Why Are My Eyebrows Falling Out So Easily?

August 27, 2024 by Mani Pandey

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Hair loss can occur due to varying reasons. While it is on the scalp where people experience hair fall most often, if it is on the eyebrows, you are not alone.

There are many reasons for eyebrow hair loss, among which autoimmune conditions, hormonal disbalance, trauma, etc., are the prominent ones. Luckily, there are many effective remedies and treatments to reduce the frequency of eyebrow hair fall or stop it completely.

Article Contains

Alopecia Areata- Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia
Nutrient Deficiency
Eczema or Atopic Dermatitis
Psoriasis
Contact Dermatitis
Seborrheic Dermatitis
Tinea Capitis
Thyroid Condition
Hansen’s Disease
Stress
Pregnancy
Aging
Over Plucking Eyebrows
Chemotherapy

For all those wondering why my eyebrows are falling out, this article will give a deeper insight and answer all your concerns regarding it.

Causes of Eyebrow Hair Loss

At a certain point in life, you may experience thinning of brow hair or see it stop growing altogether (1). Sometimes, it can happen in both eyebrows, while in others, it is seen only in one.

It is when understanding why eyebrows fall out will help you narrow down the cause and find the right treatment to curb the specific issue.

Here are the probable reasons behind it-

1. Alopecia Areata- Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia

It is an autoimmune condition wherein your immune system targets one of your body parts and starts eliminating it as a part of defence mechanism. In alopecia areata, it is the hair follicles which is targeted by the immune system, resulting in hair fall or preventing hair growth.

Frontal fibrosing alopecia is one of the types of alopecia areata that cause scalp baldness along with eyebrow loss.

2. Nutrient Deficiency

Malnutrition is one of the causal reasons for a number of body issues, and the falling of eyebrows is no exception. There are many nutrients, such as protein, certain vitamins, and minerals that impact hair health. Therefore, when there is a deficiency in any of these, you may experience eyebrow loss.

For instance, Vitamins A and zinc directly influence cellular growth, and their deficiency can slow it down (2). Likewise, Vitamin B7 or biotin (3), Vitamin C, iron, cysteine, and omega-3 fatty acids all contribute to eyebrow loss.

3. Eczema or Atopic Dermatitis

Even though eczema is a skin condition in which skin becomes red, inflamed, and irritated, it can impact hair follicles, too. Itching and discomfort are the common symptoms of eczema. Usually, it occurs due to an oversensitive immune system.

Since eyebrow hair follicles are embedded in the skin, eczema can interfere with the normal growth of hair and lead to brow hair fall.

4. Psoriasis

It is another autoimmune disorder that affects skin and blocks hair follicles. In psoriasis, the skin becomes red, thick, scaly and patchy. When the hair follicles get blocked, hair stops growing and you may experience fewer hair on the brows.

5. Contact Dermatitis

Contact dermatitis is of 2 types-

irritant contact dermatitis
allergen contact dermatitis

Some people are sensitive to certain chemicals, metals, fragrances, soaps, detergents, etc. It makes their skin irritated and itchy. As a result, they may feel a burning sensation on the skin. If it happens anywhere around the eyebrows, brow hairs are impacted leading to hair fall.

6. Seborrheic Dermatitis

It is one prominent reason why some people get dandruff in their eyebrows, and when the condition becomes severe, hair loss occurs.

Seborrheic dermatitis is a chronic skin condition that affects parts of the body where sebaceous glands are overactive. Such areas include the T zone of the face, including areas around the eyebrows, chest, upper back, chest, etc.

7. Tinea Capitis

Tinea capitis is a fungal infection of the scalp and hair follicles, causing oozing blisters. When it affects the scalp just above the eyebrows, the fungus proliferates, leading to hair loss of eyebrows.

8. Thyroid Condition

Thyroid gland is responsible for normal functioning of hormones that regulate metabolism. When there is certain issue with thyroid and it starts producing hormones in plenty or scarce, the body falls out of balance. It affects different systems of the body, including normal hair growth.

9. Hansen’s Disease

Also called leprosy, Hansen’s disease leads to hair loss all over the body. People with leprosy often experience hair fall on the scalp that gradually turns into brows hair fall.

10. Stress

Stress affects the body negatively. You may experience varying physiological changes in the body, among which hair fall is the most common. It happens because the body doesn’t receive enough oxygen to supply it to the hair follicles to complete their normal growth cycle. Likewise, it can disturb the hormonal balance of the body (4), which again leads to hair fall.

11. Pregnancy

The hormonal turmoil during pregnancy is another contributing factor that causes hair loss. While for some women, hair fall is restricted only to their scalp, others may experience it in their eyebrows, too.

12. Aging

Aging is one of the most common reasons for hair fall among mature people. As we enter the 40s, different functions of the body start to slow down. At the same time, the level of estrogen and testosterone starts falling. One of its signs is hair fall, which is not restricted to the scalp but to the eyebrows.

13. Over Plucking Eyebrows

Many women pluck eyebrows at home to give them the desired shape. While its okay to do it once in a while, overdoing can traumatize the hair follicle, stopping hair growth permanently.
Likewise, irrational use of makeup products that contain harsh chemicals can also damage brows hair that eventually fall off.

14. Chemotherapy

The medications used in chemotherapy are designed to kill the rapidly dividing cancer cells in the body. These medications, while killing the cancer cells, also target other cells in the body that are dividing at the same rate. It includes hair follicles that causes hair fall.

Conclusion

Now that we have provided the most probable reasons for the common query, why are my eyebrows falling out? It’s time for you to dig out your specific reason among them and get an immediate treatment.
Consulting with a dermatologist will help you get the right medication, cosmetic procedures or alternative therapies for the same.

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