Eyebrows Hair Loss: From Common Causes and Treatments

Your eyebrows frame your face. They play a role in facial expression and communication, and they help you look like yourself. Many people notice brow thinning at some point.

Brows can naturally shift with age. But eyebrow shedding can also hint at an underlying health issue. Here is a closer look at common reasons for thinning and when it may be time to take it more seriously.

Key Takeaways

• Eyebrow thinning may come from autoimmune alopecia, skin inflammation, thyroid imbalance, or infection.

• Low nutrients such as fatty acids, biotin, or zinc may contribute to eyebrow shedding.

• Stress, pregnancy, aging, chemotherapy, and frequent plucking can disrupt eyebrow growth cycles.

• The cause shapes treatment, including bimatoprost, corticosteroids, minoxidil, batana oil, or cosmetic restoration.

15 Causes of Eyebrow Hair Loss

If one or both eyebrows look thinner, the trigger may be an infection, a skin condition, hormone shifts, or an immune system response. Nutritional deficiencies, physical trauma, or emotional stress can also lead to brow thinning.

Once you narrow down what is behind it, you and your doctor can choose an option to help prevent, reverse, or limit the loss.

1. Alopecia Areata

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease. The immune system mistakes part of your body as a threat and attacks it. In alopecia areata, the immune response targets hair follicles where hairs form, which can slow or stop new growth.

Alopecia can show up in a few forms:

• Alopecia areata can cause patchy, random areas of hair loss.

• Alopecia universalis is the complete loss of all hair.

• Frontal fibrosing alopecia can scar the scalp and lead to balding and brow loss.

Doctors do not always know what starts a flare. The National Alopecia Areata Foundation notes it can come and go, and hair may return during quieter phases. It can also affect fingernails and toenails.

2. Nutrient Deficiencies

What you eat plays a big role in skin and hair health. Your body depends on certain nutrients to build strong hair.

These nutrient gaps may contribute to eyebrow hair loss:

• Fatty acid deficiency: One 2017 review study suggests low fatty acids, found in fish, nuts, and seeds, may be linked to eyebrow loss.

• Biotin deficiency: Low biotin may cause thinner hair and less body hair. Biotin is a popular supplement for growth, but evidence for results remains limited.

• Zinc deficiency: A lack of zinc can lead to hair loss. One review study notes zinc supplements may support regrowth when a true deficiency is present.

3. Aging

Many women and men notice thinner hair in their 40s as estrogen levels drop in women and testosterone declines in men.

4. Eczema

Another inflammatory condition, eczema can make skin dry, scaly, and itchy. If it develops above the eyes, it may thin the brows, sometimes called Hertoghe's sign or Queen Anne's sign. For many people, symptoms fade and later return. Extreme temperatures and sensitivity to metals or chemicals may trigger flares.

There is no cure, but treatment can ease symptoms. When inflammation is better controlled, eyebrow hair may regrow. Options include:

• Over-the-counter and prescription corticosteroid creams

• Moisturizers

• Light therapy

• Prescription oral medications that calm the immune system

• Injectable biologic medications

5. Stress and Anxiety

High stress and anxiety can cause body-wide changes, including less oxygen reaching hair follicles and shifts in hormone levels that may play a part in eyebrow hair loss.

6. Pregnancy and Childbirth

Pregnancy and childbirth can send hormones and other body chemistry into major swings. These shifts can throw off hair growth cycles and cause shedding.

7. Psoriasis

The long-term skin condition psoriasis can appear almost anywhere, including around the brows. Around 50% of people with psoriasis have facial involvement. It happens when the body makes skin cells too quickly, so skin thickens and forms plaques. Hair can shed in areas affected by plaques. Symptoms often cycle and may include itching or burning.

Common psoriasis treatments include:

• Prescription corticosteroid creams and ointments that lower inflammation

• Prescription vitamin D analogues that slow cell growth

• Prescription retinoid creams that encourage healthy turnover

• Over-the-counter products with salicylic acid, an exfoliator

If topical options do not fully control symptoms, clinicians may use oral medications or biologic therapies, such as:

• Oral corticosteroids

• Oral retinoids

• Biologic injections

• Oral medications that suppress the immune system, such as methotrexate and cyclosporine

8. Contact Dermatitis

Contact dermatitis happens after contact with an allergen or irritating substance. You may feel itchiness or burning. If skin near the brows is involved, swelling can slow hair growth.

