Why do you need to fill your eyelash extensions every 2-3 weeks? The difference between a poor appli
Has your lash tech explained to you the growth cycle of your eyelashes? Everyone sheds 2-5 natural lashes everyday. This is why you have to get them filled for them to remain full. When an eyelash extension falls off, it should one single natural lash attached to it. This is totally normal, and will happen almost everyday. The eyelash has a fairly quick growth cycle, ranging around 90 days, depending on your age and health of your eyelashes.
If there's not a natural lash attached to it, the extension fell off prematurely, either from poor application or the adhesive has lost it's bonding power. Lash adhesive only provides a semi-permanent bond, lasting anywhere from 4-8 weeks, depending upon the strength of the active ingredient cyanoacrylate. If you experience several lashes falling off within the first 3 days after a fill, you need to address this with your lash tech, there is probably an issue with the adhesive or the way they are applying them.
Cyanoacrylate is a finicky ingredient that demands a consistent and ideal environment, from the temperature it's kept at to the relative humidity in the air. Lash techs that buy there adhesive from places like amazon, do not know how long they've had the product, or if it's in a temperature controlled warehouse. All adhesive has a very short shelf life, ranging from 6 months to a year, depending on manufacturer's specifications. Once its open, only 30 days.
If all of the guidelines are met, from where it's purchased to how long it's being used, and you still lose lots of extensions within the first week after application, that means your lash tech has given you a very poor application. You should be able to keep at least 50% of your extensions on between your 2 or 3 week fill.
The 3 phases of an eyelash's growth cycle is anagen, catagen and telogen. Lash techs that are not wearing magnifying eye wear or do not use additional lighting above your head cannot see some of the new tiny anagen hairs because they are almost see-through and so small and fine, they are invisible to the naked eye. Unfortunately, a lot of these new lashes get accidentally glued to your extension and get pulled out prematurely. If repeated damage to the hair follicle occurs, eventually, the follicle will stop generating a hair.
The second phase is the catagen phase. These are your mid-length lashes, strong enough for extensions up to 3 mm's longer than the natural lash. Anything longer will result in the extension turning and flipping within a week's time because the lash is still growing, and the extension, being too long, is weighing it down. Depending on how long and how thick the extensions are that were applied, your natural lash can shed prematurely in this phase because the follicle is shrinking and dying. As the follicle shrinks, the natural lash is weakened at the root. When natural lashes shed prematurely, it can take up to 3 months for a new hair to grow back in and thinning of the lash line will occur.
The last phase, the telogen phase, is the resting phase. It has disconnected itself from the hair follicle, and can stay "resting" for up to 100 days, before the new lash growing in behind it pushes it our, or some sort of friction (like rubbing your eyes or sleeping on your face) or additional weight (mascara, heavy extensions) causes it to shed. You cannot harm these lashes because they are not connected to the follicle. They can hold the longest extensions, but pushing the limits of length and weight of the extension will cause them to shed faster and you will look like you need a fill sooner than your regular schedule. The telogen lashes are the lashes you will see shedding in your sink when you wash them or brush them. When you go in for your refills, remember that it's the matured anagens and all the catagen lashes that are being extended (and any that fell off). Once a natural lash has grown out several mm's, the extension will be replaced with a longer extension during the fill. Your inner and outer corners will always experience the most premature lash loss because we tend to rub them more in those areas, along with a few throughout the lash line. Those will be replaced during your fill as well.
If you take anything from this article, take this...everyone's natural lashes are different in length and thickness. Just because you want the longest and heaviest eyelash extensions, that doesn't mean your natural lashes can support them! If your willing to allow your natural lashes to be damaged, you will not be able to wear eyelash extensions long term (and have them look the same as when you started). Your lash professional should be discussing this with you, as well as correct aftercare. Lash serums will add length and strength to your natural lashes, but take at least 4 weeks of daily use to see minimal results, full results at 3 months. There are a variety of lash extensions to choose from these days: classic, volume hybrid, volume and mega volume. Volume lashes are the only type that can be 100% customized in weight for each individual client. Classic lashes have a pre-set weight and we can only customize the lengths mapped out. Choosing the right lash extensions for your natural lashes as well as the look you're trying to achieve go hand-in-hand. We have detailed descriptions of our full sets on our service menus as well as beginner to master level technicians to choose from. You can also visit our Gallery to get an idea of what the different types of extensions look like and who they were put on by.
