I just read your answer to the person who had the eyelashes surgically removed. You stated that new eyelashes grow back every four to eight weeks. Well, in 1984, I had a big, pus-filled growth on my eyelid right where the eyelashes grow. I popped it, and after doing this a few times, it finally healed and went away. In the process of this, I lost about four eyelashes, But they have never grown back. Why didn't mine grow back?

M.B.

I spoke with an oculoplastics expert who said the situation that you describe is not a mystery. Most likely, the "pus-filled growth" was an inflammatory process that destroyed the lash follicles -- the tissue that gives rise to the roots of the eyelashes. Therefore, destruction of the follicles effectively killed the eyelashes in this location and probably caused a permanent scar of the eyelid.

If this is the case, and if the gap in your eyelashes is cosmetically unacceptable, it is possible to have corrective plastic surgery to restore normal appearance to the eyelid. You would need to see an oculoplastic surgeon who would be able to evaluate your eyelid and determine if surgery is a possibility.