health
How Safe is Your
Eye Makeup Rout ine?
by Dr. Mirwat Sami
Eye make-up can enhance your appearance however,
these enhancements may end up being harmful to eyes
if applied carelessly. Issues can range from allergic
reactions, to eye infections, to serious injuries. Though
extreme, the most serious eye issues caused by make-up
application could involve injury to the cornea.
Dr. Mirwat Sami, a Houston area Board Certified
Oculoplastic Surgeon explains, ?Corneal injuries usually
cause pain and always necessitate quick medical
attention. Other eye make-up application issues can be
caused by bacteria growing inside the cosmetic
containers or on the surface of make-up applicators. If
precautions are not taken when applying make-up,
bacteria can be transferred directly to your eyes.?
Dr. Sami offers t ips on how to look good wit hout
compromising eye healt h.
- Keep eyeliner pencils sharpened so that the rough
wood casing won't scratch the eye or eyelid. As the
pencil becomes old, the liner tip becomes stiff,
requiring more pressure to apply. When this
happens, replace the pencil with a new one.
- Don?t mix and match cosmetics. Use what?s intended
for your eyes on your eyes only. Sometimes we use
the one specific product on different parts of our
face, so don?t use the same pencil for both lips and
eyes, or your lipstick as your eye shadow, as that can
introduce bacteria.
- Throw away eye makeup after three months.
Infection-causing bacteria grow easily in creamy or
liquid eye makeup.
- Never share eye makeup, and when sampling
makeup in stores use only fresh applicators and
samples. (It's safest to avoid store samples.)
- If you tend to be allergic, introduce only one new eye
makeup or care product at a time. If there is no
reaction, add another new product, and so on.
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- If you notice an allergic reaction, find out what the
ingredients are and let your doctor know. Avoid
products that contain untested or harmful
chemicals.
- Before applying makeup, be sure your face and
eyelids are very clean. Always apply makeup outside
the lash line, away from the eye, to avoid blocking
the oil glands of the upper or lower eyelid. These
glands secrete oil that protects the eye?s surface.
Never apply makeup while in a moving vehicle.
- Never use bacteria containing saliva to thin old or
clumped makeup or to wet a mascara wand.
- Do not separate your mascara-clumped lashes with
sharp items.
- If you tend to have dry eyes, avoid metallic/glitter,
powder or other makeup that flakes. Flakes can get
into the tear film and increase your eyes? irritation.
Glitter eye makeup is a common cause of corneal
irritation or infection, especially in contact lens
users.
- Remove all eye makeup at night before sleeping,
especially mascara. Brush a clean cotton swab along
the base of the eyelashes to remove all makeup
remnants. Avoid getting eye makeup remover in
your eyes and thoroughly rinse remover off your
eyelids.
- If you use an eyelash curler, make sure the rubber is
soft, not stiff and cracking. Always use the curler
before applying mascara. Persons allergic to nickel
should not use an eyelash curler, as the metal frame
contains nickle.
Dr. Mirwat Sami is a Houston area
Board Certified Oculoplastic Surgeon.
www.houstonoculofacial.com