Lash extensions sound like a dream: a semi-permanent way to make your lashes look fluttery and full without you having to lift a finger? Yes, please. However, there are a lot of horror stories out there about people who got lash extensions and ended up with ruined natural lashes. This causes people to side-eye the lash industry and wonder if it’s true that lash extensions ruin your eyelashes. 

The truth is that no, you don’t need to worry about whether or not lash extensions ruin your eyelashes themselves. But you do need to worry about who you see to have your lash extensions done. Lash extensions in and of themselves won’t ruin your natural lashes. Those short, stubby lashes that you see pictures of that people say were caused by their lash extensions? Those are actually caused by inexperienced lash technicians who made mistakes during the application process. 

When you see a licensed lash technician, you can rest assured that you don’t need to worry about whether lash extensions ruin your eyelashes. Licensed lash technicians have the training and expertise to ensure that you can reap all the benefits of lash extensions without damaging your natural lashes. 

Why Lash Extensions Don’t Ruin Your Eyelashes

It’s a myth that lash extensions ruin your eyelashes. Lash extensions should be applied to your natural lashes and fall off when they do. Your eyelashes have a natural growth cycle where they grow to a certain length and then fall off once they’ve reached their maximum length. It’s why we never have to trim our eyelashes to keep them at a good length because nature does it for us. 

Lash extensions are applied one lash to one natural lash. When your natural lashes fall off, your lash extensions will too. One of the fundamentals that lash technicians learn is how to respect your lashes’ natural growth cycle. So long as your technician does so and applies the lash extensions correctly, you won’t need to worry about damage to your natural lashes or their growth cycle.

3 Common Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Eyelashes

Unfortunately, there are mistakes that lash technicians can make that can indeed damage your natural lashes. These are what cause people to say lash extensions ruin your eyelashes. These are common among lash technicians who lack experience or proper training. A lash technician who has undergone proper training and licensing will know to avoid these mistakes and how to preserve the integrity of your natural lashes.

#1. The Extensions Are Too Heavy For Your Natural Lashes

People have different lash thicknesses and lengths naturally. If your lash extensions are too heavy for your natural lashes to be able to support, this can cause your lashes to shed prematurely, which can impact their natural growth cycle. Lash extensions that are too heavy for your natural lashes can cause your lashes to grow back thinner and lead to natural lash loss. 

An experienced lash technician will work with you and your natural lashes and consult with you in order to come up with a look that will look good for your face and work with your natural lashes. They will determine what your natural lashes can handle, in order to ensure that lash extensions do just that – extend your natural lashes, without butchering them.

#2. Lashes That Are Glued Together

Also known as stickies, when two or more lashes and/or extensions are glued together, this can damage your lashes because it’s pulling on your lashes in an unnatural way. When you have stickies, when your natural lashes shed, they can end up pulling out the other lashes that were glued to them, which can damage the hair follicle. This can lead to damaged natural lashes, and is part of why people say lash extensions ruin your eyelashes.

This is a common problem with lash technicians who lack experience. A good lash technician will ensure that one lash extension is glued to one natural hair, in order to avoid stickies and ensure that you don’t have clumps of lashes and/or extensions that are glued together. 

#3. Lash Extensions Glued To The Skin

Another unfortunate reason why people say lash extensions ruin your eyelashes is because they went to an inexperienced lash specialist who glued to lash extension to the skin of their lash line rather than to their natural lashes. This should never, ever, ever happen. Lash extensions should only ever be applied to your lashes, never to your skin. 

This is because the glue can rip out natural lashes that have just started growing, as well as clog your hair follicle. This can also cause skin irritation and lead to problems beyond damaged natural lashes, such as dermatitis.

Will Natural Lashes Grow Back?

If you’ve had the unfortunate experience of going to a lash technician who made a mistake during the lash extension process, your natural lashes will indeed grow back on their own, in time. You may also use lash growth serums in order to help your lashes grow back more quickly. 

The Importance Of Seeing Professional Lash Technicians

In short, you don’t need to worry about whether lash extensions ruin your eyelashes when you see a professional who applies them correctly. Lash extensions are an excellent way to make yourself look more glamorous and put together, and won’t damage your lashes when they are applied correctly. They will consult with you, ensure the glue they use won’t irritate your skin, and take great care to use sterile tools. 

Many people come back again and again to have their lashes filled and have experienced no damage to their natural lashes. Others got lash extensions once, let them fall out, and then went back to enjoying their natural lashes, with no damage in sight.

The Skin Institute provides lash lifts that will enhance your lashes’ natural beauty and give you that look you want. We offer lash extensions as part of our specialty courses for students to take. It takes a lot of skill to apply lash extensions correctly, so we take great care to ensure our students have that. Contact us today to learn more!