How Safe are Eyelash Extensions?

One of today's hottest trends is eyelash extensions. What fashion-forward woman would not want to wake up with long beautiful lashes, kissing the mascara wands goodbye? But this luxury does not come without potential risks.

Eyelash extensions have been known to trap dirt and bacteria. These harmful bacteria can lead to infections of both the cornea and the eyelids. Corneal infections, otherwise known as Keratitis, can often threaten vision by causing irreversible scarring on the cornea. The weight of the artificial lashes can also put tension on the real lashes. This unnatural weight on the lashes can cause them to fall out, creating sparse lashes, which often prompts a person to add more artificial lashes. This frequently causes a vicious cycle of extensions causing lash loss, creating the need for more extensions, causing more lash loss, needing more extensions, etc.

There are other alternatives available on the market. Eyelash enhancements, both over the counter and prescriptive, come with their own set of issues. Pigmentation of the lids and iris are common side effects. Is it worth the price to have long lashes but darkened lids? The enhancements can also cause red, irritated lids as well as unusual hair growth on the lids. Lashes can actually grow curly or in the wrong direction resulting in corneal irritation.

A safer alternative would be false lashes that do not require glue. You can actually get false eyelashes with tiny magnets on them eliminating the irritating and damaging adhesives.

Of course, the wide variety of mascaras available are sure to give any woman the long, lush, lashes for which she is searching.