When women come into our office with an eye infection, the first question they always ask me is, “do I have to throw away my make-up?” This leads me to ask them the next question, “how old is your make up?” To date, I can count on my hand how many patients tell me they throw away their make up regularly. We are all guilty of using our make-up to the very last bit, especially because in today’s market we spend a fortune on it. How in the world could we throw it away before it’s all gone? The truth is that make-up is in constant contact with germs from our hands and anything we use to apply it. Below are some problems that can arise when using make up and some helpful pointers to avoid eye infections.
What problems can occur?
1.The most serious, is injury to the cornea. Often when we apply the make up, mascara wands or fingernails can scratch the cornea, which could lead to an infection.
- Bacteria from our skin can grow in the cosmetics we use. This could lead to bacterial conjunctivitis.
- Allergies can develop from the dyes or fragrances in the cosmetics which can lead to tearing, itching and redness of the eyes or eyelids.
What are some safety tips to using eye cosmetics?
- Apply eyeliner outside the lash line (away from the eye) to avoid direct contact of the cosmetic with the eye.
- Keep eyeliner pencils sharpened so that the rough wood casing won’t scratch the eye or eyelid.
- Replace cosmetics every three-six months (every three months for mascara if you wear contact lenses) to avoid excess contamination with skin bacteria.
- Never apply eye makeup while in a moving vehicle. You may accidentally poke the applicator into the eye during a sudden bump or stop.
- Do not use a safety pin or other sharp instrument to tease apart clumped eyelashes. (I had a patient do this last year. Yes, it does happen.)
- Do not share your eye cosmetics with others. Each person has different skin bacteria. If you contaminate your cosmetics with another person’s bacteria, you may get an infection.
- If any signs of redness start, please don’t hesitate, schedule an appointment at your closest Doctors Vision Center today.
- Always throw away your eye make-up after an eye infection.
Dr. Tracey Glendenning