Why Are My Eyebrows Falling Out?

It’s a question that too many people end up asking at some point: why are my eyebrows falling out? A sizable portion of the population deals with this problem, especially as they age.

Seeing eyebrows become sparse and patchy is cause for concern, and because there is no singular cause, identifying the core issue can be a challenge. Eyebrow hair loss typically occurs for a variety of reasons combined with genetics, and aging, so we urge patients to consider all the possible causes at hand.

To help clarify the situation and point you towards an effective treatment plan, we’ve compiled a list of reasons why eyebrows may thin with time. Each section contains an overview of a possible cause, then offers tools and tactics to counteract them.

This article will lay everything out in a practical format so that you can find the underlying cause of your eyebrow hair loss and remedy the situation as soon as possible. Let’s begin.

Lifestyle and Nutrition

The cause of your eyebrow woes may be as simple as the lifestyle choices you make every day. When your body is not operating in peak condition, it tends to start deteriorating physically — even in minor ways like brow hair loss.

Many patients have struggled with eyebrow thinning due to unhealthy lifestyles, only to see a significant turnaround when they improved their core habits. Here are some key points to consider.

Healthy Living

With an active lifestyle fueled by clean, natural foods, you put yourself in the best position to be healthy and happy — and grow great brows as a bonus. You likely know the basics already – exercise and a balanced diet are essential, with deep sleep for recovery as well.

We’re not here to map out the rules for your next health kick, but it’s worth sharing that the best brows are developed when you’re maximizing blood flow, prioritizing protein and healthy fats, and giving your body what it needs to thrive.

Supplementation

Even those who follow a super-healthy diet often find that supplements help fill in the gaps where food falls short. Concerning hair and brow loss, nutrient deficiencies are a common culprit, so creating a hair-growth supplement stack might be a wise move.

Be on the lookout for capsules including the “big three” hair growth compounds — collagen, keratin, and biotin. Add in a multivitamin, some healthy krill, or cod oil, and you’ve got a solid stack that could boost brow growth.

Consistency is key with supplementation, so be sure to stick with it for several months (every day) before assessing your results.

Stress Reduction

It’s far from a myth that stress can make your hair fall out — and not just the hair on your head! Brow hair can start to thin after periods of chronic stress in which your cortisol levels are elevated, and your body is in constant low-level fight-or-flight mode.

Our modern world may be stressful, but we also have many tools to help us relax and keep that stress down. Manage your life to reduce unnecessary stress and prioritize rest when need be.

When you start living with less stress, you’ll find that hair growth comes more naturally, and your body and mind simply operate better in all areas.

Illness and Medication

Since the systems of the body are so closely interconnected, it’s not uncommon for illnesses to result in eyebrow hair loss as one of many unexpected side effects.

In other words, when eyebrow hair falls out, there’s usually something else going on behind the scenes that the body is fighting, whether it’s an infection, an autoimmune condition, or something even more serious.

This is one of many reasons why working with a hair loss professional is the best course of action when responding to brow hair loss. Only the most experienced physicians can understand how various illnesses and medications interact with brow health and can set you on the right track.

In the meantime, these tips should help you organize your priorities and keep brow loss to a minimum even as you combat illness and side effects.

Address the Problem

While some very rare conditions cause permanent hair loss on the brows, most medical events lead to a short-term loss that can be restored shortly after that.

That’s why your top priority should be to address the illness itself before concerning yourself with aesthetic issues like brows and hair. The most common example is chemotherapy — we accept that eliminating cancer from the body is more important than hair and can look forward to restoration once treatment is complete.

The concept applies more broadly, as well. Whether you’re dealing with a bacterial infection, a contagious virus, or a skin issue like eczema or psoriasis — fix the root problem first, then establish a game plan to grow your hair back the right way.

Balance Hormones

Human hormones are so complex that the field of endocrinology is still seeing breakthrough discoveries all the time. With respect to eyebrow health, we must balance hormones to avoid thinning and maximize growth, especially as we advance in age.

We can combat most hormonal issues through lifestyle adjustments and perhaps thyroid medication, but additional exogenous hormones might be necessary to achieve the balance you need.

This shouldn’t be your first plan of attack when addressing eyebrow hair loss, but it’s a common enough cause to consider.