DBritt asks…I am 50 and have used Lancome mascara for about 20 years without complication. 5 yrs ago, I switched to Arbonne and had no issues until about a year ago. I started getting a pimple like thing in my lower lashes every now and then. This morphed into an occasional stye type sore near the corner of my eye in my upper lashes. Now, my eye(s) will turn red and bother me plus the lash area is itchy and sore. The only thing that helps is going without mascara over the weekend or longer. Is there any product out there which is truly hypo-allergenic? It Are these symptoms consistent with an allergic reaction to mascara?
The Right Brain responds:
Well, DBritt, we have good news and bad news for you.
Stye science
First the good news: From what we’ve been able to glean from various sources, styes are not caused by any kind of allergic reaction. So there’s not need to mount a quest for the Holy Grail of hypoallergenic mascaras. Rather, styes are caused by bacterial infections. The follicle which grows the eyelash hair can become infected and the resulting puss-related swelling creates a stye. Exposure to stye-inducing bacteria can come from rubbing your eye or from contaminated eye makeup, especially mascara. To protect yourself, you should, as Lindygirl was quick to point out in our Forum ”change mascara at least every 3 months or it can get bacteria in it.”
Now the bad news: We could find no advice for the kind of recurrent styes that you’ve described. If you’re already diligent about changing your mascara (and assuming you’re not causing reinfection by rubbing your eyes) then perhaps you have a different condition. Here are three other possible causes of eye bumps:
Types of eye bumps
- Xanthelasma: raised yellow patches that tend to happen with ages and can be a sign of high cholesterol.
- Papillomas: Pinkish bumps that are mostly harmless unless they interfere with your vision.
- Cysts: tiny fluid-filled sacs on your eyelids.
Reference: Womenfitness.net
You should probably see a doctor to make sure that what you spy is really a stye. And check out WebMD for a good discussion of styes, chalazia, blepharitis, and internal hordeolums (which sound much nastier than they are.)
The Beauty Brains bottom line
Styes are not caused by allergic reaction to mascaras but bacterial contamination can be a problem. Change your mascara often and check with a doctor if the problem doesn’t go away.
Have YOU ever had a stye caused by eye make up? Leave a comment and share your experience with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Is it possible that the Arbonne formulation is more irritating to her skin? Maybe Arbonne changed their formulation a year ago? It seems the appropriate test here would be to switch back to the Lancome and continue with regular 3-month product replacement and good hygeine.
I have also had the eye redness and feeling sore and itchy at the lashline( but not the styes). I also thought it was a reaction to mascara, and tried several brands, with no changes. I went without mascara altogether for a few months, and the symptoms went away. It then occurred to me it might be the eye makeup remover. I tried using the remover without mascara for a few nights, and had the reaction again. So, after trying a few new eye MU removers, I found one that I had no reaction to. For what it’s worth, it’s L’oreal Clean Artiste for waterproof mascara. So you might want to take a look at whatever remover or cleanser you have been using as a possible culprit.
I just used a different mascara that I hadn’t used in a while and woke up with a stye the next day. I thought maybe it was because it was a waterproof mascara I hadn’t washed off completely – but it was probably because the mascara is like 2 years old. Yikes!
I have a stye that seems like it calcified…? Any suggestions on how to get rid of it and keep it from flaring up again?
It may not be a true stye, do you have any other skin issues? I kept having a reaction to mascara that looked very much like a large stye (I occasionally got styes as a kid so I know what they’re like.) It was itchy and swollen just like you described. After having a horrible reaction to a facial cleanser I went through allergy testing and I’m highly allergic to a very common preservative, one that is many mascaras, shampoos, soaps, etc. After knowing what to look for on labels I haven’t had any issues.
Everything above is true, but the bacteria that causes a stye can exist there anyway and only becomes problematic if the pores become clogged or infected with that bacteria. What clogs those pores? Aluminum. It’s in many cosmetics such as mascara, deoderant, etc. And guess what…when I use ANY mascara that included aluminum, I get styes within 24 hours. When I use mascaras that don’t have it…I go months/years without any and only develop a new stye upon using a product with aluminum. How to find them? Go to EWG’s skin deep database of non-toxic cosmetics.
I get bumps on my eyes too, that I am assuming are styes. I’ve worn mascara every day since I was 13, but now, at 26, this just recently started. When I wear mascara regularly every day I end up developing a stye, even if it’s a brand new tube. I stopped wearing it altogether for about 5 months and went the entire 5 months without any styes. Now I only wear it for special occasions, and I make sure to thoroughly remove the mascara as soon as I get home whenever I do wear it.
I do know that the problem is worse depending on what I use to remove my eye makeup. The so-called “eye makeup removers” almost always result in a stye for me, and I’ve had other friends say the same thing. A doctor recommended that I try removing my eye makeup with no-tear formula baby shampoo. This has drastically reduced the frequency of my styes, but I still get one every now and then when I wear mascara.