Eye Makeup Safety

Are you putting bacteria on your eyes?

Studies have shown that in as little as 3-months, bacteria can grow in mascara, eye shadow, eyeliners and more, leading to eye infections such as pink eye, dry eye, loss of eyelashes and more.

If just the thought of bacteria on your eyes makes you shudder, consider this: Makeup has expiration dates. Unfortunately, those expiration dates are NOT printed on the containers, tubes and sticks. It’s up to you to keep track of when you purchase cosmetics and toss them after a certain timeframe.

Eye infections can be avoided by following these safety tips:

• Purchase new mascara and liquid eyeliner every 3 months; eye shadow every 12 months; eye pencil every 24 months
• Do not share eye makeup with friends
• Avoid using samples in stores
• Do not apply eyeliner to the inner eye lash lines
• Do not wear mascara that flakes
• Close eye makeup containers tightly
• If you wear contact lenses, put them in before applying eye makeup
• Remove eye makeup at night (remove contact lenses first)

One way to avoid the “contact lens eye infection” trap is by having LASIK vision correction in Charleston to reduce or eliminate your dependence on contacts for clear vision. Of course, even if you achieve clear vision through LASIK, it will become even more important to protect your investment in your vision by practicing safe eye makeup application.

You may be tempted to hang on to eye makeup longer than the recommended timeframe because it can be quite expensive. However, when you consider the cost of treatment for eye infections and the potential for damaged vision, it will be more cost-effective to pay attention to how long your eye products stay in your makeup bag.

If you love wearing eye makeup, but your eyes are hidden behind corrective lenses, contact Dr. O'Day at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery to discuss the option of Charleston LASIK for your unique eyes. He offers a free LASIK Consultation to analyze your eyes and answer all of your questions about this popular vision procedure. To schedule your no-obligation appointment, call 843-856-5275 or visit charlestoncornea.com.