Are mascara and eyeliner bad for your eyes?

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Makeup products, including mascara and eyeliner, are an important role of many people's beauty regimens. All the same, bad habits and poor makeup hygiene tin can atomic number 82 to bug involving your eyes and eyelids. Additionally, if you take sensitive skin, you may exist more prone to allergy and irritation resulting from cosmetics.

Put just, by applying makeup correctly and practicing good hygiene techniques, you tin can avoid many unwanted centre problems.

1. Avoid applying eyeliner to your eyelid margins

The edges of your eyelids (the eyelid margins, nearly where your eyelashes abound) comprise of import oil glands called the meibomian glands. These oil glands provide the oily component of the tear film that lubricates your eyes.

Makeup can block these oil glands, causing an unstable tear movie that evaporates likewise quickly. This can lead to problems with dry eye and irritation.

Applying eye makeup at the "waterline" – behind the lash line, where your eyelid meets your eye – is more probable to block the meibomian oil glands. Additionally, applying eye makeup to the waterline may increment the amount of corrective that enters your tear film and therefore contacts the surface of your eyes. Products such every bit glitter may exist more probable to practise this.

This is not merely irritating, just may as well potentially expose your eyes to harmful bacteria. If you want to apply eyeliner, make sure yous do then on the side of your eyelashes that is farther from your center.

2. Remove makeup earlier bed

Taking makeup off before bed allows your optics and eyelids to accept a break from any potential inflammatory and irritating makeup particles. Remove your makeup every evening with a gentle makeup remover. Be sure to remove your contact lenses get-go! Some people with sensitive skin or a history of allergies may do good from a hypoallergenic makeup remover.

Wellness tip: A gentle alternative to clean your eyelashes and remove makeup is baby shampoo.


3. Throw abroad one-time makeup

Eye makeup, especially mascara, provides a moist environs that tin act equally the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. This puts you at risk for conjunctivitis, or pink centre. For this reason, information technology's a skilful thought to dispose of any liquid or creamy center makeup, including mascara and eyeliner, afterward 3 months. If your makeup becomes contaminated (for case, past touching something other than your eyelids), or if you develop pink eye, you should dispose of your eye makeup immediately.

four. Don't share makeup brushes

Sharing makeup and cosmetic tools, such equally makeup brushes, can facilitate the spread of bacteria. This increases the hazard of infection of the eyelids and even of the eye itself. It may be wise to avoid samples at makeup stores for this reason.

5. Contact lens wearers may be at college risk

Wearing contact lenses can increase the run a risk of heart problems such equally irritation and infection, specially with poor contact lens hygiene. If your makeup hygiene is subpar, these risks are fifty-fifty higher. Even so, with the advisable contact lens hygiene and makeup hygiene, most people can safely incorporate both contact lenses and makeup into their daily routines.

Related: 6 Contact Lens no-nos

If you develop eye bug with your makeup, such as redness, pain, irritation, or vision changes, y'all should discontinue the use of all cosmetic products and see your centre care provider as soon as possible.

Dr. Mona Adeli is an ophthalmologist at The Ohio State Academy Wexner Medical Eye. She specializes in treating weather such as cataract, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration.

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