In recent years, eye drops have emerged as a rather unexpected and unusual solution for hair loss.
Yep, you read right. Many claim that eye drops have made their hair thicker and longer, suggesting they could be used for treating hair loss disorders.
But, is there any concrete scientific evidence backing up the idea? Below, we’ll find out.
The emergence of hair loss eye drops
It might seem totally bizarre to use eye drops as a hair loss treatment, however, there is some logic to the idea.
Many years ago, after using medicated eye drops designed to treat glaucoma, numerous patients noticed their eyelashes grew longer and thicker as a side effect.
As a result, the company behind the eye drops incorporated that same ingredient into an eyelash growth solution and had it approved by the FDA in the United States in 2008.
It’s not entirely clear why eye drops can stimulate eyelash growth, but experts suggest it could come down to a few different reasons, such as increasing blood flow to the eyelashes or having some kind of direct impact on the eyelash follicles [1].
Do eye drops help with hair loss?
The fact that eye drops can lengthen and thicken eyelashes has led to the idea that they could help with hair loss on the head, too.
At this stage, though, there doesn’t seem to be a straightforward verdict on their effectiveness.
Some argue that eye drop solutions are too weak to have much impact on the scalp and that the differences between eyelashes and head hairs mean eye drops are largely ineffectual.
Eyelashes are much thinner and shorter than the hairs on your head, with length ranging from 6-12mm.
Your scalp hairs are thicker and longer, and the scalp is harder to penetrate. This means a typical eye drop solution may not be potent enough to have a dramatic effect on your hair.
Eyelashes also have a shorter growth cycle; they only last for 3-6 months before shedding and regrowing.
Your scalp hair, on the other hand, has a growth cycle that can last for many years.
This is likely why eyelash growth is immediately noticeable, whereas using eye drops to grow your hair would require consistent and prolonged use.
Also, the hairs on your head are affected by specific conditions, such as sensitivity to a hormone known as DHT — one of the primary factors associated with androgenetic alopecia (AKA male pattern baldness).
Your eyelashes aren’t prone to the same issues.
On the other hand, there are several examples of men who’ve noticed longer and thicker hair on the head after applying certain eye drops to their scalp. Multiple scientific trials have also shown fairly promising results over the past couple of decades, but more on these shortly.
What the science says
Numerous studies have been conducted to examine whether eye drops could be applied to the head to help regrow the hair.
A pilot study from 2002 looked at a glaucoma treatment to see if it could help grow hair among macaques who were experiencing androgenetic alopecia (i.e. pattern baldness).
There were two groups: one was given eye drops with an active ingredient concentration of 50mcg/ml (the amount found in typical solutions) for 5 months, while the other was a control group given an inert solution.
For the last 2 months of the trial, some monkeys were given a higher dose (500mcg/ml) of eye drops.
At the end of the trial, the researchers found that the initial dose didn’t do a whole lot, but the higher dose produced a noticeable improvement in hair growth [2].
Another study from 2012 — this time on human scalp hair follicles — took 16 men with mild male pattern baldness and gave them daily applications of the same eye drops (with a concentration of 1000mcg/ml) for 24 weeks.
They found that the eye drops had a pronounced effect on hair density and could be useful for stimulating the hair follicles [3].
In the same year, researchers looked at a different glaucoma eye drop treatment and found it was also somewhat beneficial when it came to regrowing hair using human cells and mice [4].
Plus, a trial is currently underway in Australia to further examine if glaucoma treatment could be a valid way to address hair loss.
However, the concentration of the active ingredient has again been increased to better penetrate the scalp.
So far, the results have been encouraging. However, it’s still early days, and it appears eye drops are only effective at growing scalp hairs from follicles that are still producing hair.
In male pattern baldness, the follicles start by producing shorter and thinner hair, before eventually becoming completely dormant.
While some eye drops could work to lengthen or thicken hair, it seems they can’t grow new hair from scratch.
