The Complete Guide to False Eyelashes for Chemo and Cancer Patients

Woman in a blush silk headscarf holding an open Youthphoria brown lash compact

Chemo and cancer guide

Yes, you can wear false eyelashes during chemotherapy, even with no lashes of your own left. The styles that work best do not rely on your natural lashes at all: magnetic lashes hold onto a magnetic liner, and clear band lashes hold onto a clear adhesive liner. Neither uses the fast-setting glue from salon extensions, and neither is bonded to the lashes you still have. This guide covers what happens to your lashes during treatment, which lash types work at each stage, how to apply them on a bare lash line, and when your own lashes usually return.

Quick answer

You do not need natural lashes. Magnetic and clear band lashes sit on a line of liner drawn along the lid, so they work on a completely bare lash line.
Short, soft and light looks most natural. On a sparse lash line, a lash of around 4mm to 10mm reads as your own. Long or dense styles read as falsies.
A clear band suits a very bare lash line. There is no dark strip sitting on skin with nothing behind it.
Skip salon extensions for now. They are glued to each natural lash, so they need lashes to hold, and the adhesive can irritate skin.¹
Lashes often go later than scalp hair and usually start to return several months after treatment ends.¹
Take magnetic lashes and liner off before any MRI. Patch test anything new near the eye first.

Written by Shirley Be, Youthphoria founderPharmacist (BPharm), cosmetic chemist, 5x certified master lash artist and skin therapist. Shirley sees clients with lash loss from chemotherapy and alopecia in person at Youthphoria's Balwyn North salon in Melbourne.

What happens to your eyelashes during chemotherapy?

Many chemotherapy drugs target cells that divide quickly. Hair follicles are made of fast-dividing cells, so hair often thins or falls out during treatment. Not every drug causes hair loss, and not everyone on the same drug loses the same amount. Your treating team can tell you what to expect from your own regimen.

Eyelashes and eyebrows tend to follow their own timeline. They often thin later than the hair on your head, sometimes weeks or months after other hair has gone, which is why many people are caught off guard by it just as they feel they have adjusted.¹ The good news is that for most people the change is temporary.³

Losing lashes changes more than your reflection. Lashes frame the eye and give your face its expression, so a bare lash line can make you look tired or unwell even on a good day. Wanting that back is not vanity. It is part of feeling like yourself.

When do eyelashes grow back after chemo?

Scalp hair often starts to grow back two to three months after chemotherapy ends.² Eyelashes are usually a little slower. A dermatologist quoted by Breastcancer.org puts lash regrowth at "several months after" the end of treatment, and notes that a smaller group, around one in four people, may have sparse or thin regrowth that lasts longer.¹

New lashes and hair are often finer at first, and can come back a different texture or colour before settling.² Everyone's timeline is different, so your treating team is the best guide to yours.

Plan for three stages, not one. Your lashes may be thinning, fully gone, or growing back in, and the best lash is different at each. A clear band or short magnetic lash suits a bare line. Once short new lashes appear, a lash that sits on the lid rather than on the lashes lets them grow undisturbed.

Which false lashes work when you have few or no lashes?

The deciding question is simple: does the lash need your natural lashes to hold? If it does, it will not work on a bare lash line, and it can put stress on the fine new lashes that come through later.

Lash types compared for chemotherapy lash loss
Lash type	Needs your own lashes?	How it holds	Best for
6 micro-magnet lashes	No	Six small magnets on the band grip a magnetic liner	Thinning or bare lash lines, a softly defined look, the widest choice of short styles
Invisible magnetic lashes	No	A fully magnetic band with no visible magnets grips a magnetic liner	Bare lash lines, trimming to fit anywhere along the band
Crystal Clear band lashes	No	A transparent band sits on a clear adhesive liner, with no magnets	A completely bare lash line, the most "no makeup" finish
Fastbond press-ons	Yes	Pre-glued clusters bond to your natural lashes, not your skin	Later, once your own lashes are back, for up to 10 days of wear
Salon eyelash extensions	Yes	Individual fibres glued to each natural lash with cyanoacrylate adhesive	Not recommended during or straight after chemotherapy¹

Breastcancer.org advises against lash extensions for people who have been through chemo, because the adhesive can irritate skin and the extensions can block natural lashes as they start to grow in.¹ Reviews of eyelid cosmetic procedures also link extension glue to allergic reactions around the eye.⁴ Strip lashes applied with ordinary lash glue sit in between: they do not need your lashes, but the glue goes straight onto the lid, so patch test first and take them off gently.¹⁵

Magnetic or clear band: how to choose

We design the most realistic and comfortable lashes on the market, and all three of our ranges work on a completely bare lash line. What differs is how each one holds and how it looks at the base.

Choose 6 micro-magnet lashes if you want the most styles to pick from

This is our largest range, and it includes the short, soft, natural styles that suit a sparse lash line best. Its six micro-magnets, 50% smaller than other brands, sit along a fine band and snap onto the liner, so placement is forgiving: if the lash lands slightly off, lift it and set it again. Every style is reusable for 30+ wears.

