Acquired causes of eyebrow and eyelash loss: A review and approach to diagnosis and treatment

Eyebrows and eyelashes serve important anatomical and social functions, and hair loss at these sites can impact patients significantly. Acquired eyebrow and eyelash loss (madarosis) may be due to a variety of underlying local or systemic disease processes; in other cases it may be idiopathic. There is a dearth of literature relating to eyebrow and eyelash loss, and there is limited guidance to help clinicians treat these clinical presentations in comparison with scalp alopecia. Here, we discuss the acquired causes of eyebrow and eyelash alopecia, our clinical approach to diagnosis and review treatment options for clinicians.