Eyelashes play a very important roll in protecting our eye from small particles like dirt & dust, wind, sweat, and germs that can cause eye infection. A baby’s eyelashes are no different. Other then what eyelashes protect eyes from, long eyelashes on a newborn baby are just adorable in how they frame the baby’s face & eyes. With how important eyelashes are you may be wondering are babies even born with eyelashes?
The short answer is, like hair on a baby’s head, some babies are born with long lashes, and some don’t have any eyelashes. However, most babies are born with short eyelashes that are very fine. So fine in fact that they almost can’t even been seen, but they’re there.
All my kids were born with super fine dark eyelashes. We could see the upper eyelashes. the bottom lashes however, were hard to see. Within a few weeks they grew to a length we could easily see. What helped is that both my wife and I have darker hair and our kids where born with almost dark hair Making their
Speaking of hair color, that too can can play a part in why you can’t see the eyelashes. Newborns with blonde eyelashes or light hair will seem as though they don’t have any eyelashes.
When do babies’ eyelashes grow
A baby’s eyebrows and eyelashes actually start growing in the womb when the mother’s about 20-22 weeks pregnant. That doesn’t mean that when they are born they will have prominent thick eyelashes. Baby eyelashes will be fine just like the rest of the baby’s hair. They can loose them before they are born. It’s actually quite common for baby’s to loose their hair within the first 6 months of being born.
Can you do anything to make sure your baby is born with beautiful eyelashes
According to WebMD hair growth usually depends largely on genetics & DNA.
The mother’s hormones can play a part in hair growth as a whole. In the 2nd trimester the babies hair starts growing due to the increased estrogen in the mother.
Another thing that can play factor in the growth of their eyelashes is the mother’s diet. Foods that the mother eats can play a part in increased hair growth. Food like spinach, avocados, sweet potatoes, berries, seeds & nuts, fish, and eggs. For the most part though this all has to do with hair on the head. Eyelashes, like I said at the beginning, mainly has to do with genetics & DNA.
After they are born making making sure your baby has a healthy supply of breast milk or formula will aid in the healthy growth of newborn eyelashes.
Why would babies be born without eyelashes
Other then Genetics and DNA there can be other circumstances where babies can be born with no eyelashes.
Premature babies can be born without eyelashes because their eyelashes may not have had the chance to grow. Other reasons for a baby to be born without eyelashes are if the mother had a poor diet or was lacking major nutrients and vitamins when pregnant like biotin, iron, and zinc. All these vitamins and more can be found in prenatal vitamins as well as a healthy diet. To learn more about these vitamins and more the “Feed Mom & Me” blog has great posts like this one on Biotin.
What about Lower eyelid eyelashes
Bottom eyelashes are shorter, thinner, and have fewer lashes then top eyelids. So, if they have lower lashes they could be even harder to see if they are there.
How fast do they grow
For newborn babies if they are born without eyelashes they should grow in as little as 2 weeks however it could take up to 6 weeks. 6 weeks is how long it take to regrow eyelashes even adult eyelashes. Actually each individual eyelash has a particular eyelash growth cycle known as phases. The 3 phases are the Anagen phase, the Cartagena phase, and the Telegenic phase. If you would like to know more of those check out this link on by Revitalash that breaks down the lash cycle in detail.
For the most part eyelashes should grow to full length by the time the baby is 2 months of age.
Medical Conditions related to Eyelashes
Blepharitis
The most common is Blepharitis which is a inflammation if the eyelid margin. It can cause annoying symptoms but is generally benign.
Eyelid Styes
This is an infection of alone the eyelash line that can result in shedding of lashes.
Other not so common conditions include
- Eyelash Trichomegaly
- Trichiasis
- Distichiasis
- Trichotillomania
- and many more
Please know these are very rare and nothing I would worry about.
Until their eyelashes fully grow in make sure to protect your baby’s eyes face from direct sunlight. If you would like to know more about when you can take your baby out in the sun check out this post on “When Can You Take Your Newborn To The Beach”
The good news is you’ll be so busy looking into your baby’s big beautiful eyes, playing with their chubby cheeks, their chunky little legs, and smelling that newborn baby smell they all seem to have that you won’t even notice if their eyelashes are there.
