We often get asked how long do eyelash extensions last and why do eyelash extensions fall out? You naturally lose 3-4 natural eyelashes a day and this blog will hopefully make it clearer why clients need infill appointments to keep that full look.
Eyelash growth stages Hair growth is made up of 3 different phases -Anagen, Catagen and Telogen. • ANAGEN (GROWING) STAGE. The anagen stage is the growing period of a hair follicle. • CATAGEN (INTERMEDIATE) STAGE. The catagen stage is the intermediate period of hair growth. • TELOGEN (RESTING OR SHEDDING) STAGE.
Eyelash extensions are applied on natural eyelashes when they are in the Catagen phase. We never apply eyelash extensions while the lashes are in Anagen phase as they are still too delicate and not strong enough to hold an eyelash extension.
The whole cycle for eyelashes is around 90-100 days for an eyelash hair, Which is (100 divide by 7 days) 12 weeks. Because of this calculation people or lash studio’s sometime advertise their lashes last up to 12 weeks. However, they are forgetting that the Anagen phase only lasts 30-45 days and those natural lashes aren’t ready to hold eyelash extension. So therefore eyelash extensions can last 4-6 weeks when bonded and cared for correctly.
We recommend people come back to us for infills every 2-3 weeks. At this appointment we find hairs that have gone from the Anagen phase to the Catogen phase, which are now ready and strong enough to hold an eyelash extension. Catagen phase is around 2-3 weeks also, so some of the eyelash extensions we applied at the previous infill appointment will now be in the Telogen phase.
Do I need a break from having eyelash extensions?
If you understand the hair growth cycle and the eyelash technician is applying the eyelash extensions correctly without sticking them together and using light lashes you can now see why there is no need to take a break from eyelash extensions. However if the technician doesn’t isolate each natural eyelash or uses too much glue this will cause the natural eyelash to come out before it’s cycle causing pain and the lashes become sparse.