Eyelashes
Eyelashes I finished chemo in Nov, rads in middle of Jan. My eyebrows and lashes came through very quickly, followed by all the hairs I didn’t want 
and then, finally, the hair on my head. My hair is growing very fast and all was fab then, this week, I noticed that a load of eyelashes had fallen out from one eye. I can kind of see that there are little ones growing back but there is a definite gap when I look at my lashes. Has anyone else had this problem? Or, even better, does anybody have an explanation? I realise this a very trivial problem compared those of the many wonderful women on this site but I am curious.
Thank you.
Dear Tawny
I finished my chemo in September and my rads in December and, like you my hair is growing really well (everywhere!) but over the last few weeks my eyelashes have started coming out in clumps- they now look really thin and patchy.
I have a Cancer Buddy I write to on another site who had similar treatment and the same thing has happened to her. The doctors seem to think it is pretty unusual.
Sorry I don’t have an answer, just thought you might like to know you are not alone! I just assume the chemo stays in your system for a long time after the treatment has finished.
Best wishes
Primula
I finished chemo just before Christmas and although my hair fell out, my lashes and brows were fine. Then suddenly, long after chemo, I noticed they were looking a bit sparse. I had a really close look with my magnifying mirror and I believe that they didn’t fall out as such, they snapped off. I think they were weakened by chemo and have broken at the weak point. The good news is that they are now growing longer. My eyebrows are looking bushier than they did before chemo!
Eyelash information Hi Tawny,
I think I can answer your question.
Unlike hairs on your scalp individual eyelashes don’t hang about for years. They are on a 6-8 week cycle and so every 6-8 weeks they fall out and are replaced. Usually the individual eyelashes don’t all fall out simultaneously but at different times so we don’t really notice them doing so except for the occasional eyelash that falls into one of our eyes. (This also explains why people like me who have their eyelashes dyed due to vanity need to have the procedure repeated 6-8 weeks later.)
After chemo, however, the eyelashes all start growing at the same time and so they tend to fall out at almost the same time, hence the sudden noticeable eyelash loss.
Over time individual eyelash loss will gradually become staggered again and you won’t get these periods of ‘sparceness’ and ‘plenty’.
Hope that this is helpful.
Best wishes,
Sue
A year and a half since chemo finished I finished my chemo a year and a half ago and my eyelashes are still falling out and leaving big gaps but within a week the gap fills back in again. I too thought that they are syncronised after the chemo instead of falling out individually. On a plus side though, mine have grown back much longer so Im happy enough LOL.
If I have a night out on the week that they are falling out I buy individual lashes that come in a pack from Boots and they fill in the gaps nicely.
Hugs Neenie xx