Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWaxing, Plucking, and ThreadingSeborrheic DermatitisMalasseziaAllergyShinglesFacial PsoriasisPubic LiceWill the Itching Go Away?When to See a Healthcare Provider
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Waxing, Plucking, and Threading
Seborrheic Dermatitis
Malassezia
Allergy
Shingles
Facial Psoriasis
Pubic Lice
Will the Itching Go Away?
When to See a Healthcare Provider
Many cases of eyebrow itchiness are not serious and may resolve either on their own or with simple home remedies. At other times, potentially serious conditions like shingles or lice may require immediate medical treatment with topical or oral medical.
This article describes seven different causes of itchy eyebrows, including how they are treated and when it is time to see a healthcare provider.
Sergey Dogadin / Getty Images
Beauty treatments such as plucking, waxing, and threading can result in itchy eyebrows due to skin irritation and inflammation. Other symptoms include:
Treatment
Itchy Eyebrow SuperstitionItchy eyebrows have long been considered an omen in folk superstition. According to folklore, if your right eyebrow suddenly itches, it means that someone is saying good things about you. If it is your left eyebrow suddenly itches, you are about to receive bad news.
Itchy Eyebrow Superstition
Itchy eyebrows have long been considered an omen in folk superstition. According to folklore, if your right eyebrow suddenly itches, it means that someone is saying good things about you. If it is your left eyebrow suddenly itches, you are about to receive bad news.
Seborrheic dermatitisis a chronic (long-term) condition that causes skin inflammation. It commonly affects the head and trunk but can also occur on the face and eyebrows.
Symptoms of facial seborrhea may include:
Home remedies that help control seborrheic dermatitis include:
Medical treatment may be required for severe cases, such as:
Seborrheic Dermatitis and Hair LossThe intense itchiness of seborrheic dermatitis can cause hair loss. Scratching the scalp vigorously can damage hair follicles, which obstructs hair growth and causes them to fall out.
Seborrheic Dermatitis and Hair Loss
The intense itchiness of seborrheic dermatitis can cause hair loss. Scratching the scalp vigorously can damage hair follicles, which obstructs hair growth and causes them to fall out.
Malasseziais a fungus that is part of your natural skin flora (environment of microorganisms). However, the overgrowth of this otherwise harmless yeast can cause skin inflammation, itchiness, and other symptoms.
There are several conditions associated with different species of Malassezia, including:
Factors that increase the risk of Malassezia infection include excessive sweating, humid climates, and having a weakened immune system.
How to Get Eyebrows to Grow Back
Treatment options for Malassezia infection include:
Allergies are an abnormal immune response to an allergy-causing substance (allergen). In the United States, 41.7% of adults report having allergies, of whom 47.7% have skin allergies.
Symptoms of a skin allergy may include:
Treatment of skin allergies may include:
What Are My Allergy Treatment Options?
Shingles (herpes zoster)is a skin infection that affects four people per 1,000 in the United States annually. In adults age 60 and older, the number jumps to one case per 100 people per year.
Shingles can sometimes affect one side of the face, causing itching that progresses to burning, pain, and an outbreak of tiny blistering rashes.
It’s important to see a healthcare provider immediately if you have shingles around the eye as the infection could damage theoptic nerveand lead to vision loss.
Because shingles may spread to a susceptible person through direct contact, people need to avoid touching the affected skin until the blisters are fully healed. Frequent handwashing is also important
The treatment of shingles may include:
How Shingles Is Treated
Psoriasisis anautoimmunecondition in which the immune system speeds up skin cell growth, causing them to turn over quickly and pile up on the surface of the skin. Psoriasis that affects the eyebrows and other parts of the face is called facial psoriasis.
Symptoms of facial psoriasis may include:
The treatment of facial psoriasis may include:
Lice are parasites small enough to reside in the eyebrows and can even live on eyelashes. While lice can infest the scalp and body, when seen on the eyebrow or eyelashes the infestation is most often due to the pubic louse (crab louse,Phthiriasis pubis).
Symptoms of lice may include:
The following treatments may be used:
Other causes may be more serious and require treatment to resolve or manage the underlying condition. Expect the following treatment timelines:
It is important to consult with a healthcare provider any time you have the following eyebrow symptoms:
Summary
There are many reasons why you may be experiencing itchy eyebrows, including allergies, skin irritation, fungal infection, head lice. psoriasis, and shingles. If you’ve tried to treat itchy eyebrows at home and they do not help, see a healthcare provider.
What’s Causing the Itchy Rash On Your Forehead?
