The Ugly Truth

Education, Lash Care, Lash News

 

Our eyelashes job is to protect our eyes from dirt, dust and debris. Sometimes these things get caught in our eyelashes if not properly cared for and they can create infections or other issues. As a lash artist making sure you properly disinfect and sanitize your space and ALL re-useable items properly will also help prevent these issues.

Although there are a plethora of eye conditions and diseases you personally as a lash artist might only see a handful, and if you’re lucky you might not ever see any in person. Just incase you do run into some of these issues, it is important to stay educated on what they are called, how they can occur and how to treat them. Remember you are NOT a doctor so you can not diagnose. If you see something that is way out of your comfort zone or you’re not sure what you should do, always refer you client to their physician.

Pink Eye, Blepharitis, Mites, Allergies and Stys are going to be the most common reoccurrences in the lash industry. We are going to go through and explain what each of them are and what you can/can not do when it comes to them.

Pink Eye, also known as Conjunctivitis is highly contagious infection and can not be lashed for that reason. A lot of times the eyes will be pink and sometimes red from the inflammation of the conjunctiva of the eye. The client should be dingoes by their doctor in order to receive antibiotics to rid the infection.

Blepharitis is inflammation of the lash follicles by outside factors. Avoid lashing while inflamed, and make sure your client understands the importance of home care and cleaning their lashes.
Blepharitis can be caused by dirty lashes, dirt, dust and debris, as well as some medications.

Mites are commonly talked about in lash groups and profiles all over the country. Although Blepharitis can be caused by mites they are different. The scientific name for mites is actually Demodex. Demodex/mites are tiny little bugs… well actually parasites that live on the skin, in pores and in hair follicles. They create infection, build up on the lash line and redness. It is very important to disinfect everything if you see this because they will spread fast. Wait til the mites are completely cleared up before rescheduling the client. Aftercare kits can also be very beneficial for this reason.

Last but not least, something we’re sure we’ve all seen or possibly experienced is a Sty. Stys can be very painful and uncomfortable bumps either found in, under or on the lash lines. They are often found there because they are actually a bacterial infection in the sebaceous glands. Most people know not to share eye products like mascara but it is important to remind clients. Stys are highly contagious like cold sores so you can not preform while active. If the client has used any mascara or other eye products it is important for them to properly sanitizer and throw out products that may be infected. A hot towel compress may be placed on the eye to help soothe it, otherwise just wait it out til it’s completely gone.

Eye/ eyelash diseases and conditions can be caused anywhere at anytime even if you are doing everything right. But it is important to maintain clean and healthy lashes to avoid any and all issues. Hope this helped educate some of you!

Til next time,
The LT Team!

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