Choose invisible magnetic lashes if you want to trim anywhere

The whole band is magnetic rather than carrying six separate magnets, so there is nothing to see along the base, and you can trim from either end without cutting past a magnet. They attach to the same magnetic liner.

Choose Crystal Clear band lashes if your lash line is completely bare

If there are no lashes left at all, a dark band can look like a line drawn on bare skin. A transparent band removes that problem, so the fibres appear to grow from the lid. They attach with our Crystal Clear Adhesive Eyeliner, which works through a film-forming polymer rather than lash glue, dries clear, and also works with our magnetic lashes if you want a "no eyeliner" look with either range.

Why brown and softer lashes often look more natural

Treatment can soften your colouring, and brows may be thinner too. Against that, a dense jet black lash can look stark. A brown or black-and-brown blend frames the eye without drawing attention to the lash itself, and it forgives small gaps in the band placement. It is especially flattering if your hair was fair, red, grey or brown before treatment. See our guide to who brown magnetic lashes suit.

The picks for a sparse or bare lash line

All six are short to medium, light, and need no natural lashes underneath.

Merida

4mm to 9mm wispy round in a mix of black and dark brown fibre on a 34mm band. Short and multi-dimensional, it looks like a good lash day rather than falsies.

Shop Merida

Serena Brown

5mm to 9mm round in multi-tonal brown on a 32mm band. A little fuller than Merida, so it gives a sparse line more definition while staying soft on fair colouring.

Shop Serena Brown

Estelle

7mm to 10mm criss-cross faux silk on a very fine 31mm band. Light, fluttery and glasses compatible, with the layered texture of natural lashes.

Shop Estelle

Ariel

5mm to 11mm criss-cross classic on a 33mm band. Understated and easy to wear every day, and also made in brown.

Shop Ariel

Fantasy

5mm to 9mm subtle round on a 30mm Crystal Clear band. The shortest of our Crystal Clear styles, made to mimic the look of your own lashes on a bare lash line.

Shop Fantasy

Modest

7mm to 10mm criss-cross with a gentle flare on a narrow 27mm Crystal Clear band. Natural but noticeable, and the narrow band suits smaller eyes.

Shop Modest

Not sure which range suits you? Every style we would suggest for treatment, across all three ranges, is gathered in our Reclaim Confidence collection, ordered from the lightest look upwards. If it is your first pair, the Magnetic Lashes and Liner Kit includes a lash, a liner and a compact case.

Which liner should you use?

Magnetic lashes need a magnetic liner to hold, and clear band lashes need the clear adhesive liner. Choose by how you apply, not by colour.

Hybrid Magnetic Eyeliner Pen: easiest to control. A firm felt tip draws a neat, steady line, which helps if your hands are less steady than usual or it is your first time. It holds best on smooth, firm lid skin.
Hybrid Magnetic Liquid Eyeliner: strongest hold. Our revolutionary magnetic liquid eyeliner has a brush that lays down more product, so choose it for long days, heat, or if your lid skin is looser or crepey, where a thin pen line struggles to grip.
Crystal Clear Adhesive Eyeliner: invisible finish. Required for Crystal Clear band lashes and compatible with our magnetic lashes.

All three are latex-free, paraben-free and formaldehyde-free, and made to Australian cosmetic compliance standards. The magnetic liners use iron oxide, the same family of pigment found in everyday eyeshadow and foundation. They remove with your normal cleanser and water or a makeup remover, with no scrubbing.

How to apply magnetic lashes with no natural lashes

Without lashes to guide you, the liner line is your lash line. Take your time with step 2 and the rest is quick.

Size the lash first. Hold it along your lid, starting about 2mm to 10mm out from the inner corner, and trim from the outer end if it runs past the edge of your eye. On a 6 micro-magnet lash, make sure a magnet still sits at each end after trimming.

Draw the liner where your lashes used to grow. Start with clean, dry lids. Shake the liquid liner and apply two to three even coats as close to the lash line as you can, at least as thick as the lash band and unbroken from inner to outer corner. Let each coat semi-dry for about 15 seconds. For a thinner line with the liquid liner, wipe the brush against the inside of the bottle neck first.

Place from the inner corner outwards. Lay the lash onto the liner and let it settle into place along the line. The Lash Applicator Tweezer helps you see what you are doing and is easier on long nails.

Press gently along the band. Check both eyes in the mirror, and lift and reposition anything that has landed off the line.

Our full how to apply magnetic eyelashes page has photos of each step.

Before you start. As with any cosmetic used near the eye, patch test first. If product gets into your eye, rinse it thoroughly with clean water. If you have an existing eye condition, or your lids are broken, sore or unusually reactive during treatment, check with your treating team before use. Do not wear magnetic lashes or magnetic liner during an MRI, or anywhere metal or magnets are not allowed.

