A 17-year-old girl experienced an allergic reaction after undergoing an eyelash extension procedure. Haley Fetzer was left with swollen eyes and coughing up mucus. In an interview with the American newspaper Kennedy News, she said that she was afraid to scare children in her neighborhood because she had “zombie eyes”.
This action was made in July to impress classmates at a high school prom, but it appears to have gone awry. “Every time I blinked, a little stickiness would come out of my eyes, I thought I was going to go blind,” said the young woman, who felt great pain in the area. As the condition worsened, she sought help to undo the procedure, and it took five weeks for her eyes to return to normal.
The eyelash extension procedure can actually lead to sensitivity and irritation, and in severe cases, it can even cause inflammation Leak the lens. Before choosing a cosmetic procedure, it is important to have an evaluation with an ophthalmologist, because there may be contraindications.
Eyelashes protect the eyes from foreign bodies such as dust and even perspiration from the eyelids. In this area there are several glands responsible for moisturizing the eyes. Patients who have a lot of oil should not lengthen eyelashes, as they need to maintain a stricter hygiene routine, and with this procedure, the tendency is not to rub the eyelash area. People who wear contact lenses should not stretch.
What are the health risks?
“Most of the time, the material of the yarn is synthetic, so it is different from natural eyelashes, and the glue used is a chemical product, which can lead to Contact dermatitis (irritation). If these eyelashes stay on for too long, these eyelashes can clog the eye’s lubrication-producing glands,” says Ludmila Corral, MD, dermatologist and outpatient presenter of Hair Treatment Dermatology at HUOL-UFRN (University Hospital Onover Lopez Affiliate of the Federal University of Rio Grande. Norte).
In addition, eyelash extensions or even false eyelashes – in the case of prolonged use – can change the natural arched composition of the natural eyelashes, due to the weight of the material, causing the eyelashes to not be aligned properly.
“This can lead to brittleness and falling of natural eyelashes,” says Carla Cristina de Lima Pereira, MD, ophthalmologist with a PhD in Surgery Research at the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the University of Lima’s Faculty of Medicine. It increases susceptibility to infection by trauma to the surface and even leads to a stroke.” The Holy House in Sao Paulo.
Other diseases that can arise with the use of false eyelashes or extensions are frequent infections, such as blepharitis (inflammation of the outer edge of the eyelids), allergies, conjunctivitis sensitivity, among others.
“The risks of false eyelashes and extension/stretching are the same, but extension has an aggravating factor to stay on average for 20 days, and then comes maintenance, it is different from the occasional use of false eyelashes,” confirms the dermatologist from Howell-Wovern
treatment and care
Treatment depends on the diagnosis causing the problem. The main thing is usually to remove and discard the false eyelashes during the recovery period.
“The use of these products is a source of tear pollution. In the emergency clinics at Lauro Wanderley University Hospital, we usually treat patients who have eye injuries due to the presence of false eyelashes, such as conjunctival injuries and even severe ulcers. I have had two severe ulcers after the stretching procedure” , warns Pereira, ophthalmologist, who is also director of the medical residency in ophthalmology at the UFPB (Federal University of Paraíba).
These complications can lead to vision loss. “This type of eye infection leads to a loss of corneal transparency, and a corneal transplant is often necessary for visual recovery,” explains the UFPB ophthalmologist.
Another important point is not to do the stretching alone and, basically, not to use unsuitable products, such as any type of glue. If you want to lengthen your eyelashes, find a professional and also do maintenance.
“However, if a person uses it too much, damage will build up, and when false eyelashes are removed, we can lose up to 30% of natural eyelashes,” warns the HUOL-UFRN dermatologist.
*With information from an article published in 06/23/2022
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