Styes.

[Mikiba]

I have been getting styes since I was around 10-12 years old. They are the bane of my existence. I've pretty much done everything...eyedrops, prescriptions, warm towels, ointments, but it seems like I get them more and more recently.

I know that some styes are caused by stress and I know I get really stressed out sometimes and they show up. But lately I've been realizing that every time I wear my mascara I seem to get one every time. It's weird because I just bought this new mascara and now I'm faced with the choice of buying more (and mascara isn't cheap :[ ) or not wearing any. Being that I have long eyelashes, I usually wear the mascara as a way to keep my eyelashes from getting in my eyes. I'm also wondering if anyone knows that there is a hypo-allergenic brand of mascara out there. I'm tired of buying mascara over and over again only to use it once and throw it away after only a few weeks of use.

If anyone else out there is afflicted with styes, I'm curious as to how you deal with them? I usually try to catch them before they swell up or get sore because at that point you're playing the waiting game. I'm just looking for an easier way to deal with them. I'm also wondering if it's my diet or stress level too.
Any advice from you geezers would be helpful :]  

[bandaidd]

I am allergic to mascara and it sounds like you may be, too.
The least allergenic mascara I have found over the years is also the most expensive (of course). It's mac brand and I get mine at nordstroms. I still cannot wear it normally. I just coat the tip half of the lashes instead of from base to tip, that way it stays a little further from my eyes and doesn't cause swelling.

Another thing to consider...
My ophthalmologist just gave me allergy eye drops to use steady for 3 months and see if they would calm down. But first he checked to see if the tear ducts were closed or closing off. It was a weird feeling, but you might want to go see an ophthalmologist.  

[Mikiba]

pd2care

If you get them when you wear mascara, it sounds like an allergic reaction. Try a different brand with a whole new formula, and see if you get the same thing. If you do, then it may be that you can't wear mascaras at all. I used to get them, when I was young, but haven't had one since I was about 10 or 12. I remember the really warm wash clothes on my eyes to get rid of the goo gluing my lashes together, so my eyes were glued shut.

Yeah, I think it is an allergic reaction. About two weeks ago I had a stye so bad on my right eye that it was swollen shut. I couldn't open it and had to call out of work as a result. It was pretty terrible. I'm going to try and see if I can find another mascara that I'm not allergic to. I bought one and I forgot what brand it was but it didn't cause any styes on my eyes at all. I think it was Cover Girl. I've tried Maybelline and Mary Kay and both of those mascaras made me get styes.

I'd be so sad if I couldn't wear mascara though xD. I have long eyelashes and most of the time I wear it so they don't get into my eyeball. But thanks. :]  

[Mikiba]

bandaidd

I am allergic to mascara and it sounds like you may be, too.
The least allergenic mascara I have found over the years is also the most expensive (of course). It's mac brand and I get mine at nordstroms. I still cannot wear it normally. I just coat the tip half of the lashes instead of from base to tip, that way it stays a little further from my eyes and doesn't cause swelling.

Another thing to consider...
My ophthalmologist just gave me allergy eye drops to use steady for 3 months and see if they would calm down. But first he checked to see if the tear ducts were closed or closing off. It was a weird feeling, but you might want to go see an ophthalmologist.

I think I might be allergic to. Ever since I moved I think my allergic reactions to strange things have gotten worse. I don't know why either.
We don't have a Nordstroms here (yes, horrible I know D: ), but we do have a Sephora and I know they carry the Mac brand. So maybe I will try that. If not, I'll just get a mascara and put it on the tip of my eyelashes and not the base where the eyelid is. And yeah, eventually I will go see an ophthalmologist. I don't have health insurance right now and I don't make that much money at my job, so seeing one would be quite expensive for me. If at all costs, I might just have to stop wearing mascara. But thanks for your response :]  

[Miss Sweden of 83]

Sounds like an allergic reaction to the mascara and something else. If you only use mascara to keep your lashes out of your eyes I would recomend an eyelash curler instead. If you also want black lashes you can color (dye) them. If you still want to wear mascara you should buy a mascara with a rubber brush. Cause the regular brushes are twisted with metal which release into the mascara and that may cause a reaction. Hope the advice helps.  

[Kyreie]

I've only had a couple of sties in my life, but they were a serious pain! Mine were caused by using older makeup, so it was probably a virus or bacteria but it sounds like an allergy in your case. What worked for me was a wet teabag. Just put a used teabag (or just a wet one if you don't drink tea) on your eye for about 20-30 min, 2 or 3 times a day. It doesn't have to be dripping, just wet.  

[Wixandrettas]

Miss Sweden of 83

Sounds like an allergic reaction to the mascara and something else. If you only use mascara to keep your lashes out of your eyes I would recomend an eyelash curler instead. If you also want black lashes you can color (dye) them. If you still want to wear mascara you should buy a mascara with a rubber brush. Cause the regular brushes are twisted with metal which release into the mascara and that may cause a reaction. Hope the advice helps.

With all due respect, if she is having reactions with over-the-counter mascaras, I would highly suggest no dyes to the eye lashes whatsoever.

As far as no insurance goes... if you have a local Wal-mart in your area, perhaps they have an Eye doctor there you could see? The out-of-pocket expense is VERY reasonable.

