If you’re like many people, wearing makeup makes you feel more confident and it’s a great way to be creative on a daily basis. Where many makeup-wearers fall short, however, is in their makeup hygiene. Many people don’t think about all of the bacteria their makeup and tools can harbor over time. This can be especially problematic after undergoing an eye surgery like LASIK. Keeping your eyes safe after LASIK surgery may be a little inconvenient, but we like to think the amazing results are worth the extra effort.
Post-LASIK Makeup Best Practices
After your LASIK, your doctor will give you detailed instructions on how to properly care for yourself and your eyes during recovery. You’ll notice that one of the instructions includes not wearing makeup for at least a week after surgery. For serious makeup lovers, this can seem like a long time, but trust us, it’s worth it.
During your LASIK recovery, it is ok to wear face makeup like foundation and concealer as long as it does not get very close to your eye. In general, you want to minimize the things going into or around your eyes as much as possible after LASIK. This will allow your cornea to heal with less risk of infection or complication. If you can go a week without wearing any makeup on your face at all, we recommend it (your skin will probably thank you too).
Throw Your Old Eye Makeup Away
Throwing away and replacing your eye makeup is advisable if you want to significantly lower your risk of infection and irritation after LASIK. Throwing away and replacing your eye makeup makes sure that your sensitive, healing corneas are not exposed to the nasty bacteria that can live in and stick to your makeup. This includes mascara, eyeliner, and eyeshadows. For some people, this may seem over-the-top, but avoiding eye infections is definitely worth the extra time and money.
If you don’t want to/can’t afford to get rid of your eye makeup, just be sure to fully sanitize your makeup before using it again. This can be done using alcohol or sprays made specifically for disinfecting makeup. Products like mascara, however, cannot be properly sanitized and should be replaced either way.
What Are The Risks?
We understand that all of this sounds like a bit of an overreaction, but it’s for good reason. Infections sustained from wearing makeup before fully healed can be debilitating. Symptoms of an infection caused by makeup after LASIK include:
- Redness, sometimes severe
- Clear fluid oozing from the eye
- Watery eyes
- Hazy or blurry vision
- Discomfort, pain, and irritation
Infections can range from mild to severe, and some infections can even cause permanent vision loss. Avoiding an infection is much easier than treating an infection. Be sure to follow the instructions laid out by your doctor. This will help you heal quickly and get back to wearing as much makeup as you want!
If you think you have developed an infection after your LASIK surgery, contact your ophthalmologist and seek medical attention immediately. Be sure to attend your follow-up appointments to make sure your healing process is going as planned!
If you are interested in LASIK surgery, contact us to schedule your LASIK consultation in Minneapolis. Minnesota Eye Consultants makes LASIK and recovery easy and we always offer our advice on how to best care for yourself after LASIK. Call us today or schedule your appointment online.
