How many eyelashes do you lose in a day? This is an interesting question that can open your eyes (pun intended!) to understanding a little more about those two beautiful and incredibly important parts of you. Through your eyes you experience all the wonder of the world and in them the world sees you. As they say, the eyes are the windows of the soul and your eyelashes are the protectors of them.
Our eyelashes both protect our eyes from dust, airborne dirt and lint but also from a beauty perspective they offer us the chance to frame our eyes and draw attention to our beautiful eye colour. Our eyelashes naturally shed everyday but sometimes through poor nutrition, overuse of lash makeup, illness and some other factors, we might begin to lose more than average.
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How many eyelashes do you lose in a day?
In a day you lose on average between 1 and 4 eyelashes, which answers the question sure enough but also leads us, those of an interested and inquiring mind, to ask ,why? Or, how? Or when? Or, how many do we have in the first place? Or, do they grow back?.
So many questions and hopefully in this article we will discover the answers to these and other interesting questions about the eyes and eyelashes in particular. So, back to the answer:- You lose on average typically between 1 and 4 eyelashes each day, some days more and some days less but over any considerable period, between 1 and 4 per day gives us a good sense of the rate of loss.
If our eyelashes are falling out at the rate of 1-4 per day, yikes! How many did we have to start with, are we in danger of running out?
How Many Eyelashes Do We Have?
The apparently simple answer, which was not at all simple to ascertain as you will discover, is that we have between 200 and 300 eyelashes on average for each eye.
I had a good and thorough sift through all the data that Google’s Eyelash-Ometer has compiled in relation to that question. I compared and contrasted all the answers and the answers certainly varied quite substantially.
Some answers suggesting for example that we have between 80 and 150 , while others indicated there might be as many as between 400 and 500. I continued my investigation, trying to home in on a figure we could all agree on. I decided I would disregard the high and low extremes and focus on finding a number or numbers between 100 and 400, this seemed to cover the bulk of the estimates.
Upper lashes have more hairs
Despite the disparities within the overall figures, one thing was agreed throughout; that we have significantly more eyelashes on our upper eyelids than we do on our lower ones.
It was hard to get much closer to an average figure that was more focused and so I decided there was only one thing to do and that was, to collect some more data and count my own eyelashes. Now this is every bit not as easy at all as it sounds and as you know I am not here to answer the question:- “What is the best way to count your eyelashes?” I certainly won’t be doing that but rest assured there will undoubtedly be many, many ways out there far, far better than mine.
The details of which I will withhold from the general public for fear of anyone else out there all-but ‘Having someone’s eye out using that! to count eyelashes’.
Counting lash hairs
So, if after reading this article you decide to attempt counting your own, I strongly urge you to seek advice from a medical professional before starting any counting procedure. Okay, I collected my data and discovered that my left eye has 92 eyelashes on the lower eyelid and 137 on the upper, a total of 229 eyelashes.
I was tempted to count my right eye as well but I didn’t wish to open up a whole new can of worms with the question :- “Do we have the same number of eyelashes on each eye?”. Although I had a quick look and decided they looked pretty even, so I concluded that the average number of eyelashes we have is typically somewhere between 200 and 300 hairs per eye, I certainly do.
Why do eyelashes fall out
So what is going on with all these eyelashes that keep falling out every day? Well, the simple answer is, wear and tear and as is the case with all those other hairs on our heads, loss is a natural process as well. The rate of daily loss will vary depending on all the usual factors that affect the natural processes of the body such as age and health. A young healthy person brimming with vitality will have healthier, faster, stronger-growing eyelashes than someone older and in poor health.
There are a few other reasons why eyelashes may fall out. One reason is that the lash follicle could be damaged. This can happen if you use harsh chemicals on your lashes or if you pull them out too often. Another reason for lash loss is an imbalance in hormones. This can be caused by stress, pregnancy, or menopause. Certain medical conditions can also cause eyelashes to fall out. These include alopecia, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss, andtrichotillomania, a mental disorder that leads to compulsive hair pulling.
If you are sick your eyelashes may also shed more than usual. This is because when you are sick, your body is working hard to fight off the illness and this can cause your hair follicles to weaken. Eyelashes are made of keratin, which is a protein that helps to protect your eyes from dust and debris. When you are sick, your body may not be able to produce enough keratin.
Nutrition and eyelash health
Good nutrition is important for the eyelashes too, as is regular sleep, ideally lying on your back, as this doesn’t allow for blood to pool under the eyes while you are sleeping and promote those dreaded poor-circulation ‘eye-bags’ .
The better the circulation, the better the nutrient uptake, the healthier the eyes, the healthier the eyelashes. The humble eyelash has a natural lifespan of only about 5 or 6 months and so they are continually reaching the end of their life cycle and then falling out.
Poor nutrition will certainly contribute to the lashes becoming dry and brittle and falling out before they have chance to mature. Overuse of cosmetics along with poor eye-hygiene will also contribute to low eyelash vitality and a shortening of their lifespan.
Take care of your lashes
Remove makeup thoroughly and wash and rinse your lashes regularly if you want them to keep their shine and lusciousness. Your eyelashes do not only adorn your eyes beautifully, they also cleverly help protect them by trapping and diverting dust particles from getting into your eyes and scratching the cornea.
Look after your upper and lower lashes and they will last longer and appear more vibrant.
How many lashes do you shed a week?
If we shed on average between 1 and 4 lashes per day then each week we are shedding between 7 and 28 lash hairs. This is likely to be the case for the average person. If you suffer with thyroid issues, alopecia or another medical condition affecting lash hairs than you might lose considerably more, or even all of your lash hairs might shed in some severe cases.
Summary
We have discovered that eyelashes are amazing. We have about 200 to 300 on each eye, far more on our upper eyelids than are on our lower lids, about one and a half times as many. They continually regrow throughout our lives and when they reach the end of their 5 or 6 months lifespan, they fall out at the rate of between 1 and 4 per day.
We also found out that there are a many reasons why your eyelashes might fall out. One reason could be that you’re not getting enough nutrients, or you may have an underlying health condition. If your diet is lacking in essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals, it could lead to hair loss. Another possible reason for falling eyelashes is using makeup that’s not compatible with your skin type or not removing that makeup properly.
If you have an illness affecting your lashes then be sure to see a doctor who will be able to find you find the best solution for your lash growth. If your lashes are shedding at a normal rate don’t worry about your eyelashes falling out , it’s a natural process. Losing some eyelashes now and then is nothing to worry about. In fact, it’s a natural process that happens to everyone as part of the eyelash growth cycle.
If you are interested in learning more about your eyelashes why not find out whether crying makes your eyelashes fall out. We also wrote about how fast your armpit hair grows and how to slow it down.
