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Do Eyebrows Grow Back? | Yes, But There’s a Catch

Do eyebrows grow back? The answer is yes, they usually do grow back. However, there are some things to consider before just assuming is the case. Fortunately for you, we’ll cover these in detail below.

What Is Eyebrow Growth? 

Eyebrows are an integral part of your face. Whether protecting your eyes or conveying emotion, eyebrows are an important part of your face. Eyebrows can face hair loss and hair follicle damage like any other hair on your body, but they will typically grow back.  

Protection and communication are the two main reasons we have eyebrows. Eyebrows reroute moisture down the sides of your face instead of in your eyes.

They help keep sweat, water, or anything other moisture out of your eyes to maintain your vision. Eyebrows also help us to convey emotion and recognize the people around us.

Eyebrows play a big role in helping your eyes portray how you’re feeling. They can help others to understand and recognize you quickly.

It can be frustrating when your eyebrows aren’t growing the way you would like them to. Understanding how they grow and what to do to stimulate growth can help get you on the right track.

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Growth Cycle of Eyebrows

The four different phases of eyebrow growth to help answer do eyebrows grow back

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Eyebrows go through three phases of growth. It can take around three months for your eyebrows to grow and stabilize. 

Anagen Phase 

The anagen phase is the first phase of eyebrow growth. In this phase, your eyebrow will grow to its full hair length potential. It usually takes between 30 to 45 days for your eyebrow hair to grow to its full length. 

Catagen Phase

The next phase your eyebrows go through is the catagen phase. This phase typically lasts about three weeks. Your eyebrows stop growing, and the hair follicle shrinks. It remains stable after reaching its full length. 

Telogen Phase 

The final phase of your eyebrow growth is the telogen phase. Your fully grown eyebrow hair is inactive for about two to four months before it will shed and begin new growth. 

Eyebrow Loss

Woman with alopecia (hair loss) on her eyebrows for a piece on do eyebrows grow back

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There are several reasons you could be experiencing eyebrow hair loss. Like other hair on your body, eyebrows are susceptible to falling out, breakage, and not growing. Trauma, stress, aging, medical conditions, and pregnancy are a few causes leading to eyebrow loss.

Trauma can cause eyebrow loss or could result in your eyebrow not growing. This trauma could be from something like a cut or burn. However, your hair follicle can be traumatized from over-waxing or plucking.

Either way, your hair follicle is not growing hair like it normally would. Trauma alone does not mean that your eyebrow will never grow back.

However, severe trauma to the face or repeated over-waxing and plucking may harm the hair follicle. Once the follicle is injured beyond a certain point, it may be able to regrow hair. Stress and aging can also cause loss or stunted growth of your eyebrows.

They are not immune to the hair loss associated with aging or stress. Thankfully there are some things you can do that stimulate and encourage growth.

Medical conditions like alopecia areatahormone imbalancesthyroid disease, and nutritional deficiencies can cause hair loss and, subsequently, eyebrow loss. There are some things that can boost eyebrow growth, but your best bet to alleviate eyebrow loss from these conditions is to treat the root cause. 

Pregnancy can also cause eyebrow loss. Unfortunately, one symptom of pregnancy can be hair loss and can extend to your eyebrows. This loss can continue throughout pregnancy and postpartum. 

Read Next: What Vitamin Deficiency Causes Hair Loss?

Grow Your Eyebrows Back

Woman putting serum on her eyebrows for a piece on do eyebrows grow back

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Losing your eyebrows or struggling to regrow your eyebrows can be extremely frustrating. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to encourage the growth of your eyebrows. 

Unless you have a medical condition that is causing your eyebrow problems, your eyebrows should grow back. It can take four to six months to regrow eyebrow hair, so you will need patience throughout the process.

You can try a few different things to promote the growth of your eyebrows. The first step you should take when trying to stimulate your eyebrow hair growth is to address and treat any underlying medical condition that could be causing it.

You can try other methods, but the medical condition will still work against you. As you treat the medical condition, hopefully, your eyebrow will begin to grow back. 

A balanced diet can go a long way in fighting hair loss in your eyebrows. Getting enough iron and biotin are very important for hair growth. You can enhance your diet with foods rich in iron and biotin to encourage new growth. 

Avoid plucking, waxing, and threading your eyebrows. These methods can be tough on your hair follicles and may result in damage. If the hair follicle is too damaged, it will no longer be able to grow hair. Eyebrow growth will be most effective if they are left alone. 

You can try treating your eyebrows with things like castor oil, aloe vera, or other specifically tailored eyebrow serums. There aren’t many scientific studies backing up these methods, but many people swear by them.

As long as you aren’t allergic or irritated by these products, it’s worth a try. Dermatologists can also help understand the cause behind your hair loss and help you treat it. You can get prescriptions for hair loss or conditions like alopecia areata if that’s needed.

Frequently Asked Questions 

Scar on eyebrows with the model wondering do eyebrows grow back after being shaved

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There are several reasons you may be experiencing eyebrow loss or less growth. Below you’ll find some answers to questions frequently asked about eyebrow growth. 

Do Eyebrows Grow Back Completely?

Yes, most of the time eyebrows will completely grow back. It depends on many factors, like how consistently you’ve removed the hair by waxing and plucking and the damage. Usually, it will grow back.

How Long Do Shaved Eyebrows Take to Grow Back?

It takes longer for plucked eyebrows to grow back compared to shaved eyebrows. Since you’re only shaving the hair and not removing the follicle, it should grow back in 8 – 16 weeks, depending on factors such as age and hair growth rate.

What Helps Eyebrows Grow Back?

Exfoliating and massaging the area around your eyebrows can help them to grow back faster. You can also do a brow mask and add vitamins to your diet to encourage growth. It will take time.

Why Do Plucked Eyebrows Not Grow Back?

Constantly plucking your eyebrows can lead to damage to the hair follicle. Once damaged, the hair follicles may not continue to produce hair as they once did. It is harder to stimulate growth after the hair follicle has been repeatedly plucked.

Do Eyebrows Grow Back After Waxing?

Your eyebrows can grow back after waxing, but it will take longer than it would if you shaved them. It will typically take around six months for your eyebrows to grow back to their full potential.

So, Do Eyebrows Grow Back? 

Yes, your eyebrows will most likely grow back. You may be experiencing hair loss for several reasons, but you should be able to encourage and stimulate growth in your eyebrows with a few changes or treatments.

Understanding why you’re facing this problem is crucial to the growth process. Once you know why your eyebrows are struggling to grow, you should be able to find a treatment plan to help your eyebrows grow back. Good luck in your hair growth journey!