10 Reasons Why Your Eyebrows Keep Falling Out

Many factors, including hormonal imbalances, dietary habits, and certain skin conditions, can cause eyebrow hair loss. Identifying the cause of thinning eyebrows can help a person find the best treatment.

Eyebrow hair loss can make a person notice thinning eyebrows or missing patches of hair in the eyebrows. It can affect both men and women.

People may notice eyebrow hair loss on one or both sides. Other symptoms can include itching, dry skin, hair loss, or thinning hair on different body parts.

Generally, eyebrow hair loss is not severe. In this post, we discuss the diagnosis, various causes, and treatments.

10 Causes of Eyebrow Hair Loss

1. Normal Aging Process

The aging process or hormonal imbalances can cause eyebrow hair loss.

People may notice thinning hair or hair affecting their head, eyebrows, eyelashes, etc., as they age. Over time, some follicles stop producing hair, and the follicles become smaller. The hair also starts to lose its color, turning white or gray.

This type of hair loss is a normal part of aging.

2. Hormonal Imbalance

An imbalance of thyroid hormones can cause eyebrow hair to fall out. This is associated with the following conditions.

• Hyperthyroidism is a condition where the body produces too much thyroid hormone.
• Hypothyroidism is when the body cannot produce enough thyroid hormone.

Both types of thyroid imbalances are associated with eyebrow hair loss. According to reliable sources, in hypothyroidism, hair loss can be found in the outer third of the eyebrow, which is the thinnest part pointing to the ear.

Other symptoms of thyroid disease include the following:

• Dry and pale skin or moist and velvety skin
• Swelling of the neck
• Rough, dry, and easily breakable hair
• Dry and itchy scalp
• Thick, dry, and easily fragile nails

Thyroid-related hair loss is typically temporary, and hair should return to its usual fullness once thyroid levels return to normal. Medication may be prescribed to balance thyroid levels.

3. Autoimmune Conditions

Autoimmune conditions occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks its own body cells. The immune system can attack healthy cells that contribute to hair growth, leading to thinning hair, hair loss, or hair falling out.

Autoimmune conditions that can cause hair loss include the following:

• Alopecia areata is a condition that causes hair loss on the head and other parts of the body, including the eyebrows.
• Frontal fibrosing alopecia is a form of alopecia that mainly affects people after menopause, where eyebrow hair loss occurs before scalp hair loss in about 39%.
• Discoid lupus erythematosus is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes dermatitis, scars, and hair loss on the face and eyebrows.

4. Skin Conditions

Healthy hair growth requires healthy skin, as hair grows directly from the follicles in your skin.

Certain skin conditions can lead to itchy, flaky skin rashes. People can lose eyebrow hair due to skin inflammation, dry skin, rubbing around the eyebrows, or itching. Common skin conditions that can cause itchy rashes and eyebrow hair loss include:

• Atopic Dermatitis
• Psoriasis
• Seborrheic Dermatitis

5. Fatty Acid Deficiency

According to a 2017 study, eyebrow hair loss can occur if fatty acids are deficient in the body and present in fish, nuts, and seeds.

6. Biotin Deficiency

If you don’t have enough biotin, your hair can become thin, and your body hair can be lost. Biotin is a popular hair growth supplement, but evidence to support its effectiveness is limited.

7. Zinc Deficiency

Zinc deficiency can lead to hair loss. The authors of a review study suggest that zinc supplements can help regrow hair in people with a deficiency.

8. Medication Side Effects

Certain medications can cause hair loss as a potential side effect, which can also affect the eyebrows. These medications include:

• Acitretin, a retinoid medication people use to treat skin conditions like psoriasis
• Chemotherapy, a cancer treatment
• Valproic acid, an anticonvulsant used to treat seizures and bipolar disorder

9. Genetic Conditions

While not common, certain genetic conditions can lead to eyebrow hair loss. These conditions include:

• Ectodermal Dysplasia: This is a group of disorders that affect the skin, hair, nails, and teeth. It can also cause sparse or lost hair on the eyebrows, eyelashes, and other body parts.
• Netherton Syndrome: This condition affects the skin, hair, and immune system. It can cause fragile, easily breakable hair, also known as “bamboo hair.” This condition tends to be present from birth.

10. Genetic Conditions

Other causes of eyebrow hair loss include:

• Radiation
• Amyloidosis
• Mycosis fungoides
• Chemical burns
• Trichotillomania
• Basal cell carcinoma
• Paraneoplastic pemphigus
• Squamous cell carcinoma
• Syphilis
• Leprosy