6 Facts About the Length of Your Eyelashes

Aesthetically, long eyelashes have been a symbol of beauty for many centuries. Psychologists explain that long eyelashes create a contrast between the eye and the eyelid, making eyes visibly larger and thus more attractive. Biologically, eyelashes protect our eyes from debris, dust, and other particles in the air and environment. The eyelash length is influenced by genetics, but other factors can affect it too. 

1. Genetics 

Cosmeticians probably won't agree, but scientists say eyelashes have an optimal length: a third of the eye’s width. With this length, your eyes stay wet and cleaner. It also means that if you have bigger eyes, then your eyelashes are possibly longer too. There is also an "official" length of 12mm determined as a definition of longer lashes. This condition is also known as eyelash trichomegaly. Sometimes trichomegaly occurs as part of a congenital disorder or syndrome (Oliver-Mcfarlane syndrome and Cornelia de Lange syndrome). If both parents have long eyelashes, you have a high chance of inheriting them due to a mutated FGF5 gene. This gene makes a protein responsible for blocking extra hair growth. If the FGF5 gene gets mutated, it can't make its protein. And if the protein isn't around, your hair just keeps growing!

2. Ethnicity 

Ethnicity does not have an impact on your eyelashes length. The difference is in eyelashes shape as Asian people and those of Spanish and Eastern European descent have commonly straight lashes while others have curlier lashes. A lack of double eyelid creases causes straight lashes. Having a monolid will cause lashes to grow downward and out rather than out and upwards.  

3. Age, Hormones and Diseases

Ageing and menopause are leading factors that cause shorter eyelashes due to specific hormonal imbalances that affect the growth cycle of hair follicles. Loss of eyelashes may also occur with several conditions, including various skin diseases, drug side effects, endocrine disorders, metabolic abnormalities, traumatic insults, inflammations, toxins, psychiatric disorders, and systemic disease.

4. Nutrition Deficiency 

Severe malnutrition can cause chronic hair loss. Hypoproteinemia causes hair loss by early onset of telogen. Zinc deficiencies, like acrodermatitis enteropathica, can lead to the loss of eyebrow/eyelash hair. Other deficiencies like biotin and iron make it possible to lose hair as well.

5. Styling

There are so many ways to enhance the length and shape of your eyelashes with extensions, lift, tint, and curling. Before committing to any of these procedures, make sure to use a reputable and safe salon with estheticians who specialize in extensions. Incorrectly applied extensions can cause premature loss of lashes, while curling can break them off in half. It is recommended to use a serum that will strengthen natural lashes, keep them in the follicle for a longer time (less shedding equals extensions for longer), and help minimize the damaging effects often seen with the prolonged use of lash extensions.

6. Cosmetics

There are some lifesaving cosmetics available on the market that can help you with increasing your eyelashes length. One of them is lash serum. When choosing the serum, make sure that they have active ingredients (example: peptides), nutrition (example: biotin, arginine), DHT blockers (example: clover), and have a non-irritating formula. Don't choose unknown brands or harmful prostaglandin drug based cosmetics, and always check ingredients and where the product is made to assure the highest quality of the serum.