Removing and caring for your lashes during treatment

Gently lift the lash away from the liner with your fingertips. Then remove the liner with a gentle cleanser such as our Australian made All-in-1 Micellar Foam Cleanser, or the Ultra Makeup Remover Balm for waterproof liner.

Clean after every wear. Wipe any liner left on the band with a cotton bud dampened with 64% isopropyl alcohol (such as Isocol from the supermarket), then let the lashes air dry. Our guide to cleaning magnetic lashes goes step by step.
Do not use makeup remover or micellar water on the lashes themselves, and never soak them.
Store them in their case so they keep their shape. Cared for this way, Youthphoria magnetic and clear band lashes are reusable for 30+ wears.
Keep them to yourself. Do not share lashes or liner, which matters more when your immune system is lowered by treatment, and replace a liner once it has been open for about three months.
Mascara goes on first, if you use it. Apply it to any natural lashes, let it dry, then add your false lashes.

Looking ahead: when your lashes start coming back

As short new lashes appear, keep wearing styles that sit on the lid rather than on the lashes, and keep removal gentle so nothing tugs at them. If you are considering a lash serum once treatment is over, talk to your treating team first, because they know your protocol. Our guide to eyelash serum and chemo explains what the ingredient labels mean, including why many people look for prostaglandin-free formulas.

If your lashes are slow to return, or come back patchy, our guides to madarosis and eyelash loss and alopecia and eyelash loss cover the other reasons lashes thin and the lash options for longer-term loss.

Would you like help choosing?

Choosing a lash for a lash line that has changed is hard to do from a product photo, and there is no rush. You are welcome to email us with a description or a photo and we will suggest a style and liner for you.

In Melbourne? See Shirley in person. Shirley sees clients at the Greythorn shops in Balwyn North and specialises in exactly the situations in this guide: lash loss from chemotherapy and alopecia, weak or sparse natural lashes, and past reactions to lash adhesive. The consultation is $50, redeemable on any product, and the fee is waived for clients having cancer treatment or living with alopecia.

Book a lash consultation About the salon

For a real-life view, read Witney's story of wearing false lashes through chemotherapy.

Frequently asked questions

Can you wear false eyelashes during chemotherapy?

Yes. Magnetic lashes and clear band lashes are the gentlest options, because they sit on a line of liner on the lid rather than being glued to your natural lashes, and there is no cyanoacrylate extension glue involved. Patch test first, and check with your treating team if your eyelid skin is broken, sore or unusually reactive.

What are the best false eyelashes for chemo patients?

Short, light, natural styles of around 4mm to 10mm that do not need natural lashes to hold. Magnetic lashes suit a thinning or bare lash line, and clear band lashes suit a completely bare one because there is no dark band showing. Soft brown or black-and-brown fibres often look more natural than dense jet black.

Do magnetic lashes work if you have no eyelashes at all?

Yes. Magnetic lashes attach to a magnetic eyeliner drawn along the lid, not to your natural lashes, so they hold on a completely bare lash line. Draw the liner where your lashes used to grow, at least as thick as the lash band, and place the lash from the inner corner outwards.

Can you get eyelash extensions during chemo?

It is not recommended. Extensions are glued to each natural lash, so they need lashes to hold, and Breastcancer.org advises against them for people who have been through chemotherapy because the adhesive can irritate skin and the extensions can block new lashes as they grow in. Magnetic or clear band lashes are the usual alternative.

When do eyelashes grow back after chemo?

For most people lash loss is temporary. Scalp hair often starts growing back two to three months after chemotherapy ends, and lashes usually follow several months after treatment finishes. New lashes are often finer or a different texture at first, and around one in four people may have sparse or thin regrowth for longer. Ask your treating team about your own timeline.

Are magnetic lashes hard to apply with unsteady hands?

Usually less so than glue-on lashes. There is no glue to time, and a magnetic lash can be lifted and repositioned if it lands in the wrong place. A felt-tip magnetic eyeliner pen is easier to control than a liquid liner brush, and a lash applicator tweezer helps with placement.

Can I wear magnetic lashes during an MRI?

No. Remove magnetic lashes and magnetic eyeliner before an MRI scan, and anywhere metal or magnets are not allowed. If you are unsure, ask the radiology team before your appointment.

Can I use a lash serum during chemotherapy?

Talk to your treating team first, because they know your specific protocol. Many people wait until treatment has finished and new lashes are coming through, and look for a prostaglandin-free formula because eyelid skin is delicate.

How long do magnetic lashes last?

Youthphoria magnetic and clear band lashes are reusable for 30+ wears when cleaned after each use and stored in their case. Our liner pens last up to about 60 applications, and any liner is best replaced about three months after opening.

Lashes for today, at your own pace

Every style suited to a thinning or bare lash line, across magnetic and clear band, ordered from the lightest look up. Or answer a few questions and we will point you to one.

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