Also, consider contacting your local Health Department. They can either help you with an eye exam right there, or can get you to a place that will help do whats called a "Sliding Fee" scale.. .based on your ability to pay would determine how much the appt would be. You may very well find a free service... Our Health Dept here offers FREE services to people who live ONLY in our community with proof of residency... it helped when my daughter needed to have her teeth looked at. And, she never had one cavity, I was a lucky mom!

So.. dont let this go un-seen. I would definitely be very careful. If you find this "Mac" brand to still cause you grief... then stop using any mascara at all and get checked.. the last thing you need is to have more medical problems on top of just the sty..  

[Mikiba]

Alexandretta

Miss Sweden of 83

Sounds like an allergic reaction to the mascara and something else. If you only use mascara to keep your lashes out of your eyes I would recomend an eyelash curler instead. If you also want black lashes you can color (dye) them. If you still want to wear mascara you should buy a mascara with a rubber brush. Cause the regular brushes are twisted with metal which release into the mascara and that may cause a reaction. Hope the advice helps.

With all due respect, if she is having reactions with over-the-counter mascaras, I would highly suggest no dyes to the eye lashes whatsoever.

As far as no insurance goes... if you have a local Wal-mart in your area, perhaps they have an Eye doctor there you could see? The out-of-pocket expense is VERY reasonable.

Also, consider contacting your local Health Department. They can either help you with an eye exam right there, or can get you to a place that will help do whats called a "Sliding Fee" scale.. .based on your ability to pay would determine how much the appt would be. You may very well find a free service... Our Health Dept here offers FREE services to people who live ONLY in our community with proof of residency... it helped when my daughter needed to have her teeth looked at. And, she never had one cavity, I was a lucky mom!

So.. dont let this go un-seen. I would definitely be very careful. If you find this "Mac" brand to still cause you grief... then stop using any mascara at all and get checked.. the last thing you need is to have more medical problems on top of just the sty..

Yeah, I would never dye my eyelashes. Mine are already black, so I don't need to dye them. xD

And yeah, I am thinking about going to Wal-Mart to get my eyes checked. I used to get them (the styes) before I started wearing eye makeup though, so I'm not all that sure if it's an allergy problem or something else. My grandmother says she used to get styes a lot when she was younger, so I'm not sure if it's hereditary or anything (never heard of it being a hereditary problem but you never know in this day and age.

I used to have Medicaid a couple of years back, I probably need to get it again here too. With the economy the way it is right now, it's hard to get anything done that's super expensive.

And I haven't been wearing any mascara since then. I just find it weird that a year ago I could wear it without any problems and now I have an allergic reaction. And whenever I have styes, it's more of an annoyance. I've gone to the doctor about them before and all they've done is given me a prescription for eye drops and I was told to just keep warm compresses on the eye for ten minutes a few times a day. I think a doctor is probably best in this situation, I just have to come up with the funds to do so. :3  

[Wixandrettas]

Mikiba

And I haven't been wearing any mascara since then. I just find it weird that a year ago I could wear it without any problems and now I have an allergic reaction.

Actually its not weird at all. Over a year ago, I was ordered off of anything Dairy... as an experiment (part of my treatment for PCOS, hairloss and male-hair growth)... Then, 6 months into it, I was told have one day's worth of meals that had Dairy in it.

I was like "uhhhh why tell me to go Dairy free, and then go and have it?"


Well, the reason for it had me ending up in the hospital getting an epi-pen on my thigh. I actually developed an allergy to Dairy. I was completely dairy free for 6 months, went and had some (at least the pizza was good!), and BOOM, full blown allergic reaction.

We can develop allergies even as adults, according to the Dermatologist I am seeing. Lately, I seem to be reacting to Peanut butter... Im going for allergy testing in a couple months once the Dermatologist is back from his european assignments with clients.

Oddly enough, evolution seems to be changing and things that were once ok to have/do are showing signs that later in life, it cant be done.


Sty heredity? Not truly unbelievable. Your genetic makeup is similar to Grandma as it is to Mom and your aunts, and all the way down the family tree... so its definitely not unheard of.

Yes... see if you can requalify for Medicaid. As much as I know you might detest the idea, at least see if you can qualify to help makes things better for you. At least, for this and in case you run into a medical emergency, you will have some type of coverage to offset your medical care  

[Mikiba]

That's horrible you have an allergic reaction to peanut butter. I can't eat Snickers or Peanut M&M's because now they may contain tree nuts (I have an allergy to tree nuts). I probably need to do an allergy testing because for some reason the wheat flour they use in Red Vines makes me react to it (mostly skin breakouts, throat problems). It's just so strange to be experiencing so many allergic reactions to things that I could once eat without any problems. Then again, I think it's all in the food processing nowadays. Everything is processed together and they don't really think about the people who may be deathly allergic to some of these things. Printing allergy cautions on the labels are fine, but they should be doing more...
And yeah, my grandmother used to get a lot of boils and styes when she was younger, so I'm wondering if I'm going down the same path. I also think it could be stress too. I've been stressed out a lot lately (bills, work and such) so that could be it too.

Thanks for the suggestions though. I'm going to find out if I qualify for Medicaid. :3