get to the next one and continue the growth cycle, so you’ve got a bit of a wait ahead of you. 

The final stage in the growth cycle is the Telogen stage, where again, there isn’t all that much growth happening; they just sort of…exist for the next 100 days.

They look great during that time, but when it comes to an end, they fall out, and the cycle starts up again.

The good thing to remember here is that if your lashes get pulled out during this particular phase, that’s great, because that doesn’t interrupt the growth cycle. The lashes just go back to doing their thing and continuing the growth cycle normally. 

TLDR: Your eyelashes will start growing back in a month or two, but it largely depends on where the lashes were in the growth cycle when they were pulled out.

Can You Make Lashes Grow Back Faster?

While the growth cycle is what it is, you can always help your lashes out by conditioning them properly and even stimulating growth by enlisting the help of some lash growth products.

Lash growth serums don’t have to be expensive, and there are options for everyone. 

If your wallet can handle it and you don’t mind going to the doctors to get a prescription each time, you can use something like Latisse.

An easier, prescription-less and just as effective option is to go for a Latisse alternative – these Latisse alternatives are so-called because, like Latisse, they also contain prostaglandin analogues which have proven growth results.

However, there are some caveats with this one.

A side effect that prostaglandin users sometimes report is that their lids and even their irises can darken. That means that if you have light-colored eyes, you may notice the iris going brown, which can be scary. And permanent. Not ideal.

Which is why we only recommend Latisse alternatives to those with dark eyes – so if you’ve got beautiful brown eyes and you want guaranteed va-va-voom lash growth, you’re the perfect candidate.

But what if you’ve got lovely blues or greens that you don’t want to risk darkening? Well, there’s options for you, too, in the form of eyelash conditioners.

Instead of using prostaglandin analogues to make lashes grow to extreme lengths and volumes, eyelash conditioners are chockfull of nourishing, strengthening ingredients like peptides, amino acids, vitamins like biotin and panthenol, and conditioning agents like hyaluronic acid.

As such, lash conditioners won’t get your lashes to dramatic lengths, but they will help protect and thicken your lashes as they grow to their full potential.

Okay, you say, these sound good but I’m on a budget. Is there a DIY lash serum I can make at home?

A more inexpensive and super simple option – sans the iris color change – is to mix a concoction at home. Castor oil is said to be super effective for lash growth, but unlike the lash growth products, this one isn’t exactly proven to work.

The results you get are largely based on the person, so keep that in mind.

All in all, even if you do have an unfortunate eyelash curler lash fatality, everything will be ok. You just have to wait for a bit for them to grow back, and in the meantime, maybe use a serum or a flirty pair of false eyelashes. 

Your real lashes will grow back before you know it.

How long does it take for eyelashes to grow back after being pulled out?

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