As well, the studies that delivered positive results on hair growth used solutions that were much more concentrated than commercially available eye drops. This could explain why they were able to penetrate the scalp and successfully regrow hair.
Are there any risks associated with using eye drops to stimulate hair growth?
Using eye drops on the scalp runs the risk of irritating your skin, given they’re not formulated for use outside the eyes.
There’s also the potential for unwanted hair growth on other parts of the skin if the eye drops come into contact with them.
Lastly, it’s worth remembering that androgenetic alopecia is driven by genetics and hormones, namely DHT. So, if you’re experiencing this kind of hair loss, eye drops are unlikely to have much of an effect on the underlying cause.
6 ways to promote hair growth
If you’re looking for more established and proven ways to prevent hair loss and possibly even regrow your hair, you’ll be glad to know that several exist.
From lifestyle changes to dedicated hair loss treatments, here are 6 of them:
1. Maintain a nutritious diet
A healthy diet is the cornerstone of maintaining your overall health, which will, in turn, affect the health of your hair and scalp.
Up your intake of foods rich in iron, zinc, niacin (vitamin B3) and omega-3 fatty acids, as a deficiency of these nutrients may contribute to hair loss. Think lean meats, oily fish, nuts, whole grains, fruits and veg [5].
At the same time, try and avoid foods that are high in sugar and salt, as these have been linked to hair loss, too [6][7].
2. Keep stress in check
Stress is one of the main reasons why people lose their hair, as it has the potential to alter the hair growth cycle (resulting in fewer hairs growing) and may trigger hair loss disorders like trichotillomania (where you pull your hair out, often to deal with stress) or alopecia areata (where the body attacks the hair follicles) [8].
Stress can also exacerbate existing conditions like androgenetic alopecia.
There are lots of great ways to manage stress, including exercise, deep breathing, meditation, getting adequate sleep and doing things that help you feel relaxed.
3. Get enough (good-quality) sleep
Sleep won’t just help you keep stress under control; it’s also a vital part of your body’s cellular regeneration process, which includes your hair and scalp.
Do your best to get around 7-9 hours of unbroken sleep each night.
To improve your chances of getting good sleep, create a restful sleep environment that’s dark and cool, and minimise screen use and stimulants like caffeine and alcohol before bed.
4. Look after your hair and scalp
Your hair and scalp need delicate treatment to keep them in good nick.
Minimise harsh hairstyles, heat treatments and chemicals that can affect the health of your hair and possibly contribute to hair loss.
It's also a good idea to use gentle shampoos and conditioners that keep the scalp healthy and happy — and this is where Pilot’s Hair Growth Booster Kit comes in.
It’s packed with everything you need to safeguard your scalp and hair health — like our Growth Shampoo & Anti-Dandruff Conditioner, Biotin Hair Gummies and a Derma Roller that encourages blood flow to your hair follicles to help stimulate growth of new hair.
5. Try a hair loss treatment
Pilot’s hair loss treatment offers an effective and convenient approach to tackling hair loss.
After your initial telehealth consult, one of our Australian practitioners will recommend the most suitable treatment for you, which will then be delivered to your door each month. You also get access to unlimited practitioner follow-ups via text.
6. Go for a procedure
If you’ve already started losing your hair and no hair product or treatment has helped, several procedures could be effective [9].
These include:
- Low-level laser therapy (which stimulates the hair follicle to encourage hair regrowth)
- Hair transplant (a surgical baldness treatment that takes healthy hairs and puts them in balding areas)
- Scalp reduction (where bald parts of the scalp are removed and hair-producing parts are stretched to cover the bald spots)
- Platelet-rich plasma therapy (which sees plasma from your own blood injected into your body to encourage hair growth)
- Scalp micropigmentation (which is basically a tattoo applied to bald parts of the scalp)
Just remember that there are other less invasive and more affordable treatment options available, so why not give them a go first?
Image credit: Getty Images
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