Eyebrow Loss Statistics 2026: Alopecia, Chemotherapy and Hair Loss Facts

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Last reviewed: November 2026.

Key Takeaways

• About 2% of people will have alopecia areata at some point in their life.
• Roughly 1 in 4 to almost half of people with alopecia areata have eyebrow involvement, depending on the population studied.
• In one large study of breast cancer patients on chemotherapy, 90% lost eyebrow hair.
• Nearly half of women with cancer described hair loss as the most traumatic part of chemotherapy.
• Eyebrow loss affects 80% to 90% of women with frontal fibrosing alopecia.

Alopecia Areata Statistics

1. Nearly 7 million people in the US and 160 million worldwide have had, have, or will have alopecia areata. (National Alopecia Areata Foundation)
2. About 700,000 people in the US currently have some form of alopecia areata. (NAAF)
3. About 2% of people worldwide will develop alopecia areata at some point in their lifetime. (NAAF)
4. A Mayo Clinic population study put the cumulative lifetime incidence of alopecia areata at 2.1%. (Mirzoyev et al., Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2014)
5. Hospital-based studies report alopecia areata in 0.57% to 3.8% of dermatology patients, and US prevalence at any one time has been estimated at 0.1% to 0.2%. (Villasante Fricke and Miteva, 2015)

How Often Alopecia Affects the Eyebrows

6. In the US TARGET-DERM registry, eyebrow involvement ranged from 26.3% to 44.6% of alopecia areata patients across ethnic groups, and eyelash involvement from 17.1% to 39.1%. (Hordinsky et al., SKIN, 2024)
7. Current eyebrow loss among alopecia areata patients was 19.8% in a Japanese study and about 62.8% in a Danish cohort. (Nguyen, Hu and Tosti, American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2023)
8. In a survey of 547 people with alopecia areata, 49.4% said they had no or barely any eyebrow hair, and 40.6% said the same about their eyelashes. (Mesinkovska et al., Dermatology and Therapy, 2023, self-reported)
9. Eyebrow loss affects between 80% and 90% of women with frontal fibrosing alopecia, a scarring form of hair loss. (Cleveland Clinic)

Chemotherapy and Eyebrow Loss Statistics

10. The overall incidence of chemotherapy-induced hair loss is estimated at about 65%. (Trüeb, Skin Therapy Letter, 2010)
11. In a survey of 1,478 Japanese breast cancer patients, 90% had eyebrow loss and 88% had eyelash loss; 59% lost more than 80% of their eyebrow hair. (Watanabe et al., PLOS ONE, 2019)
12. In the same study, scalp hair loss began a mean of 18 days after chemotherapy started. (Watanabe et al., 2019)
13. Eyebrow loss was reported in 82.4% of patients on an FEC plus taxane regimen, and chemotherapy-related eyebrow and eyelash loss is reported to be permanent in about 5% of cases. (Nguyen, Hu and Tosti, 2023)

The Emotional Impact of Losing Hair and Brows

14. 47% of female cancer patients considered hair loss the most traumatic aspect of chemotherapy. (Trüeb, 2010)
15. 8% of patients said they would decline treatment for fear of hair loss. (Trüeb, 2010)
16. Up to 14% of patients have been reported to refuse chemotherapy for fear of losing their hair. (Peera et al., Annals of Palliative Medicine, 2024, citing earlier research)

Other Causes of Eyebrow Loss

17. Nearly 5 out of 100 Americans aged 12 and older have hypothyroidism. (NIDDK, National Institutes of Health)
18. Hypothyroidism can cause hair loss in the outer part of the eyebrows (Mayo Clinic), although clinicians describe this sign as uncommon (CMAJ, 2022).
19. In a survey of US adults, 1.7% currently had trichotillomania (compulsive hair pulling, which often includes the eyebrows) and 2.5% had it at some point in life. (Grant, Dougherty and Chamberlain, Psychiatry Research, 2020)

Eyebrow Growth and Treatment Facts

20. The eyebrow growth (anagen) phase typically lasts about 2 to 3 months, and the resting (telogen) phase also lasts about 2 to 3 months. (Nguyen, Hu and Tosti, 2023)
21. The number of hairs in an eyebrow varies widely between people. (Nguyen, Hu and Tosti, 2023)
22. Microblading can last up to 3 years depending on the pigment, and usually needs a follow-up session after initial fading. (Skin Appendage Disorders, 2025)
23. The global eyebrow makeup product market was valued at USD 306.1 million in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 539.2 million by 2030. (Grand View Research)

What These Numbers Mean

Eyebrow loss is far more common than most people realize, and it rarely gets talked about. Millions of people live with alopecia, most people on many chemotherapy regimens lose some or all of their brows, and the emotional weight of hair loss is serious enough that some patients hesitate about treatment because of it.

That is why we started BrowAgain. Our mission is simple: affordable, quality brows for anyone who needs them, whether that is during treatment, while living with alopecia, or while waiting for brows to grow back. If you are dealing with brow loss yourself, these guides may help:

• Eyebrows and chemotherapy: a printable guide
• Brow mapping when you have no eyebrows
• How often eyebrows shed and grow back
• Why are my eyebrows falling out?

How to Cite This Page

BrowAgain. “Eyebrow Loss Statistics 2026: Alopecia, Chemotherapy and Hair Loss Facts.” browagain.com/eyebrow-loss-statistics/, November 2026.

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This page summarizes published research for general information and is not medical advice. Figures vary between studies and populations; always check the original source for methods and context.