Blepharitis and lash extensions?

After 5 years I finally found a cure for MGD and Blepharitis...if anyone is interested I let you know because I have been struggling a lot and spend lots of money on docters and eyedrops and all sorts of medicine.

And Lynda thanks for the info!!!

Hi Susan

I know this is an old post and someone may have already replied with a similar answer. Now i can't speak for anyone who has Blepharitis brought on by anything other than eyelash extensions but I am a qualified Lash technician and i just had to reply as i feel it is unfair to potentially put people off getting eyelash extensions. Blepharitis is not caused by eyelash extensions if they are applied correctly and kept clean daily. There is a chance the technician you went to applied the lashes too close to your skin but if you had them on for 4 years without irritating you prior to getting the bleph i don't think that would be the case. Now i don't mean to be condescending in any way as i'd honestly say about 70% of my clients are the same, the lash extensions are not being cleansed properly. When wearing lash extensions you need to cleanse them daily to remove any natural oils, sweat, debris, make up etc. After all, your natural lashes are there to protect your eyes so you would be surprised of how much bacteria can collect on them! To clean your lash extensions you will need to use a sterile soft eyeshadow brush and an oil free cleanser preferably one that foams as it will get right into the roots of the eyelashes (or purchase a foaming bottle to put the soap in) and then rinse the soap off with clean water and dab dry with a clean towel and brush them with a disposable mascara wand. Some lash techs might retail the aftercare kits that have the soap brushes and wands in or i would suggest diluted no more tears baby shampoo in a foaming bottle is best. As its really essential that they are cleaned daily. I have people coming to me regularly for full sets of Lash extensions fully believing their eyes are clean when they still have a bit of mascara and eyeliner left on from the night before, it is difficult to remove and keep your eyes clean! And anyone without extensions the best thing to remove mascara and eye makeup is a clean wet flannel and gentle eye make up remover, i have bought many as i don't buy face wipes anymore and use a fresh one each night to remove make up. Get the flannel in between your index finger and thumb and almost rub your lashes back and forth between your fingers this always works for me! Hope this is informational and not put you off getting extensions in the future. Blepharitis is a serious condition and it can result in eyelash loss so it is detrimental that other lash techs explain the importance of cleaning your lashes thoroughly to avoid it and never miss a day cleaning them as it can happen at any time even after years of having extensions.

It probably depends on how motivated you are to keep your lashes and lash edges clean. I prefer to wear makeup-- liner, shadow, mascara, and sometimes fake lashes that are glued on. But that means for me every single night: Oily eye makeup remover, washing with very warm water on a microfiber cloth with a facial cleanser, using a blepharitis scrub if I'm flaring, wiping lashes with a Wet Ones wipe and using my nighttime dry eye ointment. If I do not keep my lashes squeaky clean, I have a flare up. Every one is different, so we all have to discern what we can manage or tolerate. Good luck. 😃

I've not worn lashes before but I did used to wear mascara. I stopped wearing it at the start of the first lockdown as my blepharitis really started to get bad. That's almost a year ago now, I've been to the doctor numerous times, had anti-biotics, a variety of drops, seen the specialist last week who told me to keep cleaning my eyes and use heat. My eyes have got so much worse, I look like I'm constantly crying. My eyes sting, I have black marks under my eyes, I can't imagine wearing eye make up again which is awful. I don't really know where to go or what to do. This forum is nice to know there are others trying to support each other.