14 Causes of White Eyelashes (and Is Reversal Possible?)

Anna Giorgi
·6 min read
2

Medically reviewed by William Truswell, MD

White eyelashes can occur for many reasons. The most common cause of white eyelashes is aging. About 50% of people worldwide have about 50% gray hair by the time they reach age 50.

White eyelashes can also occur as a symptom of a health problem, a side effect of certain drugs, or the result of smoking. These factors can impact how your body makes melanin, the natural pigment that affects the darkness of your skin and hair.

While white eyelashes are rarely a health issue themselves, they can be a sign of problems that need treatment. In some cases, treatment can allow darker eyelashes to return.

This article describes the causes of white eyelashes. It also explains when treatment is needed and ways to make white eyelashes look darker.

<p>Diamond Dogs / Getty Images</p>

Diamond Dogs / Getty Images

Conditions With White Eyelashes as a Symptom

White eyelashes can occur as a symptom of a wide range of conditions that include the following:

Waardenburg syndrome: This is a group of four conditions that may be congenital (present at birth) defined by symptoms such as patchy areas of diminished color (albinism) of your hair, skin, eyes, the iris of both eyes and/or deafness at birth.

Tuberous sclerosis: This is a rare genetic disorder (acquired from one or both parents) that causes benign (noncancerous) tumors to grow in your brain and other organs, along with other symptoms that can include light patches of skin and thickened skin.

Piebaldism: This rare genetic disorder is defined by a white patch of hair directly above the forehead, white eyebrows and eyelash hair, and white patches on your trunk, extremities, and face, especially your chin.

Vitiligo: This chronic autoimmune disease (a condition in which your body's immune system attacks healthy cells) is characterized by patches of skin or hair that lose pigment when melanocytes (cells in hair follicles that produce melanin, which gives your hair color) become damaged and no longer function.

Alopecia areata: This common autoimmune disorder causes non-scarring hair loss that can result in the regrowth of white, unpigmented hair rather than darker hair.

Thyroid disorders: Conditions such as autoimmune thyroid disease, hypothyroidism (low levels of thyroid hormones), and hyperthyroidism (high levels of thyroid hormones) have been linked with early graying and white hair.

Poliosis: A patch, or patches, of white hair develop when the rest of your hair color is its usual shade. It occurs due to genetics, an autoimmune disease, or other health problems.

Neurofibromatosis (von Recklinghausen's disease): This group of inherited diseases causes abnormal development of your bones and triggers skin and nerve tumors and changes in pigmentation.

Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome: This rare disorder begins with headaches and then causes vision and hearing changes along with vitiligo and whitening of your hair and eyelashes.

Blepharitis: This is inflammation of the eyelids in which they become red, itchy, and irritated with dandruff-like scales that form on your eyelashes.

What Else Causes White or Graying Eyelashes?

White or graying eyelashes do not always indicate a medical condition. They may also occur as a result of one of the following:

Aging: Aging causes a natural decrease in the level of melanocytes. This results in the decreased production of melanin and a lack of pigment in your hair.

Medication use: Medications linked with hair depigmentation (a loss of hair color resulting in silver or white hair) include the following:

  • Soriatane (acitretin)

  • Aralen (chloroquine)

  • Gleevec (imatinib)

  • Sutent (sunitinib)

  • Votrient (pazopanib)

Vitamin B12 deficiency: This occurs with lower-than-normal levels of vitamin B12 (cobalamin), a vitamin that plays an essential role in cell metabolism and contributes to the formation of melanocytes.

Smoking: Though not fully understood, smoking is significantly correlated with hair prematurely graying before the age of 30.



White Eyelashes: Medical vs. Cosmetic Causes

While you may consider your white eyelashes a cosmetic problem, some people are seeking them out as part of a makeup trend called salt-and-pepper lash extensions. The look mixes white hairs with your natural eyelashes to make your lashes look fuller.



Do White Eyelashes Require Treatment?

In most cases, having white eyelashes is not a medical problem requiring treatment. The color of your eyelashes typically does not interfere with their main function, which is to protect your eyes from dust and debris.

However, white eyelashes can be a sign of an underlying eye disease or other medical condition. If your eyelashes become white, get an eye exam for an accurate diagnosis of your condition. This can help you get the treatments you need to protect your vision and overall well-being.

While white eyelashes may not require immediate care, contact your healthcare provider or an eye specialist if you have any of the following symptoms:

How to Disguise White Eyelashes

Your success in disguising or correcting white eyelashes depends on the cause of your condition and your desire to change the way you look.

Problems caused by genetics are typically permanent. However, white eyelashes caused by a disorder like thyroid disease may regain pigment when you correct the condition.

Medical treatment can take time to affect the color of white eyelashes. Whether your white eyelashes are temporary or permanent, the following options may disguise the problem:

  • Mascara: A temporary cosmetic applied to white eyelashes usually in shades of from black to brown, as well as novelty colors like teal and magenta

  • False eyelashes: Temporary eyelashes made of manufactured or natural fibers that are applied to the lid above existing lashes with glue

  • Tinting/dyeing: A semipermanent dye applied monthly to eyelashes in specialty cosmetic shops and via home kits

While eye treatments can help eyelashes appear naturally dark, there are risks in using chemicals so close to your eye. Formaldehyde in eyelash glue and hydrogen peroxide in eyelash dyes are two ingredients that pose the highest risks of eye damage.

Having eyelash tinting done by a licensed aesthetician is advised. However, dyes, fragrances, and other chemicals common in eyelash enhancements always pose the risk of causing an allergic reaction.

Summary

While white eyelashes can present a cosmetic problem, they rarely threaten your health. Most people have white eyelashes as a result of aging. Other causes like genetics, some health issues, and smoking can also cause white eyelashes.

Finding the cause of your white eyelashes is key for health and cosmetic reasons. White eyelashes may be a sign of a health problem that needs treatment. Treating the health problem can sometimes restore white eyelashes to their original.

Read the original article on Verywell Health.