Do Lash Extensions damage your natural lashes?

Extending the length of our eyelashes can elevate everyone's look for any occasion. Longer and darker lashes are attractive and can boost your confidence, providing you with the perfect, “I woke up like this” look. 

They can also give a fresher appearance to the face, even without makeup. That may explain why lash extensions are among the most revered beauty procedures available. 

They add darkness, volume and length, making the eyes look more defined and distinctive. Thus, lash extensions can make your makeup look better and give the final touch to that glam look, or they can give you that natural finished look you may desire, without the effort of a daily makeup routine. 

Yet, many people avoid this procedure out of fear. You may have heard one of the horror stories of natural eyelashes being short, missing, or damaged, after the lash extension removal.

One negative story is often enough to convince you it's better to be safe than sorry. But the truth is that lash extensions can't harm your natural eyelashes, when applied properly, by a skilled lash technician. 

The only thing that can damage them is poor technique and lack of expertise. Here are some pointers to help you decide if they are right for you, if you’re a client, and if you’re a lash technician, I hope this will help you decide whether or not you may need additional training to ensure you’re protecting your clients natural lash health, long term. 

Can Eyelash Extensions Cause Your Natural Lashes to Fall Out?

Indeed - losing your natural eyelashes or sacrificing them in any way to have extensions would be devastating. However, the risk is nearly non-existent if you entrust your lashes with a professional esthetician with proper training.

But keep in mind that eyelashes have a natural cycle that includes shedding and growing again. That occurs every six to ten weeks, and it's nothing you should worry about. This happens with or without lash extensions. You definitely notice it more with the extensions on, however.

New lashes replace the old ones every time, resulting in renewed and more resilient eyelashes. Although the myth might have you thinking differently, extensions don't stop or harm this natural process.

Instead, your natural eyelashes continue falling off and growing again. Extensions fall off at the same time, following your body's regular shedding cycle. Hence, semi-permanent lashes won't cause damage or stop the growth of new ones.

You're in safe hands if you go to a professional, vetted esthetician.

3 Possible Scenarios in Which Extensions May Damage Natural Lashes

Even though it rarely happens, lash extensions can hinder your natural eyelashes if the esthetician uses an inadequate technique. Here are the three most common mistakes they make. 

Over Weighted Extensions

A client might want Kim Kardashian-like lashes - thick and long, but the esthetician must determine whether that's possible and if it would harm their natural eyelashes. Every professional lash technician knows that if extensions are too heavy for the lashes, that could cause premature and increased shedding.

Moreover, incompatible length and thickness could result in natural eyelashes shedding prematurely. Because of this, estheticians must find the right balance and ensure their clients' natural lashes can handle the weight of extensions.

The Stickies Issue

This issue is among the most common with inadequate lash extension application techniques. It occurs when extensions and two or more natural eyelashes are glued to each other.

Sadly, inexperienced estheticians often struggle with proper isolation and/or the proper amount of adhesive, which can cause issues with the dry time. As a result, eyelashes become stuck together, potentially damaging new eyelashes as they grow. 

Stickies can cause lashes to shed prematurely and harm the follicle. When that happens, eyelashes take some time to recover and be as resilient as they were before the extension treatment. Proper isolation & use of glue is ESSENTIAL when getting or providing lash extensions.

A great way for an inexperienced client to know if their lash artist is properly applying their extensions, is for the client to hold an extension that has shed, up to the light to check to see how many natural lashes you see. (You should ONLY see 1 natural lash). There may be an occasional sticky, that’s somewhat normal, but if this is the norm and you’re seeing more of your extensions with numerous natural lashes attached, this is not ok and I would recommend finding a new artist.

Lash artists, you can check your own work, by ensuring when clients return, you don’t see numerous natural lashes all stuck to 1 extension, or even worse yet, to numerous extensions/fans. Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions!

Lashes Glued to the Skin

Estheticians must be careful not to glue extensions to the skin instead of natural lashes. The extensions should be placed 1-2mm from the skin. No more, no less. Attaching the extension to the eyelash line could cause a disc shape of glue to form at the base of the extension. 

That inherently damages eyelashes when they grow, as they will rip the glue from the lash line. In addition, the natural lashes all grow at different rates, so the lashes in active growth, pull the lashes that are in slow growth or resting phase. Repetition of this action can cause permanent damage to the follicle, causing it to stop producing lashes. It can also cause the hair follicle could become clogged, preventing healthy growth and irritating the tissue. 

How to Protect Your Natural Lashes from Damage

The best way to protect your natural lashes from damage, if planning an getting lash extensions, is to find a reliable, professional, and trusted lash studio or esthetician. Research before entrusting someone with your eyelashes and ensure they know what they're doing and have proper certification.

We also highly recommend anyone with lash extensions, use our Lash Growth Serum to maintain the health of the natural lashes and follicles, this also gives your lash artist a great canvas to give you the best look with fuller lashes!

I hope this helps both lash artists and clients so we can maintain the best quality work and turn around the stigma plaguing our industry today!