They say you don’t appreciate what you have until it’s gone, and right now I’m quietly eulogising my fading arches. Despite my Scandi-hued hair now being almost entirely bottle-born, I began life as a bona fide blonde.
My brows, pale and perennially sparse, were never the main characters of my face. I’m not unfamiliar with a bit of facial topiary and definitely flirted with a Tweezerman in the 90s, but those Kate Moss pencil lines never suited me, so I avoided the over-plucking trap my boomer mum had warned me about.
After more than two decades as a beauty editor, I even dabbled with microblading before it became de rigueur, and survived the Tens era of big, bold brows with the help of a few strategic products. Still, brows were never really my focal point. Until suddenly they were.
Arches gone AWOL
On a recent press trip, armed with new reading glasses and confronted by a brutally honest magnifying mirror, I saw my face in full HD. What I thought were brows turned out to be…mostly memories. My tails had quietly vanished, masked only by decade-old microblading now faded into a whisper of mushroom-coloured haze.
As the rest of my face softens and drifts south, I’ve come to rely on brows for structure, pencilling them in daily (my fair-haired go-to is L’Oreal Paris’ ’24H Precision Brow Pencil in Cool Blonde’, £7.99. But under that forensic lighting, it became clear; there were barely any actual hairs left. So what was going on?
“Eyebrow and lash thinning/loss can be due to a wide range of causes, including stress, trauma, thyroid disorders, autoimmune conditions such as alopecia areata and drugs such as chemotherapy but age is also a key driver,” explains Dr. Sharon Wong, Consultant Dermatologist and Co-founder of Dose.
Does perimenopause affect eyebrows?
I know I’m guilty of attributing every miserable sign of ageing to perimenopause but while my brows are quietly retreating, my partner’s nasal and ear hair are increasingly vying for facial real estate.
Dr. Sharon confirmed what I suspected to be true, given my brow loss timeline: “The effects of the ageing process on brow/lash thinning tend to be gradual, but it is often more noticeable in women in their forties and fifties. This is likely due to the significant decline in oestrogen levels during menopause.
“Oestrogen is hair-protective; it keeps hairs in their growth phase for longer, increasing thickness and density – so when levels drop, thinning accelerates.” So long, ‘Soap Brows.’
But hormones aren’t the whole story. “With age, hair follicle cell division slows and there is a gradual decline in their functional capacity,” adds Dr Sharon. “The active growth phase (anagen) shortens, while the resting phase (telogen) lengthens. Hair becomes shorter, finer and more brittle. It also grows more slowly and takes longer to be replaced with new hair due to a gradual decline in stem cell function.” So, what can be done?
© WireImageAnti-aging eyebrows
We all know fuller brows look more youthful, but what can be done to restore that bright, bushy look? “Specific treatments may vary depending on the cause but in general, clinically proven actives which can help improve hair growth and thickness include bimatoprost (for both lashes and brows) and minoxidil (for brows),” says Dr. Sharon.
“These work best when combined with conditioning agents to thicken and strengthen the hair and prevent breakage.” It’s something brow expert Nez Hasan sees firsthand; “Brows absolutely thin with age, which is why I tell clients to focus on nourishing the follicles first with natural strengthening, conditioning and growth oils like my Aiya Inc ‘Miracle Scalp & Brow Mask’, (£32). Before defaulting to microblading, it’s important to give your brows time to grow by stimulating the follicles with growth serums or even microneedling treatments such as a derma stamp.”
And if nature needs a little…encouragement? Fake it. “Thick, fluffy brows never go out of style,” says Fides Baldesberger, founder of Rubis Tweezers. “Unlike the heavily sculpted and defined brows of the past, feathered brows mimic the real thing, with individual hairs delicately brushed upward and outward, creating a soft, natural effect.” How to achieve said bountiful brows?
“Brow tints and brow gels make brows look fuller without looking drawn-on,” agrees makeup artist Lan Nguyen-Grealis. “Soft, hair-like strokes are key and using powders rather than pencils can often lend a lighter feel.” And if all else fails? Nez suggests a light, natural microblade – just enough to give your arches their scaffolding back.
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