What Happened to Those Who Always Wear False Eyelashes?

Many female friends are enthusiastic about the “New Year’s three – piece – set”: perming hair, getting a manicure, and applying false eyelashes. A new look for the New Year brings a good mood, and it’s a great way to add a sense of ritual before the New Year. Beautiful, thick, long, and curled false eyelashes can make eyes look bigger, more beautiful, and more attractive. No wonder they are a “must – have beauty tool” for beauty – lovers during festivals and important occasions.

The most common ways to use false eyelashes are gluing and lash extensions.
Gluing false eyelashes involves using glue to attach the false lashes near the roots of one’s natural lashes, usually close to the eyelid margin. The effect doesn’t last long; generally, they are removed after cleansing the face on the same day.
Lash extensions, also known as “eyelash grafting”, “eyelash extensions”, or “semi – permanent eyelash extensions”, don’t actually implant false lashes into the skin. Instead, false lashes are individually glued to the natural lashes with glue. About 40 to 80 false lashes are attached to each eye. After carefully adjusting the curvature of each false lash, the lashes can look natural and thick. One lash – extension session can last from 2 to 6 weeks. Despite their small size, false lashes can be costly, with each lash – extension treatment costing anywhere from several hundred to over a thousand yuan.
In recent years, magnetic false eyelashes have become popular. They claim to be fixed on the eyelid margin by their own magnetism without the need for glue, and their beautifying effect on the eyes is similar to that of the other two types.

So, which type is more user – friendly and healthier? Today, let’s talk in detail about false eyelashes to help you become more beautiful while maintaining good health.

False Eyelashes: Hidden Killers of Eye Health

The main component of false eyelashes is synthetic fiber, such as polyester fiber. The glues used for attaching false eyelashes have complex chemical compositions. From the labels of currently regular products, the main components include latex, acrylate copolymer, lauryl alcohol, methylparaben, etc.
The eyes are extremely sensitive visual organs. These chemical components are highly irritating, and long – term use can greatly affect the health of the ocular surface.
Even more terrifying is that if unscrupulous merchants use inferior false eyelashes and glues, they may contain additives like formaldehyde, lead, and benzoic acid. Lead is a heavy metal, and its long – term cumulative effect can lead to heavy – metal poisoning, and the harm to the body is well – known.
Formaldehyde is a colorless and irritating chemical. In the list of carcinogens published by the World Health Organization and the International Agency for Research on Cancer in 2017, formaldehyde is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen. Benzoic acid is long – term used as a dye carrier and preservative in industry. Long – term exposure to it can cause significant irritation to the skin and eyes.
In addition to these, let’s take a look at the specific eye problems caused by long – term use of false eyelashes:

1. Conjunctivitis, Blepharitis, and Dry Eye

Symptoms usually include eyelid stinging, red and dry eyes, a foreign – body sensation, photophobia, and tearing. Within a few hours of lash extensions, the glue containing formaldehyde may disperse directly onto the ocular surface, or it may penetrate into the hair follicles or block the openings of the meibomian glands at the eyelid margin, causing folliculitis and abnormal secretion of the lipids that lubricate the eyeball.
A 2023 study on 32 people who had lash extensions found that 84.44% of them reported eye discomfort 1 hour after the procedure, with the most common symptom being a foreign – body sensation, accounting for 59.38%.
As the usage time prolongs, the tear – film break – up time of the subjects is significantly reduced, and the incidence of corneal staining increases greatly.
From a professional perspective, a reduction in the tear – film break – up time is an important indicator for diagnosing dry eye, and ocular surface staining means that the corneal and conjunctival epithelium on the surface of the eyeball is damaged. Mild cases cause red eyes and tearing, while severe cases can lead to vision impairment, which is extremely detrimental to eye health.

