A doctor and influencer has discovered that mascara residue on your lashes can cause irritation, proving that you really should remove your makeup before going to bed.
In a clip on Instagram, the influencer shocked her followers with an image of a woman’s inner eyelid covered in dark spots after not removing her eye makeup for a long time.
“If you sleep with waterproof mascara on, fold your eyelids back,” the influencer, who goes by @eyestheticsofficial, told the camera, before sharing a photo of an open eyelid with what appeared to be clumps of mascara — or as followers noted, possibly fungus — inside the lid.
Waterproof mascara can be harder to remove than regular mascara and requires a stronger makeup remover. This increases the chance of some of the formula remaining on the lashes and building up.
Followers reacted to the video in shock, with one writing: ‘It looks like real mold, what is that?’
Dr Dhanoa shocked followers with the shocking photos showing the inside of a woman’s eyelid covered in dark spots after she left her eye makeup untouched for an extended period of time.
While another said: ‘Well I almost had a panic attack thank you but mine are spotless. Don’t scare me lol (I rarely do this anyway but I wanted to make sure)’
And a third wrote: ‘I slept with it on, it gave me so many problems. I only wear waterproof makeup for funerals now and never sleep with mascara on.’
The Instagram account @eyestheticsofficial is run by board-certified optometrists Dr Gurleen Dhanoa and Dr Aysha Chaudhry, who use the platform to raise awareness of eye health and provide skincare and beauty advice.
The image used in the video is part of a study published by the American Academy of Ophthalmologydescribing a 50-year-old Australian woman who went to the ophthalmologist with pain in both eyes.
After turning her eyelids, ophthalmologists were able to identify black clumps of the product — called concretions — that had grown into the eyelid and were beginning to erode the patient’s conjunctival surface.
The woman subsequently admitted that the deposits were the result of 25 years of poor makeup hygiene, as she regularly went to bed with mascara on.
Fortunately, the doctors were able to remove the buildup, but they warned her that if the damage to her eyelids continued and led to an infection, there was a high risk of the patient going blind.
Some followers picked up on the reference point from @eyestheticsofficial’s video, with one writing: ‘Hey guys this is a ridiculous video because she decided not to tell you that the woman in the picture slept with mascara on for 25 years!
“No, don’t sleep with mascara on all the time, but don’t be afraid if you forget sometimes or are too tired. What was essentially happening here was that she wasn’t removing her mascara properly and it was building up under her eyelids and hardening. It was causing something called ‘Follicular Conjunctivitis.’
Although rare and most of these scratches heal without lasting problems, any scratch to the surface of the eye can lead to an infection of the cornea.
‘So please, wash your mascara off properly, but don’t let this put you off, this is not misinformation, but it does exclude important bits of information. Don’t risk your eyesight though, buy a good make-up remover.’
Dr Ed Robinson, a qualified NHS doctor specialising in skincare and aesthetics, explains what’s happening in the photo in the video – and why we should always remove make-up thoroughly.
“Cosmetics, including mascara, if not removed regularly, can end up on the surface of the eye (or the subconjunctiva),” he told FEMAIL.
‘This can lead to a build-up of pigment, which as a foreign body causes inflammation when the immune system attacks it. This results in irritation and in the worst cases nasty infections.’
It is common for makeup products to accumulate bacteria over time. That is why it is important to monitor the shelf life of your products. Ideally, replace your mascara every six months.
Makeup artist Laura Fairley explains: ‘Mascara that is not replaced regularly is a breeding ground for bacteria, which increases the risk of eye problems if you sleep with your eye makeup on.
‘I always advise my clients to re-mascara their lashes every six months. And it goes without saying that you should never share this mascara with anyone else!’
Dr. Gurleen Dhanoa is a huge advocate for eye health. She uses the Instagram account she shares with Dr. Aysha Chaudhry as a platform to emphasize the importance of thorough makeup removal, often with some visual shock tactics.
The doctor also recently shared a video of eyelashes under a microscope, showing an overpopulation of “eyelash mites.”
“If you do go to bed with your mascara on, here’s what you can do to keep your eyelids clean: Just take it off,” Dr. Dhanoa began, before going on to explain how eyelash mites, tiny creatures that live around the hair follicles of humans and other mammals, can multiply when exposed to too much bacteria.
Dr. Gurleen Dhanoa and Dr. Aysha Chaudhry are on a mission to educate the general public about eye health with their account @eyestheticsofficial
“Now listen, we need a healthy amount of it to eat away at our dead skin cells, excess oils, excess bacteria,” she continued. “They love to feast on bacteria – that’s the specialty on the menu.”
Before you say, “And what makeup product is going to harbor the most bacteria? Dark, humid environments – your mascara. Imagine just feeding them a feast of bacteria on a platter all night long. If they feed on it, it’s going to overpopulate.
“If something goes in, it has to come out. They poop in your eyelashes, you can see the poop building up,” the doctor continued, pointing to a closing point of the eyelashes.
Dr Dhanoa went on to say that the effect of this is that the eyelids become ‘inflamed’, ‘irritated’ and ‘red’. She also warned that over time the ‘hair follicles will weaken’, increasing the chances of eyelash loss.
Dr. Ed Robinson agrees that an overpopulation of eyelash mites is bad news for our lashes. “Eyelash mites – or Demodex folliculorum – are tiny parasites that live on humans and usually go unnoticed. But an overpopulation in the lash follicles can cause red, dry and irritated eyes, blepharitis or even rosacea, which can be very painful and itchy,” explains Dr. Robinson.
‘Leaving mascara on all night can make matters worse, as it creates an environment on your hair follicles that mites and bacteria love. A hypochlorous acid cleanser or spray like Thochlor kills mites and bacteria and is also an anti-inflammatory.’