9. Seborrheic Dermatitis

Seborrheic dermatitis is often a chronic issue. Researchers think it may involve a fungus or excess oil production in the skin. It can cause dandruff, even through the brows.

10. Tinea Capitis

Tinea capitis, also called ringworm, is a fungal infection. It can cause raised, red, itchy, ring-shaped areas, sometimes with oozing or blisters. If it shows up over the brows, hair often sheds and leaves a bare patch.

11. Thyroid Issues

Thyroid disease is a well-known cause of eyebrow loss. The thyroid makes hormones that help regulate metabolism.

If the gland makes too much or too little hormone, the body can get out of balance and many normal processes are affected. That includes hair growth.

Hypothyroidism may bring fatigue, weight gain, and brain fog, while hyperthyroidism is often linked with heart palpitations, bulging eyes, and weight loss.

12. Telogen Effluvium

Telogen effluvium (TE) is unusual hair shedding that can happen when the normal growth cycle is disrupted by hormonal changes or other shifts in the body.

13. Plucking or Makeup Overuse

Over-plucking creates repeated tiny injuries, and over time hair may stop returning in that area. Some makeup products can also irritate or damage the skin when used heavily for long periods.

14. Chemotherapy

Cancer treatment with chemotherapy targets fast-dividing cells. Hair follicles divide quickly too. That is why hair can shed in clumps during treatment.

15. Hansen’s Disease

Hansen’s disease (leprosy) is caused by bacteria and can appear as sores across the skin. It is common in many countries but rare in the United States. Lepromatous leprosy may involve widespread lesions and hair loss, numbness, and limb weakness.

Treatments and Remedies

Start by seeing a doctor so you can identify what is driving the loss. The sections below cover common ways eyebrow hair loss is treated.

Batana Oil With Rosemary

If your eyebrow hairs feel dry, break easily, or look sparse from over-plucking or harsh makeup removal, a lightweight oil routine can help protect what you still have.

Keyoma Batana Oil with Rosemary can work as a conditioning step because batana oil helps soften and coat the hair, which may reduce breakage, while rosemary is often used in hair routines for its scalp-supporting properties.

How to use it safely (brow area):

• Start with a patch test on your inner arm for 24 hours. Stop if you get itching, burning, or a rash.

• At night, cleanse your brows and let them fully dry.

• Put a tiny drop on a clean spoolie or cotton swab, then sweep it through brow hair only. Keep it off your eyelids and out of your eyes.

• Use 3 to 5 nights per week for 6 to 8 weeks, then reassess.

Corticosteroids

Steroid creams or ointments may slow shedding. The National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF) reports studies showing about 25% improved regrowth when strong topical corticosteroids are used.

Doctors may also use corticosteroid injections to help kick-start growth. These injections are commonly used for alopecia areata. The NAAF says people often see new hair within 4 weeks.

Topical Bimatoprost 0.03%

Bimatoprost is FDA-approved to support eyelash regrowth, and it is applied topically to the lash line. Current evidence suggests daily use can also support eyebrow results in some cases. I noticed a clean spoolie helps keep product from spreading onto surrounding skin.

One case report describes a woman who achieved “excellent and sustained growth of her eyebrows” after using bimatoprost 0.03% solution daily.

Possible side effects of bimatoprost 0.03% include:

• contact dermatitis

• skin hyperpigmentation

• itchy skin

Minoxidil

Minoxidil is often paired with corticosteroids for alopecia areata. When someone applies a 5% minoxidil solution twice daily, results are usually modest. Combining it with corticosteroids may improve the response.

Hair Transplant or Microblading

Hair transplanting and microblading are other options. They do not cause new hair to grow, but they can make brows look fuller.

Explore these 12 easy ways to regrow your brows.

Help Brows Look Fuller With Keyoma Batana Oil

Stop chasing growth and focus on removing the trigger first. If your brows thin alongside redness, itching, or flaking, pause brow makeup and any new skin products, since irritation and inflammation can block healthy growth.

If the skin settles, stay consistent for 30 days. Skip plucking and waxing, because repeated minor trauma can keep sparse areas from filling in. Cleanse gently and pat dry instead of rubbing.

For me, using the tiniest amount keeps the skin comfortable and the hairs less brittle. At night, massage a drop of Keyoma Batana Oil with Rosemary along the brow line to ease dryness and help limit breakage.

Ready to support your brow routine? Buy Keyoma Batana Oil with Rosemary direct from Keyoma, or shop it in the Keyoma Amazon store.