Women avoid washing eyelash extensions as they fear they might fall out, but the unhygienic decision can make their eyelashes a home of ‘lash lice.
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Optometrists are warning women against lash lice, medically known as Demodex, as they see a lot of such cases during medical procedures.
As the lash lice have never been recognized as a major health and cleanliness issue, women generally don’t wash their eyelash extensions.
Doctors have the opinion that poor hygiene allows bacteria to inhabit the eyelashes, which can then cause infections.
The symptoms of the infections include redness, itching, inflammation and worst of all, lice. Lice are contagious pests that feed off the hair follicles and can be transmitted to others.
Dr. Sairah Malik spoke to ABC7 about the problem, saying that unhygienic practices lead to bacterial growth on the eyelashes.
She said: “Generally the idea when you have eyelash extensions is that people are afraid to kind of touch them or wash them because they’re afraid the eyelash will fall out.”
Emphasizing on the importance of cleanliness, she said: “We recommend tea tree base cleanser. Any cleanser that has a diluted form of tea tree, and it is a good idea to use on a daily basis.”
If you don’t have any interest in makeup, eyelash extensions might be a new thing for you.
These are individual lashes that are dipped into glue and pasted on the natural eyelashes one by one. Applying these takes around two to three hours and they have a life of four to six weeks.
Last year, a woman named Ashley revealed how she suffered from a severe eye infection due to eyelash extensions.
Ashley went to Dr. Parbhu who told her that her eyelashes were infected with Demodex.
Explaining Demodex’s mode of action, Dr. Parbhu said: “They burrow to the base of the lash follicles, and they feed off this material. Infection can set in if they overpopulate.”
If you go to a beauty salon where the proper hygiene SOPs are not followed, you might be at a greater risk of getting eyelash infection.
People who wear eyelash extensions should clean them using tea tree oil to get rid of the bacteria, doctors suggest.
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