#107: Can I Wear Eyelash Extensions when I have Dry Eyes?
Women want to have beautiful eyelashes. Sometimes, they even want to wear eyelash extensions to have a more glamorous look. My patients ask me a lot of questions about wearing eyelash extensions.
Often, my patient's eyelashes aren't as long and glamorous as they used to be. Dry eye occurs when the meibomian glands, which are the oil gland in our lids, aren't working properly. The glands aren't producing the oil that coats the tear film. The oils also condition the eyelashes and makes them stronger.
Since many of my patient's lashes are short and tend to be brittle, they are always asking me about wearing extensions. At this time, there is only one eyelash extension I can say yes to.
The problem is that a lot of the lash extensions on the market these days will do harm to your dry eyes. In this blog, I will cover the three reasons that eyelash extensions aren't good and the one safe solution.
#1) Temporary Eyelash Extensions
Temporary eyelash extensions stick onto your eyelid margin. They use adhesives and glues to stick the false extension to the eyelid itself. And, many of these adhesives are irritating to the skin.
On your eyelid, right below your eyelashes on your lid margin are where your meibomian glands reside. The meibomian glands produce oils and those oils coat the tear film and your eyelashes. The oils coat the tears to prevent them from evaporating out of your eyes.
The meibomian glands produce the oil that keeps your tears in your eyes and makes your eyes more comfortable. If you damage those glands they remain damaged and don't function fully. At this point, science doesn't know how to get them to grow back.
Placing false lashes that contain toxins in the adhesives to your eyelids is going to cause damage to the meibomian glands. Furthermore, if you have an allergic reaction to the adhesive, your lids will become red, crusty, and irritated.
#2) Permanent Eyelash Extensions
Permanent eyelash extensions are individually glued onto the lashes. The problem here is that the glues contain formaldehyde which is known to be toxic to the meibomian gland cells.
You don't want to put anything that's toxic really close inside of your eyelid. The other problem with adhesives is that a lot of people are allergic to them. The allergy generally takes a day or two before the eyes become red, swollen, watery, and painful.
I have spent hours in my clinic peeling these individual lashes from patients who are having an allergic reaction to the glue. It's happened about three times in the past two years. These patients are very uncomfortable. Their eyelids and swollen and the extensions must be physically removed with tweezers and lots of adhesive removal products.
#3) Lash Extensions are Breeding Grounds for Bacteria
If you have found non-toxic eyelash extension glue and you haven't had an allergic reaction to them, then you need to keep them clean. Once you have your lash extensions on, they are glued onto the individual lash. Most women don't use mascara on top of extensions. And, since you're not wearing mascara, you might not be removing your eye makeup as thoroughly as you used to.
Perhaps you don't even want to rub the lashes for fear they will start to fall out. This creates the perfect environment for bacteria to accumulate on the eyelid margin. They like to take up residence around those junctions where the glue attaches the extension to the lash. The bacteria can find homes there and start to irritate your eyes.
In this scenario, there'll be redness, irritation, swelling, and watering. The key to avoiding this is to clean your lids and your lashes, including the extensions.
I recommend a hypochlorous spray. To use: just close your eyes with the lash extensions on and spray the solution directly onto your eyelids. Then, use the Mist Eyelash Cleansing Spray and the In-between Eyelash Brush from We Love Eyes.
The We Love Eyes website is dedicated to products designed to keep your lids and lashes clean even when wearing eyelash extensions. All of the products were designed by an eye doctor herself, Dr. Tanya Gill. She is also a U.C. Berkeley alum, just like me.
#4) The Solution: OpulenceMD Beauty
OpulenceMD Beauty eyelash extensions are the safest on the market. They are beautiful and work well. These extensions use a magnetic liner, which is painted on the eyelid margin, to attach the lashes. The tiny magnets on the lashes stick on top of that magnetic liner and they stay on all day. Please check out this blog if you'd like to see a review of the lashes.
The best part of these eyelash extensions is that an ophthalmologist invented them with your eye health in mind. And, Dr. Anika Goodwin thought of everything. She even has instructions on how to remove them properly, how to keep your eyelids healthy and clean, and how to properly store and care for the lashes in between use. Check out the Lashinista Starter Kit to find everything you need to get started wearing beautiful lashes.
CONCLUSION
Having dry eyes doesn't mean you can't look glamorous. Wearing eyelash extensions is possible if you wear and care for them properly. Being a naturalist myself, I prefer to grow my own beautiful lashes. Keep watching for a future blog on how to grow your own beautiful eyelashes.
In the meantime, I recommend cleansing your permanently installed eyelash extensions with We Love Eyes products. Or, use magnetic eyelash extensions from OpulenceMD Beauty.
Just because you have dry eyes doesn't mean that your eyes can't look glamorous and beautiful all the time. Stick with me. I've got you covered with the best tips and products.
