Why is my eyebrow hair falling out? 4 reasons your eyebrows are thinning

Although over-plucking can damage hair follicles, it’s blamed too often. Not many people realise that the same hormonal factors that cause the hair on our heads to thin as we age also cause eyebrow loss. And other health conditions can trigger hair loss in this area, too. This type of hair loss is common, but how can we get to the root of the issue? And are there treatments that can help? Read on for everything you need to know.

What causes eyebrow loss?

Thyroid disorders

Eyebrow loss is often internal, and the most common culprit is a thyroid disorder. Both overactive and underactive thyroid glands can lead to hair loss, but if you notice the ends of your brows thinning, this is usually a sign of the latter. The thyroid is the gland that’s responsible for regulating our metabolism. When it produces too much or too little of a hormone, your body’s normal processes – including hair growth – can be disrupted.

Stress

The type of hair loss most commonly caused by stress is telogen effluvium. We all have hundreds of thousands of hairs on our heads, and not all of them are actively growing all the time. Hairs that are growing are in the ‘anagen’ phase. Hairs that are resting are in the ‘telogen’ phase – this means they have stopped growing but will stay on the head for a few more months before falling out.

In people with telogen effluvium, more hairs move from the anagen phase into the telogen phase, meaning you lose more hair than usual.

Skin conditions

While certain skin conditions, like psoriasis and eczema, don’t directly cause hair loss, if the condition is around the brow area, there could be inflammation, which, when itched, could cause eyebrow hairs to fall out. The good news is that hair loss from scratching will often grow back.

Nutritional deficiencies

To function properly, your body requires a healthy balance of carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. If this isn’t met, you could experience hair loss, including of the eyebrows. The essential nutrients to focus on include vitamins C, E, B-12, D, iron, cysteine, and omega-3 fatty acids.

Hormone imbalance

As you approach and go through menopause, levels of oestrogen and progesterone decline, which can lead to thinning of the hair on the scalp and the eyebrows.

How can I stop hair loss and get my eyebrows back?

Getting to the root cause of the issue is the first step in addressing it. Hormone imbalances and an underactive thyroid are significant causes of eyebrow hair loss, which need to be diagnosed with a blood test – something we can help you with. Once this has been diagnosed, we can treat the root cause effectively to help prevent further hair loss. It depends on the cause of the hair loss as to whether it will be permanent, improve, or even grow back completely.

Hair supplements like Viviscal can help support hair health, re-growth and strength. It’s a nutritional supplement that uses a rich protein complex to promote hair growth, health, density, and strength. Using a unique active ingredient, AminoMar TM, Viviscal provides amazing results in a drug and hormone-free formula, which for a long time was the only option for effective hair supplements, and often came with a variety of side effects.

There are also certain medications like Minoxidil which can be prescribed to help stimulate hair growth. The Trichotest, is a genetic DNA test for hair loss and alopecia which can indicate which elements of your genetic coding and lifestyle factors are causing your hair loss and use this information to develop an informed personal treatment plan that is likely to provide the best outcome for your hair loss.

Are you concerned about hair loss or thinning? Click here to book a consultation with our expert team.