Do your lashes need a break?

It’s been 6 months and you’ve been faithfully keeping your lashes touched up on schedule. And as a client of Dela Antoinette’s, you’ve never been told that at some point, you’ll need to take a “lash break.”

You’ve probably heard the term from your friends or someone you know that wears lash extensions and the logic behind this term is that if you’ve been wearing lash extensions for a while, it will inherently cause damage to your natural lashes.

In fact, back when I took my first class to learn how to apply lash extensions, my trainer told me this very thing… that clients need to take “lash breaks.”

But what if you don’t want to take a break? What if you love how your lashes enhance your appearance and make you feel? Why should you have to take a break?

Guess what? You don’t.

And in today’s article, I’m going to explain why. Before I explain that, it’s important to first understand basic anatomy of the natural eyelashes.

The first thing you should know is that just like the hair on our heads, our eyelashes are in a constant state of growing and shedding. This is the reason why it’s important to stay on top of your touch ups… because at your touch ups, the new lashes that have grown in need a new extension attached to it in order to look full.

The lash life cycle consists of three stages:

Growth (anagen) - this is the active stage when your lashes grow from a tiny bud within the follicle that you aren’t able to see, to growing through the skin of the eyelid to its longest length. The process of going from a tiny bud to full length can last anywhere from 30-45 days. Only about 40% of the upper eyelashes and about 15% of the lower eyelashes are in the anagen or growth phase at any given time which allows eyelash growth to rotate and for them to always be present on the eyelids.

Transition (catagen) - the growth stage is followed by a short transition stage where the eyelashes remain at their maximum length and they stop growing. In this phase, the follicle of the eyelash begins to shrink. Then the base of the lash moves towards the surface of the skin in preparation for the lash to fall out. After the growth stage, the transition stage typically lasts for 14-21 days.

Resting (telogen) - In the resting stage, the follicle has shrunk and the lash is detached from the follicle. This is when the lash falls out and the follicle goes back to the growth stage. This stage can last anywhere between 90 to 120 days where no visible lash can be seen to the naked eye.

When you come in for your touch ups, the lashes that I’m applying to are those that are in the growth or anagen stage. The lashes that have shed between touch ups are typically those that are in the transition or catagen stage.

So now that we understand basic laash anatomy, you may be wondering why anyone would need a lash break.

Here are 2 common reasons that I’m aware of that someone would need a lash break.

Reason #1

If a lash extension was applied to the natural lash that was too heavy, too long or both, as the natural lash grows out it will have a difficult time holding up the extension. Because of this, the extension will weigh down the natural lashes and cause them to be pulled out of the lash follicle prematurely which can damage the follicle to the point of needing to recover or worse, it could cause permanent damage.

A sign that your lash extensions may be too heavy or too long is that as they are growing out, you’ll notice the majority of your extensions twist and turn in the wrong direction. Even if you try to brush them into place, they don’t stay put in the right direction.

Dela Antoinette’s specializes in safe lash application where the condition of your lashes is always assessed prior to application to determine the safest length and weight of your lash extensions. I only work with clients that share the belief that lashes don’t have to be super long and thick to enhance your appearance. With skill and experience, lash extensions can be designed to look great without damaging your lashes and requiring the need for lash breaks.

Reason #2

Lash extensions should always be applied to one lash at a time. To do so, it’s important that high quality tools are used to isolate one single eyelash and one extension is properly applied. If for some reason, one extension was attached to more than one lash, it can lead to premature lash loss because each eyelash may be in completely different stages of growth.

So for instance, if an extension is applied to one lash that’s in the growth stage and another in the transition stage, the lash that’s in the growth stage will pull on the lash that’s in the transition stage and it could pull that lash out from the follicle which leads to premature lash loss.

At Dela Antoinette’s, all appointments are scheduled with more than enough time to ensure lash extensions are carefully applied to one lash at a time and that your appointment isn’t rushed.

So, are lash breaks necessary? No, as long as lash extensions are properly applied, keeping your lash health as the top priority.

If you'd like to have lash extensions applied that compliment your natural beauty and are safely applied, be sure to schedule an appointment using the button below. I’d love to meet you!