The Truth About Overplucking: Why Your Brows Still Haven’t Grown Back (Even After 10 Years)

Ira Bale
Jul 9
3 min read

By Ira Bale

Founder, Ira Bale Brows – South Yarra & Toorak Village, Melbourne

You’ve stopped plucking. You’ve tried castor oil, brow serums, patience, and Pinterest hacks.

But your brows still haven’t made a comeback — not since that overplucking phase 10 years ago.

You’re not alone. And no, you’re not doing anything wrong now.

At Ira Bale Brows, we see hundreds of women from across Melbourne — especially in South Yarra and Toorak Village — who ask the same thing:

“Why won’t my brows grow back, even after all these years?”

The short answer? Because some damage is permanent.

The long answer? Well — let’s get into the biology, the damage, and what can actually be done.

Brow transformation by Ira Bale team at Ira Bale Brows, Toorak Village: From overplucked to beautifully shaped and dyed brows after the first session.

What Really Happens When You Overpluck

When you remove a brow hair from the root, the follicle goes through a regeneration cycle. Done occasionally and gently, your skin can handle it.

But repeated, aggressive plucking? That’s a different story.

Here’s what happens:

Trauma to the follicle
- Constant plucking leads to inflammation around the root sheath.
- Over time, this creates mini-scarring that impairs the follicle’s ability to regenerate.
Thinning of the dermal structure
- As we age, our collagen levels drop — meaning the skin becomes less resilient.
- Overplucked areas become flatter, thinner, and harder to nourish.
Telogen effluvium of the brows
- Yes, it’s a thing. Chronic pulling (even gentle over time) can cause the follicle to “switch off,” entering a dormant phase that may never reverse.

So if your brows stopped growing years ago, the follicles may be damaged beyond self-repair.

Still Holding Out for Regrowth?

Here’s a hard truth:If it’s been more than 18–24 months since your last significant growth change — and nothing has improved — it likely won’t come back on its own.

That includes:

Sparse brow tails
Gaps in the arch
Uneven front growth
One brow growing less than the other

No amount of serum will undo scarred follicles. That’s biology, not pessimism.

Client Story: Sophia, 46

Sophia came to our South Yarra salon, frustrated.

“I stopped tweezing years ago. I’ve tried everything. I’ve even gone makeup-free for months hoping they’d grow.”

She had overplucked during the thin-brow era of the 2000s — a familiar story. Her tails were completely gone, and the mid-brow area was sparse.

We mapped her natural structure using photos from her younger years, then restored the shape using a hybrid brow tattoo — soft shading with micro-strokes only where necessary.

She teared up when she saw the result.

“I feel like I have my expression back.”

That’s not just cosmetic — that’s confidence.

The Emotional Fallout of Sparse Brows

This isn’t vanity. Sparse or uneven brows:

Alter your facial expressions
Change how you look when you’re not wearing makeup
Impact how others read your emotions (study: Etcoff, 1999; Jaspers-Fayer, 2021)

That’s why so many of our clients tell us:

“I look tired or angry — even when I’m not.”

Brows matter. They’re not just decoration. They’re facial structure and emotional communication.

So What Can You Do?

Let’s talk solutions — real ones, not myths.

1. Brow Cosmetic Tattooing

This is the only true long-term restoration for overplucked brows.

At Ira Bale Brows, we use:

Ombré or hybrid shading to softly fill gaps
Facial mapping to rebuild natural balance
Custom pigments tailored to your undertone and skin type
Only Ira Bale herself performs this service — every set of tattooed brows is done by the founder

2. Lamination + Tinting (Where Growth Allows)

If you still have some hair but it’s unruly or too soft to shape well:

Brow lamination helps redirect and lift
Hybrid tint gives the illusion of fullness
Brow shaping helps refine the outline without damaging follicles

We also guide clients away from waxing or threading in fragile areas to preserve whatever growth remains.

3. Our Makeover Packages

For overplucked clients, we often recommend:

Brow Makeover (Shape, Lamination, and Tint)
Brow High Definition (Shape + Brow Dye)
Or a custom cosmetic tattoo + maintenance plan

Why packages? Because fixing overplucked brows is never just one session. It’s structure, colour, direction — and consistency.

Stop Waiting. Start Rebuilding.

Here’s the truth no serum will advertise:

Not all brows grow back. And that’s okay — if you work with what you’ve got.

At Ira Bale Brows, we restore confidence, not just pigment. We take what you’ve got, build around it, and give you brows that finally make sense again — no filter, no guesswork, no “maybe next year they’ll grow back.”

Book your Brow Tattoo Consultation or Brow Makeover at Ira Bale Brows — South Yarra or Toorak Village, Melbourne. You’re not broken. You just need better tools.