Why are my eyelashes breaking?!
February 14, 2010 5:12 PM Subscribe
What the heck...?! The lashes on just one of my eyes appear to be breaking. They're little stubbles 1/2 their normal length: both upper and lower, all the lashes on the outer contours, with a few lashes in the mid and center of the lids remaining normal. Looks like someone took a pair of scissors to them while I was sleeping! At first it was 1/8 in. section, then 1/2 inch section, now 3/4 in. Not from the roots, but broken off... [more inside]
I've looked online, and found nothing but adds for products that claim to help with this problem. But what is actually happening? It's not my eylash curler, because my lower lashes also look chopped off. I thought maybe mites or some such critter I heard tell hang out on our lashes...but do they eat lashes from the tip down? And, anyway, I've seen no evidence of critters, which I understand make their presence known by a crustiness on the lashes. I don't have that.
I don't let mascara cake up on my lashes. Nor do I scrub at my eyes.
And the lashes on my other eye are totally free of this problem.
It's pretty weird looking, and I imagine people think I'm engaging in some odd compulsion, or taking asymmetry in hair styles a titch too far. Anybody had this problem and gotten hip to what's going on here, or have any theories I could pursue?
I've looked online, and found nothing but adds for products that claim to help with this problem. But what is actually happening? It's not my eylash curler, because my lower lashes also look chopped off. I thought maybe mites or some such critter I heard tell hang out on our lashes...but do they eat lashes from the tip down? And, anyway, I've seen no evidence of critters, which I understand make their presence known by a crustiness on the lashes. I don't have that.
I don't let mascara cake up on my lashes. Nor do I scrub at my eyes.
And the lashes on my other eye are totally free of this problem.
It's pretty weird looking, and I imagine people think I'm engaging in some odd compulsion, or taking asymmetry in hair styles a titch too far. Anybody had this problem and gotten hip to what's going on here, or have any theories I could pursue?
You could have blepharitis, which is an eyelid margin problem that can cause eyelash loss. Your GP should be able to investigate and/or refer you to an ophthalmologist.
Your eyelashes are way too big for your mites to eat; they'd have to take them home for leftovers. Mites are part of the natural cleaning system of the eyelid margin.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 5:22 PM on February 14, 2010
Your eyelashes are way too big for your mites to eat; they'd have to take them home for leftovers. Mites are part of the natural cleaning system of the eyelid margin.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 5:22 PM on February 14, 2010
I think mites live near the base of lashes, but don't quote me on that.
Do you always sleep on one side? Maybe you press your eye into the pillow (or zipper?) when you sleep.
posted by cranberrymonger at 5:28 PM on February 14, 2010
Do you always sleep on one side? Maybe you press your eye into the pillow (or zipper?) when you sleep.
posted by cranberrymonger at 5:28 PM on February 14, 2010
You didn't by any chance heat oil in a pan way too hot 'till it started burning and then blow on it resulting in a fireball, did you? Cause, uh, a friend of mine once did that, resulted in singed lashes....
posted by stray at 6:00 PM on February 14, 2010
posted by stray at 6:00 PM on February 14, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks for your thoughts, everyone. But no, not singed by fire or fireballs, no eyelid irritation, and I sleep on both side and my back, too, on zipperless pillows. And I guess, from what you write, my mites are doing their job, because my lashes are nice and clean. (Got that going for me, anyway...!) Wearing glue-on lashes would be a real stretch for me...way too much hassele.
Guess I'll just have to keep searching for answers, and meanwhile hope this fixes itself.
Any other ideas or info, mefites...?
posted by sparrowdance at 7:17 PM on February 14, 2010
Guess I'll just have to keep searching for answers, and meanwhile hope this fixes itself.
Any other ideas or info, mefites...?
posted by sparrowdance at 7:17 PM on February 14, 2010
It's a long shot, but do you have a pet who might be chewing them off?
posted by Faint of Butt at 5:07 AM on February 15, 2010
posted by Faint of Butt at 5:07 AM on February 15, 2010
IANAD and don't really know what I'm talking about, but you might want to look into madarosis, loss of eyebrows or eyelashes (due to brittleness or falling out). I'd recommend a trip to the doctor to at least rule out the possibility of an endocrine disorder. "In hyperthyroidism, hair changes include thinning, breaking off, shortening of the hair and patchy areas of hair loss. Eyelash loss has been reported as an early sign in hyperthyroidism."
posted by sively at 5:08 AM on February 15, 2010
posted by sively at 5:08 AM on February 15, 2010
I've got no idea on what might be causing it, but when I damaged my lashes due to a bit too much mascara, I rubbed a little vaseline on them before I went to bed to help re-moisturise them, and that seemed to work, YMMV of course :)
posted by greenish at 7:28 AM on February 15, 2010
posted by greenish at 7:28 AM on February 15, 2010
Botox tends to be the most common cause of this if it's unilateral, according to a dematologist who is sitting next to me.
posted by Wilder at 10:01 AM on February 15, 2010
posted by Wilder at 10:01 AM on February 15, 2010
Seconding pets, this morning I woke up to my rabbit trimming my bangs, and my bf's cat sucks on his eyebrows (gross). Do you have any? Because they do weird shit sometimes.
posted by rmless at 3:10 PM on February 18, 2010
posted by rmless at 3:10 PM on February 18, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks, y'all! I appreciate your ideas and thoughts.
In response to your notes, I've never been near Botox, and the only critter in my house is the occasional mouse.
for which I'll reluctantly (because I absolutely adore mice) set a trap.
Could a mouse chew on my lashes without me waking??? Frankly, I doubt it.
(Must be wild to wake to a critter grazing on ones face...!)
Anyway, the good news is that the breakage seems to have stopped.
Maybe someday some stray bit of info will illuminate what might have been the cause of my bobbed lashes.
Or it will remain a mystery....
Anyway, case closed.
posted by sparrowdance at 6:20 PM on March 2, 2010
In response to your notes, I've never been near Botox, and the only critter in my house is the occasional mouse.
for which I'll reluctantly (because I absolutely adore mice) set a trap.
Could a mouse chew on my lashes without me waking??? Frankly, I doubt it.
(Must be wild to wake to a critter grazing on ones face...!)
Anyway, the good news is that the breakage seems to have stopped.
Maybe someday some stray bit of info will illuminate what might have been the cause of my bobbed lashes.
Or it will remain a mystery....
Anyway, case closed.
posted by sparrowdance at 6:20 PM on March 2, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
Whatever it is, I'm sure no one will notice it nearly as much as you do. But if it bothers you, you could try falsies until they (hopefully) grow back.
posted by Juicy Avenger at 5:19 PM on February 14, 2010