About 20 years ago, a friend and I decided to have a friendly competition. Who could loose the most weight by cutting 'fat' out of our diet. I have some self control, sometimes. I can win this. I cut my intake down to about 5 g of fat per day and won the competition. After a month I had lost 12 pounds and most of my eyelashes. Yuck! Not what I expected.About 18 months ago I had a minor surgery with a bad reaction to the anesthesia. Again, I lost my eyelashes. Almost all of them. 3 months ago I again had a minor surgery and this time without the reaction. But, again with the eyelash loss. When I questioned my doctor about this he said that he believed that what ever is causing this loss may not be the surgery or the anesthesia but something wrong with my 'system' and the surgery just stirs it all up. And apparently, the eyelash loss from the diet 20 years ago probably has to do with stupidity by drastically changing my diet and eating unhealthy.
The search begins. I have made an appointment with my doctor to have blood work done; I do this every six months but this time we will be looking for a new specific. In the mean time, I will be searching for my own answers so that I will be a bit better educated of any possibility.
Here's some basic info that I found on a site from the US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. Just a little bit to stir up you thought process.
ABSTRACT
Loss of eyelashes may occur with several conditions, including a variety of skin diseases, drug side effects, endocrine disorders, metabolic abnormalities, traumatic insults, inflammations, toxins, psychiatric disorders, and systemic disease. If the history and results of clinical, laboratory, and consultative assessments are negative, one must consider the possibility the patient is pulling them out (trichotillomania). Three case reports of spontaneous lash loss are described—one secondary to trichotillomania, one a result of hypothyroidism, and another with features of both hypothyroid and trichotillomania—to illustrate the presentation and appropriate workup to obtain a diagnosis.
After studying a few cases here is the basic Summary -
Hair loss involving the eyelashes may result from a variety conditions. The patients generally present with a history of lashes falling out with no clear explanation. Careful history taking, searching for evidence of skin diseases in the past or present, systemic disease, drug side effects, depression or recent severe stress, and physical examination for broken hairs, signs of lid trauma, eyelid inflammation, and so on may provide helpful clues. A dermatologic consultation may be useful, as there might be other areas of hair loss or skin disease that provide a clue to the underlying problem. A few simple laboratory tests (serum calcium, TSH) may be helpful to rule out other reasons for hair loss such as endocrine abnormalities. Eyelash loss as the presenting sign of thyroid dysfunction is uncommon. The diagnosis, however, can be facilitated by confirming symptoms and signs of thyroid disease as well as abnormal thyroid function tests. When no clear explanation exists for the lash loss and multiple areas of broken lash stubble are noted, self-induced lash pulling (trichotillomania, the irresistible urge to remove one's hair), although uncommon, should be considered.
I am not looking at my personal issue in a vane way. I am a typical woman and would love to have beautiful long lashes. But, for now I am most concerned with this fact - If I am loosing lashes, what else is happening that I do not find as obvious? While in search of more on line facts I came across this article, written by a female doctor, Dr. Kristie Leong M.D., who touches base on a the medical issue and also recognizes the woman's view of appearance.
Check this out -
Dark, thick, lush eyebrows have been a sign of beauty since ancient times. They provide a beautiful frame for the eyes, accenting natural eye color and subtly enhancing the appearance of the face. That's why it can be so distressing when loss of eyelashes occur. Although this may appear to be a cosmetic condition, it can be associated with a variety of medical conditions and even has its own official medical term. The official medical term for loss of eyelashes is madarosis. What causes madarosis or the loss of eyelashes to occur? There are a variety of serious and not so serious causes for this frustrating condition. These include injury to the eye, eye infections, allergic reactions involving the eye, and tumors involving the eyelids. Other systemic diseases can also cause eyelash loss including an underactive thyroid gland, malnutrition, certain metabolic diseases, and autoimmune disorders. Medications are a not infrequent cause of eyelash loss including some forms of heart and blood pressure medications, thyroid medications, and cholesterol lowering drugs.
To read the entire story, click here for Loss Of Eyelashes: How To Deal With Madarosis
At this point, I can eliminate a number of possibilities. I don't pull at my eyelashes. I don't have swelling around my eyes. I also do not have redness that would imply some sort of allergy that is effecting the skin surrounding the eyes. I seldom wear mascara and when I do, I remove it before bed time. I am now ready to pursue the medical aspects. My search will continue and the test will be done and I will continue sharing my info. I can not imagine how many women and men go thru this and believe it is a common way of life and there is nothing to be done.
Check back to see more. Answers will be found! I will regain my lashes and treat this underlying issue.
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