9 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Clark GW, Pope SM, Jaboori KA.Diagnosis and treatment of seborrheic dermatitis.Am Fam Physician.2015;91(3):185-190.Saunte DML, Gaitanis G, Hay RJ.Malassezia-associated skin diseases, the use of diagnostics and treatment.Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2020;10:112. doi:10.3389/fcimb.2020.00112Seité S, Kuo AM-S, Taieb C, Strugar TL, Lio P.Self-reported prevalence of allergies in the USA and impact on skin—an epidemiological study on a representative sample of American adults.IJERPH. 2020;17(10):3360. doi:10.3390/ijerph17103360Novak-Bilić G, Vučić M, Japundžić I, Meštrović-Štefekov J, Stanić-Duktaj S, Lugović-Mihić L.Irritant and allergic contact dermatitis - skin lesion characteristics.Acta Clin Croat. 2018 Dec;57(4):713-720. doi:10.20471/acc.2018.57.04.13Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Clinical overview of shingles (herpes zoster).National Psoriasis Foundation.Psoriasis on the face.Karabela Y, Yardimci G, Yildirim I, Atalay E, Karabela SN.Treatment of phthiriasis palpebrarum and crab louse: petrolatum jelly and 1% permethrin shampoo.Case Rep Med. 2015;2015:287906. doi:10.1155/2015/287906College of Optometrists.Phthiriasis (pediculosis ciliaris).Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Pediculosis.
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Clark GW, Pope SM, Jaboori KA.Diagnosis and treatment of seborrheic dermatitis.Am Fam Physician.2015;91(3):185-190.Saunte DML, Gaitanis G, Hay RJ.Malassezia-associated skin diseases, the use of diagnostics and treatment.Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2020;10:112. doi:10.3389/fcimb.2020.00112Seité S, Kuo AM-S, Taieb C, Strugar TL, Lio P.Self-reported prevalence of allergies in the USA and impact on skin—an epidemiological study on a representative sample of American adults.IJERPH. 2020;17(10):3360. doi:10.3390/ijerph17103360Novak-Bilić G, Vučić M, Japundžić I, Meštrović-Štefekov J, Stanić-Duktaj S, Lugović-Mihić L.Irritant and allergic contact dermatitis - skin lesion characteristics.Acta Clin Croat. 2018 Dec;57(4):713-720. doi:10.20471/acc.2018.57.04.13Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Clinical overview of shingles (herpes zoster).National Psoriasis Foundation.Psoriasis on the face.Karabela Y, Yardimci G, Yildirim I, Atalay E, Karabela SN.Treatment of phthiriasis palpebrarum and crab louse: petrolatum jelly and 1% permethrin shampoo.Case Rep Med. 2015;2015:287906. doi:10.1155/2015/287906College of Optometrists.Phthiriasis (pediculosis ciliaris).Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Pediculosis.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Clark GW, Pope SM, Jaboori KA.Diagnosis and treatment of seborrheic dermatitis.Am Fam Physician.2015;91(3):185-190.Saunte DML, Gaitanis G, Hay RJ.Malassezia-associated skin diseases, the use of diagnostics and treatment.Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2020;10:112. doi:10.3389/fcimb.2020.00112Seité S, Kuo AM-S, Taieb C, Strugar TL, Lio P.Self-reported prevalence of allergies in the USA and impact on skin—an epidemiological study on a representative sample of American adults.IJERPH. 2020;17(10):3360. doi:10.3390/ijerph17103360Novak-Bilić G, Vučić M, Japundžić I, Meštrović-Štefekov J, Stanić-Duktaj S, Lugović-Mihić L.Irritant and allergic contact dermatitis - skin lesion characteristics.Acta Clin Croat. 2018 Dec;57(4):713-720. doi:10.20471/acc.2018.57.04.13Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Clinical overview of shingles (herpes zoster).National Psoriasis Foundation.Psoriasis on the face.Karabela Y, Yardimci G, Yildirim I, Atalay E, Karabela SN.Treatment of phthiriasis palpebrarum and crab louse: petrolatum jelly and 1% permethrin shampoo.Case Rep Med. 2015;2015:287906. doi:10.1155/2015/287906College of Optometrists.Phthiriasis (pediculosis ciliaris).Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Pediculosis.
Clark GW, Pope SM, Jaboori KA.Diagnosis and treatment of seborrheic dermatitis.Am Fam Physician.2015;91(3):185-190.
Saunte DML, Gaitanis G, Hay RJ.Malassezia-associated skin diseases, the use of diagnostics and treatment.Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2020;10:112. doi:10.3389/fcimb.2020.00112
Seité S, Kuo AM-S, Taieb C, Strugar TL, Lio P.Self-reported prevalence of allergies in the USA and impact on skin—an epidemiological study on a representative sample of American adults.IJERPH. 2020;17(10):3360. doi:10.3390/ijerph17103360
Novak-Bilić G, Vučić M, Japundžić I, Meštrović-Štefekov J, Stanić-Duktaj S, Lugović-Mihić L.Irritant and allergic contact dermatitis - skin lesion characteristics.Acta Clin Croat. 2018 Dec;57(4):713-720. doi:10.20471/acc.2018.57.04.13
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Clinical overview of shingles (herpes zoster).
National Psoriasis Foundation.Psoriasis on the face.
Karabela Y, Yardimci G, Yildirim I, Atalay E, Karabela SN.Treatment of phthiriasis palpebrarum and crab louse: petrolatum jelly and 1% permethrin shampoo.Case Rep Med. 2015;2015:287906. doi:10.1155/2015/287906
College of Optometrists.Phthiriasis (pediculosis ciliaris).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Pediculosis.
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