Investigating human eyelash hair follicle growth in situ and ex vivo: a pilot study.

Eyelashes (ELs) play a crucial role in protecting the eye from airborne particles and are intimately connected with human beauty1 . Clinically, trichomegaly, hypotrichosis and trichiasis are the result of aberrant EL growth, which can compromise EL function, result in secondary morbidity and, in severe cases, result in blindness. Paradoxically, given their importance in dermatology and ophthalmology, very little is known about the biology of human ELs1 . Previous studies have investigated growth rate, growth duration and morphology of human anagen EL hair follicles (ELHFs) in vivo2-4 .