Allergic To Eyelash Extensions?

Think you might be allergic to eyelash extensions? Well, there are a few warning signs you can look out for that will let you know for sure: itchiness, swelling of the top or bottom eyelids, redness or pain. Any of these warning signs, alone or combined will usually occur immediately- 72 hours after the extensions have been put on.

There are different severities of allergic reactions,  from super mild to need an emergency removal RIGHT NOW. If at any point you feel like you are really uncomfortable or in pain it is definitely a good idea to get them removed. However if your reaction is bad enough it may be quite painful to get them removed right away so the best thing you can do is slather your eyelids in something soothing like Vaseline, coconut oil, aloe vera gel or lotion and most of those things will actually assist with removal of the lashes as well. After the reaction has gone down slightly, it should be safe to get a removal done. Your lash tech can also help protect your sore eyelids but putting something like Vaseline (to act as a barrier) on them before they put remover on the lashes.

If your allergic reaction is mild and you are determined to keep your lashes on, then there is a few things you can do to relieve or minimize symptoms. First and foremost is to take an antihistamine the day of your full set or fill and for 2-3 days afterwards because after 72 hours you should not have an allergic reaction. The next thing is to use something like an antihistamine eye drop (prescription drops work best) at night for the first 3 days. You can also double up and take antihistamines and use the drops. The next thing is to wash your lashes as soon as you can to wash away some of the glue fumes and help make sure there are no allergens sitting on the lashes. If your lash tech uses a nano mister or other form of cure-aid, they should be safe to wash 2-8 hours later, even washing them the next day is better than waiting a few days (you should be washing your lashes with lash wash everyday anyways).

Now of course lash technicians use a variety of different products but they are generally made of the same ingredients, however some can be more potent than others. If you have an allergic reaction with one lash tech, you may not have one with another solely based off the products they use. An allergic reaction also depends on if the lash tech has applied them properly by not having them too close to (or touching) the skin or using too much glue and of course if they are not using cheap, unstable products. Unfortunately if you do have an allergic reaction with one lash tech, sometimes your body will remember that and automatically have an allergic reaction with a different lash tech, with different products just because they are probably quite similar.

The last thing that can help cause an allergic reaction is if your immune system is weakened by an illness or alcohol. Alcohol always compromises your immune system, so if you go to your appointment really hungover, drunk or even sometimes if you drink excessively a few hours after your appointment, you may be more susceptible to a reaction. When you are sick obviously your immune system is down and your body is producing all the antibodies it can to fight foreign substances so it may see the eyelash glue as a threat and build up a histamine response to it.

If you do have a bad allergic reaction to eyelash extensions more than once, unfortunately they may not be for you. If you have never had an allergic reaction, pray to lash gods that you never do!