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Is it normal for eyebrows not to grow back after over-plucking?
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I have always had very thick brows, but wanted them to be thin, so for a long time--a couple of years--I obsessively overplucked them. Now I've realized that I don't like this look and want them to be natural again. About a month ago, I stopped plucking and my brows are slowly growing back, but there are little bare spots on each eyebrow that don't seem to be filling in. In these spots, I don't even see any block dots where a root would be. Is it normal for eyebrow hair to take a long time to grow back or grow back unevenly? Am I doomed to having sparse eyebrows forever, or is there an effective way to get them to grow back completely?
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Comments (19)
NeuroNeptunian
10 months, 3 weeks ago | pl
I guess you can see about hair growth therapy but I'm unsure. It sounds as if you may have damaged the roots (or whatever you call where hair grows from).
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*~ThePurplePixie~*
10 months, 1 week ago | pl
@: NeuroNeptunian
I believe it may be called the follicle. :)
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dirtybirdy
10 months, 3 weeks ago | pl
Me too. I didn't feel the need to pluck them til a boyfriend of mine said something like "real women pluck their eyebrows" OK then asshole, real men have larger penises. That was almost 15 years ago. So I started and never stopped. I'm not so bad now but there is one little spot on one side that doesn't grow in anymore :( it's not too noticeable though.
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forever_anon
10 months, 1 week ago | pl
@: dirtybirdy
Wow, that was a mean thing for him to say. Hopefully, he is an ex-boyfriend. I started plucking mine years ago due to peer pressure from an older friend, who told me that boys weren't interested in girls with naturally thick eyebrows. I should've just said, "Well, then, I'm not interested in them, either." Unfortunately, being an impressionable, extremely self-conscious teenager, I believed her and followed her advice.
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urrichxub
10 months, 3 weeks ago | pl
It is normal. I have the same problem. I also have very thick eyebrows and I waxed them for 10 years. I decided about a year ago to try growing them in, but like you, they never grew back to "normal".

I fill mine in now, and if you do it correctly, they do look natural. There are several makeup products specifically for eyebrows and you can find tutorials on YouTube that will teach you how to fill them in beautifully. =)
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forever_anon
9 months, 1 week ago | pl
@: urrichxub
Thanks, I am looking into the cosmetics and tutorials. A little powder makes my brows look a lot better, but I am still hoping that maybe this is a temporary phase...*crosses fingers.*
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VioletTrees
10 months, 3 weeks ago | pl
If you pull your hair out habitually, sometimes there will be permanent bald patches. A month might be too soon to tell, though. I've heard of it taking 8 to 12 weeks for eyebrows to completely regrow.

I have trichotillomania (a mental disorder where you compulsively pull your own hair, eyelashes, or eyebrows out), and there's a spot on the back of my head where my hair is permanently thinner from pulling my hair out. It's not noticeable by sight, but you can tell if you feel my hair.

Do you find it difficult to not pick your eyebrows out of habit, or were you just doing it intentionally to make them thinner?
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forever_anon
10 months, 2 weeks ago | pl
@: VioletTrees
I was intentionally doing it to make them less bushy. Thanks for your answer. I'll wait a few more weeks and see if there's any improvement.
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drumandpickchick
10 months, 3 weeks ago | pl
Lay off the plucking for a bit and make sure you are NOT putting lotion on your eyebrow area! It will keep them from growing back!
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forever_anon
9 months, 1 week ago | pl
@: drumandpickchick
Thanks. I would like to know why lotion is bad. Does it clog the pores?
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kelso
10 months, 3 weeks ago | pl
I say they'll grow back, they may just take time. I had a terrible eyebrow accident myself and about a third of my eyebrow came off, had to draw it in for about 3-4 months. It did grow back in though! Just took a while, and it doesnt look exactly the same. I've had plenty of friends overpluck and while the eyebrows were not the same as before, they did grow back in somewhat. A month just isn't enough time. Keep waiting and I'm sure they'll improve.
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forever_anon
9 months, 1 week ago | pl
@: kelso
Thanks. Your comment helps me feel a little better. Right now I feel like a baby bird waiting for its feathers to grow in!
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Audrina
10 months, 3 weeks ago | pl
Latisse is marketed as an eyelash enhancement product but also works well on eyebrows.
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forever_anon
10 months, 2 weeks ago | pl
@: Audrina
That's a good idea, but isn't that Rx only? I have no health insurance. Do you know of any OTC remedies?
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Audrina
10 months, 2 weeks ago | pl
@: forever_anon
I do not know of any over the counter products that work. Here in the US Latisse is FDA regulated and available by prescription only. Generally insurance companies will not cover it because it is cosmetic. Depending on which state you live in, you can get it from plastic surgeons, dermatologists, and opthamologists. Many doctors offer a free or low cost office visit because they receive a small profit for every prescription that they sell. A friend of mine got a prescription for it and it cost her $120.
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sograceful
10 months, 2 weeks ago | pl
Yep this is normal. Unfortunately this is what happens when we over tweeze our brows over a long period of time. It's a shame. Go see an esthetician and have a consultation, they can tell you more about how permanent/severe the damage is and your options about fixing it.
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bethhunt188
10 months, 2 weeks ago | pl
It's normal. I was lucky enough to overpluck mine to the extreme in high school and still have them grow back properly. I still use a eyebrow pencil for an even more dramatic "full" look though. You should try that out- it'll take practice- but you'll master it :)
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Pure_Soul
10 months, 3 weeks ago | pl
You should have gotten them done by a professional. Now you're gonna have to draw them on... Honestly, not a good look!
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Avant-Garde
10 months, 3 weeks ago | pl
You probably destroyed/damaged the hair follicle. I've over plucked my eyebrows before, but eventually they would always grow back. Ask a doctor what the best course of treatment would be.
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