Eyebrows styles and fashions are ever changing but there’s no doubt that due to the popularity of eyebrow microblading, permanent makeup and an array of cosmetic brow products available that sparse, thinning eyebrows and thin brow fashions are a thing of the past.
Thick, beautifully groomed eyebrows are all the rage in 2020, some just seem to be born with great eyebrows and due to the over plucking habits of those of us who grew up in the 70’s or the 90’s we have been careful to warn the younger generations not to over pluck. But what if you were never born with thick lustrous brows to begin with? Or perhaps your eyebrows have just got thinner with age?
In this post, I look at what causes thinning eyebrows and what we can do about it.
Thinning Eyebrows : What Causes Hair Loss in Eyebrows?
Much like the hair found anywhere on the body, eyebrow hair can simply stop growing and sparse, thinning eyebrows, even complete loss of hair in the eyebrows can be the result.
There are a number of reasons that can cause thinning eyebrows. If one or both of your eyebrows become sparse, it could be for one of the following reasons. If you’re suffering with thinning eyebrows, it could be a symptom of an underlying health condition, so it’s always a good idea to get it checked out by your G.P.
1. Alopecia Areata
Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune condition that affects men and women and can cause temporary or even permanent loss of hair or thinning eyebrows. It is not known what causes Alopecia Areata or why it can cause thinning eyebrows. Alopecia Areata can also affect the skin and nails.
2. Diet
The human body requires a complex combination of essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients to function properly. A healthy, varied and balanced diet is essential for healthy hair growth and a poor, unbalanced diet could be the cause of thinning eyebrows. Specifically a lack of Vitamin A or Zinc can inhibit cellular growth and cause hair loss as well as thinning eyebrows.
3. Inflammatory Skin Conditions
Inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, acne or ringworm can cause hair to stop growing. These conditions often have external symptoms such as dry, scaling or crusting of the skin which can inhibit growth and if not able to heal well, can cause scarring leading to permanent hair loss and thinning eyebrows.
4. Thyroid Issues
Thyroid issues are a common cause of thinning eyebrows or hair loss in the eyebrows. The thyroid gland is responsible for producing the hormones that regulate the metabolism. The imbalance of this hormone production can inhibit cell production including hair growth.
5. Pregnancy
The changes your body goes through during pregnancy and childbirth puts enormous tress and strain on the body and fluctuating hormonal levels can result in hair loss and thinning eyebrows.
6. Ageing
Sadly, as we get older the decrease in oestrogen (in women) or testosterone (in men) can also cause the hair and eyebrows to thin.
7. Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment designed to destroy rapidly diving cells. Unfortunately, this affects hair follicles which is why people undergoing chemotherapy often find that their hair falls out in clumps. Chemotherapy will almost certainly cause loss or at a minimum, thinning eyebrows.
8. Over Plucking
Over plucking was the curse of those of us who grew up in the 1970’s, or in my case, the 1990’s, when thin eyebrows were all the rage. Some who over plucked were lucky and the hair grew back, others were not so lucky and the hair never quite grew back to what it was.
9. Hair Pulling
A condition called Trichotillomania (known as Trich) is a disorder known to cause the sufferer to pull the hair out. This can result in temporary or permanent hair loss and thinning eyebrows.
10. Fine Hair
Those with fine sparse hair on the head, are likely to have fine, spare and thinning eyebrows too.
Thinning Eyebrows : Solutions
Once you and your G.P have figured out what’s causing your thinning eyebrows, you’ll probably begin thinking about what you can do to treat or improve the appearance of your thinning eyebrows. There are a number of solutions available and it’s important to try the methods you feel most comfortable with.
- Medications such as Minoxidil are known to stimulate growth in hormonally stunted, thinning eyebrows.
- Corticosteroids can be used to treat Eczema and other inflammatory skin disorders as well as Alopecia Areata with some success.
- Acupuncture has been known to relieve Alopecia Areata with a modicum of success.
- Acupuncture has been known to relieve Alopecia Areata with a modicum of success.
- Topical serums and oils are often used to promote healthy hair growth.
- Eyebrow transplants are performed using similar techniques to hair transplantation.
- Microblading and permanent makeup are popular ways of disguising hair loss and thinning eyebrows with beautiful and natural results.
