Rebuilding Your Lashes After Trichotillomania: A Gentle Guide
- Trichotillomania is a body-focused repetitive behaviour involving recurrent hair pulling, which for many people includes the eyelashes.1
- Repeated pulling puts traction on the follicle. Lashes often regrow once pulling reduces, though long-standing pulling can occasionally cause lasting loss.2
- A gentle, prostaglandin-free serum supports regrowth, and glue-free magnetic lashes restore a full look with nothing to pull on.
You deserve support and kindness, not judgement. This guide, written with input from our founder, a qualified pharmacist and cosmetic chemist, focuses on caring for the lash line while you heal. The behaviour itself is best supported by a doctor or psychologist.
💜 What trichotillomania does to the lash follicle
Trichotillomania (often shortened to trich) involves an urge to pull hair, with a sense of tension before and relief after, and it commonly affects the lashes and brows.1 Repeated pulling creates traction on the follicle, which can interrupt the growth phase, cause patchy regrowth, and, in long-standing cases, lead to follicle changes that make some loss lasting.2 The encouraging news is that the follicle often remains healthy, and lashes regrow once pulling reduces.
💚 Support regrowth with a gentle, prostaglandin-free serum
A nourishing serum helps create a healthy environment for lashes to return. Our Eyelash Growth and Repair Serum is made in Australia and prostaglandin-free, using peptides, panthenol, vitamins, antioxidants, and botanicals to condition the lash and support growth, with visible results from around 30 days and full results by 90 days. A prostaglandin-free formula matters here because it avoids the redness and eyelid darkening linked to prostaglandin serums, keeping the area calm while it recovers. Read the science in our in-depth serum guide.
✨ Instant confidence with glue-free magnetic lashes
While your lashes recover, magnetic lashes let you enjoy a full look with no pulling and no glue. They bond to a magnetic eyeliner, not your lashes, so there is nothing to tug and nothing to pull at.
- Softest and most natural: the Sirius and Stellar invisible magnetic lashes, or the classic Serena.
- Start simple: the Magnetic Lashes and Liner Kit or the Invisible Magnetic Lashes and Liner Pen Kit.
- A soft cat eye: Pixie has a shorter band and a delicate, everyday finish, which suits a lash line that is still filling in.
- If your lash line is very sparse: a clear band such as Fantasy from the Crystal Clear Band range disappears against the skin, so there is no dark strip where lashes have not returned yet.
- Browse the gentlest styles in our Short and Natural Lashes collection, or our Reclaim Confidence collection, which gathers the styles suited to lash loss from any cause.
Remove gently at night with our Micellar Foam Cleanser and Makeup Remover.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Do eyelashes grow back after trichotillomania?
In many cases they do once pulling reduces, though it can take time. Long-standing pulling can occasionally cause lasting loss, so early gentle care is worthwhile.2
Can I wear false lashes while my lashes recover?
Yes. Glue-free magnetic lashes attach to a magnetic liner rather than your natural lashes, so they work when lashes are sparse and there is nothing to pull on.
Is a lash serum safe to use during recovery?
A gentle, prostaglandin-free serum is generally well tolerated, but check with your doctor first, especially if skin is irritated or broken.
Will a serum stop me pulling?
No. A serum only supports the lashes. The pulling itself is best addressed with a doctor or psychologist, for example through habit reversal training.3
🤍 Where to start
There is no right order to any of this. If you would like one thing to begin with, pick a lash style that feels quiet enough to wear on an ordinary day, and add the serum later if and when you want to. You are welcome to email us first if you would rather talk it through than choose from a page.
Related reading: magnetic lashes for alopecia, which covers a lot of the same ground for a bare or patchy lash line.
🧾 A note from our pharmacist
Youthphoria was founded by a qualified pharmacist and cosmetic chemist. This article is general information only and is not medical or psychological advice. Trichotillomania is best supported by a doctor or mental health professional. Consult your health care professional before starting any new product. For a personal question about our products, email info@youthphoria.com.au.
