Why Are My Eyelashes Turning White?
The most common reasons for the whitening of eyelashes are blepharitis and vitiligo, according to the American Academy of Dermatology and Dr. Bishop and Associates. Vitiligo is a disorder that causes loss of pigment in skin and hair and blepharitis is a bacterial infestation of the eyelashes that causes loss of pigment.
Blepharitis results from poor eye hygiene and an irregular functioning of the oil gland, according to Dr. Bishop and Associates. Blepharitis commonly results in the formation of styes, redness around the eyes, flaking or scaling around the eyes and, in advanced stages, loss of pigment in the eyelashes, according to Dr. Bishop and Associates. Regular washing of the eyelids, warm compresses and antibiotics are used to treat blepharitis, according to Dr. Bishop and Associates. Vitiligo, caused by the death of melanocytes which give skin and hair their color, is often accompanied by another auto-immune disease, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Although there are various treatments to restore pigment to the skin and hair in the case of vitiligo, dealing with underlying health issues is recommended to prevent additional loss of pigment, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. There is absolutely no way to predict how much skin color a person will lose as a result of vitiligo, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.
