Eye on Lashes: What Women Are Saying and Doing

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Kim Ledgerwood

Editorial Director, HealthyWomen

As HealthyWomen’s editorial director, Kim oversees the production of all content and ensures that it is aligned with our mission, meets our high editorial standards and captures our brand voice.

Kim is an award-winning editor and copywriter with more than 25 years of experience. She started her career as a copywriter and broadcast producer at the Southeast’s largest full-service advertising agency, The Tombras Group. Since then, she has edited and written for a wide variety of clients, ranging from Fortune 500 companies to indie authors across multiple industries and topics.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, as well as a master’s degree in communications/advertising from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Kim lives in Maryland with her husband, three children and a menagerie of pets.

Jacquelyne Froeber

Senior Editor, HealthyWomen

Jacquelyne Froeber is an award-winning journalist and editor. She holds a BA in journalism from Michigan State University. She is the former editor-in-chief of Celebrated Living magazine and has editing and writing experience for print and online publications, including Health magazine, Coastal Living magazine and AARP.org.

As a breast cancer survivor, Jacquelyne encourages everyone to perform self-exams and get their yearly mammograms.

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Women Notice Lashes Change Over Time, But Research Shows They Are Not Discussing Issue With Physicians

Eyes are a main biological indicator of age, and over time, women are seeing changes not only in the skin around their eyes, but also in their lashes. According to a recent survey of 1,193 HealthyWomen readers (ages 35-60), nearly 80 percent of women consider their eyes to be their best feature. Many of these women notice their lashes are thinner and shorter, but aren't necessarily spending time to address this, nor are they speaking with their physicians about it. Here's what they said about eyelashes.

Note: Respondents to the survey ranged from age 35 to 60; 7.5 percent (n=89) in the range of 35 to 39, 29 percent (n=348) ages 40 to 49, and 63 percent (n=756) ages 50 to 60.

Women are aware that their lashes may be affected by time, but may not address those changes as part of their eye care regimen.

Eighty-one percent (n=938) of survey participants were aware that thinning lashes may be associated with growing older, but only 24 percent (n=269) address lashes as part of their skincare/eye care regimens and less than 10 percent (n=46) had discussed with their physicians.
While about 44 percent (n=481) of women noticed changes to their lashes, 90 percent (n=428) have not seen a physician for their thinning lashes.
Of those women who did notice changes in their lashes over time, many reported their lashes are thinner (80 percent, n=382) and shorter (46 percent, n=218).

Women seek enhancements to their eyelashes, but many are not satisfied.

More than 54 percent (n=581) of women have used more than two different mascaras to make their lashes look fuller.
Four out of 10 (n=438) women reported that no mascara products have provided satisfaction in making their lashes look fuller.
More than 43 percent (n=449) of women have used more than two different lash products to make their lashes look fuller.
More than 50 percent (n=537) of women reported that no lash products have provided satisfaction in making their lashes look fuller.

For more information and tips on women's eye care regimens, particularly in relation to eyelash thinning, visit www.HealthyWomen.org.

About the survey: This survey was conducted online through SurveyMonkey on behalf of HealthyWomen and Allergan, Inc., between May 16-29, 2012, among 1,193 women aged 35 to 60 who live in the United States. For complete survey methodology, please contact egraves@healthywomen.org.

This resource was developed with the support of Allergan, Inc.