The eyes are one of the most prominent features of the face and a vital organ, so that you might feel instantly stressed. One of the most unsettling experiences is discovering a pimple-like red bump on your eyelid while looking in the mirror.
Nothing to worry about: that bump you’ve found is quite normal. An eye stye, or sometimes a tiny pimple on an eyelid, can appear for several reasons, including bacteria buildup or rubbing an itchy eye. Find out what causes eye styes and whether your eye makeup might be to blame.
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Eye Stye: What Is It?
Diane Hilal-Campo, M.D., board-certified ophthalmologist and founder of twenty/twenty beauty, describes styes as bacterial blockages around the eyelids. Usually, eye styes appear as bumps or pimples on your eyelids or lash lines. They are typically red in color and painful. The appearance of eye styes can resemble pimples in that they can contain pus, like whiteheads.
Some symptoms include:
- A pimple-like bump on the upper or lower eyelids
- Redness or swelling on the eyelids or lashes
- Eye pain or soreness
- Eyes and lashes that are itchy, flaky, or tainted
A Guide To Treating Eye Styes
Even though eye styes can be painful, they are relatively easy to treat at home. A stye can lead to infections like acne-like pimples when popped. It is essential to resist touching and rubbing the area around the stye. Dr. Hilal-Campo recommends applying a warm compress to the eye for 15 minutes five times daily. It may also help relieve any pain or discomfort caused by the stye if used consistently.
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Is It Okay To Wear Makeup With A Stye?
Dr. Hilal-Campo says no, in a nutshell. When you have an eye stye, do not wear makeup or wear eye makeup until it is gone. The reason is that some eye makeup products require repeated wand dipping. These products can contain bacteria that may still be present on the wand long after you have healed a stye if you use them repeatedly while experiencing a stye.
A Guide To Preventing Styes
Taking precautions to prevent eye styes, especially if you wear makeup frequently, is the best way to avoid getting one. Eye styes may be unsightly, but they usually heal within days to two weeks. Dr. Hilal-Campo recommends disposing of eye makeup every three months or one month if it’s mascara. The best solution is to throw out expired makeup and its spoiled ingredients since expired makeup can irritate the eyes.