2. Eye Allergies

Symptoms usually include redness, swelling, stinging, itching, and tearing of both eyes. These symptoms may appear hours or days after using false eyelashes. The main cause is that the stimulation of various chemical components triggers an allergic reaction in the eye skin or the cornea and conjunctiva.
Of course, some people may mention that an allergy test is usually done on the skin before using the glue. It should be noted that the nerve endings in the eyes are extremely rich, and their sensitivity is far greater than that of the skin. As ophthalmologists, we see patients with eye problems caused by various allergens almost every day, but not everyone has accompanying skin allergy symptoms.

3. Subconjunctival Hemorrhage

The main manifestation is scattered patchy bleeding spots in the bulbar conjunctiva (the white part of the eye). This usually occurs due to violent mechanical damage during the process of lash extensions or false – eyelash removal. Mild bleeding may be fine after slow absorption, but obvious blood clots mean that the eyes have suffered significant mechanical damage and should be avoided.

4. Damage to Natural Lashes

The area where false eyelashes are glued or grafted is near the hair follicles at the eyelid margin. Long – term chemical stimulation can damage the follicles and affect lash regeneration. Many people find that their natural lashes and the implanted false lashes gradually fall out together, leaving their eyelids bare. Their own lashes may not grow back, or if they do, they may be very sparse, and there is even a risk of eyelashes growing inward and damaging the cornea.
Some time ago, there was news about a girl whose natural lashes turned white after long – term use of false eyelashes. These consequences that aren’t worth the cost all stem from the damage of harmful chemicals to the hair follicles.

Are Magnetic False Eyelashes, Which Don’t Require Glue, Healthier?

In recent years, magnetic false eyelashes, which are promoted by merchants as being attachable without glue, have gradually become popular. Their selling points are said to include the following advantages: no glue, zero harm, light and no – load feeling, painless removal, not falling off in the wind, waterproof and smudge – proof, easy to wear, reusable, and made of natural fibers.
The main principle of magnetic false eyelashes is to apply a magnetic black eyeliner on the eyelid margin first, and then fix the false eyelashes on the eyelid margin by magnetic attraction.
The main components of magnetic eyeliner include iron oxide black, propylene glycol, decamethylcyclopentasiloxane, silane, hydroxymethylimidazolidinone, etc. Although these industrial chemical raw materials are not clearly carcinogenic, because they are repeatedly applied to the eyelid margin, they also have a high probability of causing eye allergies, blocking the meibomian glands or hair follicles, and triggering eye infections or dry eye due to their irritation.
In addition, magnetic false eyelashes have an unexpected “killer feature”: they can seriously interfere with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations.
Einat et al. conducted a study and found that magnetic eyelashes can not only produce a large number of artifacts, affecting the clarity and accuracy of MRI images, but also there is a risk of the lashes falling off and being adsorbed onto the magnet during the scan, and they may even burn the person being examined.
So, these potential risks should be taken seriously and avoided.

6 Precautions for Using False Eyelashes

After learning about so many harms of false eyelashes, many people must be asking: Does that mean false eyelashes can’t be used? Of course not, but you must pay attention to the following points:

1. Try to reduce the frequency of using false eyelashes. If you occasionally get lash extensions, be sure to choose a regular cosmetic medical institution and an experienced operator.
2. Choose high – quality false eyelashes and glues, and resolutely discard inferior products containing highly toxic ingredients such as formaldehyde and lead. If a product doesn’t have an ingredient list, it’s best not to use it.
3. People with eye diseases or a history of allergies should try to avoid using false eyelashes.
4. Remove makeup thoroughly to avoid residue of glue or eyeliner. Regularly use eye – specific wipes to keep the roots of the lashes clean.
5. Don’t wear false eyelashes all day long. If there are symptoms such as itching or redness in the eyes, seek medical advice immediately.
6. People wearing magnetic false eyelashes must remember to remove them before an MRI examination.
   Finally, no matter whether your lashes are long or short, thick or thin, your natural lashes are the best. We shouldn’t sacrifice our health for beauty. Let’s take good care of our lashes and eyes and have a happy Year of the Snake!