Flocks of women are embracing the eyelash extension, a painstaking specialist salon procedure involving a hair-by-hair attachment of individual synthetic lashes. The interest for the smudge-free extensions, which can take at least 45 minutes for a beautician to apply, is being heartily embraced by a range of women, striving for a more sophisticated appearance.
“I do it when planning for my birthday, preparing for end of the year party to ensure I look different. Your eyes will look so much wider and bigger. It costs between N300 and N700,” said Kemi Adekola, a university undergraduate.
However, the fad is not without its dangers. “I watched a lady that went to have eyelash extension fixed; her eyes were just bringing out water,” said Jane Anjorin. “It was really inconvenient; as such she had to remove it the next day.”
Eyelash extensions are a current beauty fad that may not be just a fad after all. It cuts out the extra steps of having to deal with eyeliner and mascara daily. Eye colour looks brighter, the skin around the eyes looks healthier due to less exposure to rubbing with makeup remover and the like,
But experts warn that eyelash extensions are causing serious health problems from eye infections to allergic reactions. Dirt and bacteria can get trapped in the extensions, leading to eye infections.
Sometimes the glue which sticks the lashes on enters into the eyes and they get bloodshot or inflamed, or the eyelid swells or natural lashes get damaged. Even though the glue is deemed biologically acceptable, some glues contain formaldehyde which can cause the allergic reaction.
Also, extensions weigh down on the hair follicles of the eyelid, damaging the natural lashes so they grow thinner, or stop growing altogether.
Professor Bola Ogunbiyi, a dermatologist, described the eyelash extensions, including the glue used in fixing it, as foreign materials that some people can develop an allergic reaction to because of their genetic makeup.
She declared that just as such ladies can have an allergic reaction on any part of their skin, it can also occur on their eye lids when they fix an eyelash extension.
“They start to itch and once they scratch it, an infection can set in. As a result of scratching, they can also lose their eyelashes. The scratching and the infection that sets in can also destroy the hair follicles of the eyelid.
“If it is not properly managed, it can lead to eye lash loss. So the best option is to have it done by an expert, who should use the appropriate things provided one will not react,” she said.
Professor Ogunbiyi added that although the use of cosmetics is to enhance the way a person looks, after fixing an eyelash extension, if there is a feeling of itching, eye discharge or dry eyes, they should be remove promptly and medical assistance sought.
In compensating for a dry eye, the frequency of blinking is increased and subsequently water will start to come out, as if a person is crying.
Dr Gboyega Ajayi, a consultant ophthalmologist at Ojuolowo Eye Clinic, Ibadan, Oyo State, declared that putting any foreign object anywhere near the eye poses a threat, adding that eyelash extensions are particularly hazardous because they have been known to cause a variety of different types of irritation.
According to Dr Ajayi, “the allergy and infections that could occur due to fixing an eyelash extension, can both become persistent and a nagging problem even after the artificial lashes have been removed. It is also possible that the infection may spread into the eye leading to a corneal opacity or even visual loss.”
MailOnline reported the case of Jane Rolfe in 2013 that suffered an extreme allergic reaction to eyelash extensions and was forced to spend five hours peeling them off her face after the salon refused to remove them.
The 42-year-old was left with severely blistered skin for weeks after suffering a severe, painful allergic reaction to the glue used to apply eyelash extensions.
Also, Louise Jackson had eyelash extensions applied in a trial-run for her wedding. But the glue stuck her eyelids together and she was forced to prize them open with tweezers, causing them to sting and swell. The doctors at the A&E department at Stroud General Hospital, later said the salon had used super-glue.
Currently in Japan, eyelash extensions are a huge fad, much bigger than it is in the United States. Linked to its use was an upsurge in cases of eye infections.
In a recent study in support of this claim, Japanese researchers examined a smaller pool of participants to see what kinds of eye diseases eyelash extensions were causing. Out of 107 women ages 21 to 52, 64 had experienced allergic reactions because of the glue, while 42 experienced conjunctival erosion because of infection.
The rest were found to have other types of allergic reactions associated with the lashes, as well as different forms of infections to different parts of the eye.
Learn more about how to get protected against the risks
•Visit only a salon with a trained hand
•Beware of low prices. If you find a salon willing to do them for a ridiculously low price, beware.
•Don’t demand longer lashes than recommended
• Make sure the stylist doesn’t stack it on the natural eye lash.
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