Pulling my eyelashes

[holhol13]

Please answer this ASAP!
I'm 13 and i formed a rather bad habit of pulling my eyelashes out!
I used to do it when i seen one growing squint but now i do it subconsciously and now i have about a 1 cm gap on my left eye! My mum says they might not grow back and she is not going to get me false ones! Is there anyway i can break this habit and will they grow back? And what causes this?

[EllaMarie98]

I'm 13 now and I have the same problem. It started when I was 7 when my math started getting harder and harder. (I've been homeschooled all my life and still am.) About a year ago, my mom looked up my eyelash pulling on the Internet and we found out that I pulled them out subcosciously because I had a behavior disorder, caused most often by stress which results in most people pulling out either the hair on their heads, or their eyelashes. (Luckily, I've never pulled out the hair on my head.) And actually, that makes a lot of since to me now since I was uner presure then and still am now because I have mountains of latin, algebra, and writing homework and only a few days to do it in with my busy schedule. I pull my eyelashes subconsciously when I get stressed or panicked about something. What I did to get rid of the habbit was train myself to do something else when I get stressed, like fiddle with my pocket knife, a coin, or twist my fingers together, or twist them in my hair. And don't worry. You're eyelashes will grow back if you find a way to stop pulling them soon enough. :) Good luck!

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
First of all you need to stop this habit as it may cause damage to the hair follicles and iriitated hair follicles causing folliculitis. Unless and until there is permanent damage to the hair follicles of eyelid hair, it usually grows back. It grows back in usually two weeks but sometimes may take 4-6 weeks. Apply olive oil and take some vitamin supplements for some days. Also eat a healthy, nutritious diet and drink plenty of fluids. The most important nutrients are biotin, silica, magnesium, sulfur, zinc, and vitamin B6. There are many eyelash growth products in the market, but their efficacy has not been scientifically proven. So consult a dermatologist before using any of them.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your dermatologist. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.