A doctor and influencer has revealed a creepy side effect of mascara residue on your eyelashes, proving you really do need to remove your makeup before bed.
In a clip on Instagram, the influencer surprised her followers with a picture of the inside of a woman’s eyelid covered in dark spots after she failed to remove her eye makeup for a period of time.
“If you sleep with your waterproof mascara on, flip your lids up,” the influencer, who goes by the handle @eyestheticsofficial, told the camera before zooming out to show a picture of an upturned eyelid with what looks like bits of mascara — or as her followers commented, possibly mold — embedded in the lid.
Waterproof mascara can be harder to remove compared to standard mascara and requires a more powerful makeup remover, meaning some of the formula is more likely to remain on your lashes and cause buildup.
Followers reacted in horror to the video, with one writing: “Looks like real mould, what is that?”
Dr Dhanoa shocked her followers with graphic images showing the inside of a woman’s eyelid covered in dark spots after she didn’t remove her eye makeup for a set period of time.
While another said: “Well I almost had a panic attack thank you very much but mine are spotless. Don’t scare me like that lol (I rarely do this anyway but wanted to make sure).”
And a third wrote: “I used to sleep with it on and it caused me so many problems. I only use waterproof ones for funerals. I never sleep with mascara on.”
The @eyestheticsofficial Instagram account is run by board-certified optometrists Dr. Gurleen Dhanoa and Dr. Aysha Chaudhry, who use the platform to raise awareness about eye health, as well as offer skincare and beauty tips.
The image used in the video is part of A study published by the American Academy of Ophthalmologywhich details a 50-year-old Australian woman who went to the ophthalmologist with pain in both eyes.
After lifting her eyelids, ophthalmologists were able to identify black clumps of product, called concretions, embedded within the eyelid that were beginning to erode the patient’s conjunctival surface.
The woman later admitted the pimples were the result of 25 years of poor makeup hygiene, as she regularly went to bed with her mascara on.
Fortunately, doctors were able to remove the buildup, but warned that if the damage to her eyelids continued and led to infection, there was a high risk of the patient going blind.
Some followers had picked up on the reference from @eyestheticsofficial’s video, with one writing: ‘Hey guys just to let you know this is a bit of a ridiculous video because she decided not to inform you that the woman pictured here slept with mascara on constantly for 25 years.
‘No, don’t sleep with your mascara on all the time, but don’t panic if you sometimes forget to do it or are just too tired. Basically, what happened here was that she wasn’t removing her mascara properly and the mascara built up under her eyelids and hardened. This caused something called ‘follicular conjunctivitis.’
‘While this case is RARE and most of these scratches heal without long-term problems, any scratch on the surface of the eye can lead to a corneal infection.
‘So please wash your mascara thoroughly, but don’t let this kind of stuff scare you. It’s not misinformation, but it certainly excludes important information. Don’t risk your eyesight, get a good makeup remover.’
NHS certified skincare and beauty doctor Dr Ed Robinson explained what is happening in the image used in the video and why we should always remove our make-up thoroughly.
“Cosmetics, including mascara, when not removed regularly can migrate to the surface of the eye (or subconjunctiva),” she told FEMAIL.
“This can lead to a build-up of pigment, which, being a foreign body, causes inflammation when the immune system attacks it. This leads to irritation and, in the worst cases, nasty infections.”
Bacteria buildup on makeup products is common over time, so it’s important to monitor the shelf life of your products, ideally replacing your mascara every six months.
Make-up artist Laura Fairley explains: ‘Mascara, when not changed regularly, is a real breeding ground for bacteria, which also contributes to the likelihood of eye problems if you sleep with your make-up on.
‘I always recommend my clients to pamper their lashes with a new mascara every six months and it goes without saying that they should never share it with anyone else.’
Dr. Gurleen Dhanoa is a big advocate for eye health and uses the Instagram account she shares with Dr. Aysha Chaudhry as a platform to advocate the importance of complete makeup removal, often with some visually impactful tactics.
The doctor also recently shared a video of eyelashes under a microscope showing an overpopulation of “eyelash mites.”
“If you do end up going to bed with mascara on, I’ll tell you 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 insects that live around the hair follicles of humans and other mammals, can multiply if exposed to too much bacteria.
Dr. Gurleen Dhanoa and Dr. Aysha Chaudhry are on a mission to educate the masses about eye health with their account @eyestheticsofficial
“Listen to me, we need a healthy amount of our dead skin cells, excess oil and bacteria to eat,” he continued. “They love to feast on bacteria, that’s what’s on the menu.”
Before you say, “And what makeup product is going to contain the most bacteria?” Dark, humid environments: Your mascara. Imagine you’re serving them a feast of bacteria on a tray, all night long. When they feast, it leads to overpopulation.
“If something goes in, it must come out too. They’re pooping in the eyelash follicles, you can see the poop building up,” the doctor continued, pointing to one end of the lashes.
Dr Dhanoa went on to explain that the effect of this is that the “eyelids will start to become inflamed,” “irritated,” and “red.” She also warned that over time the “follicles will weaken,” increasing the chance of eyelash loss.
Dr. Ed Robinson agrees that an overpopulation of eyelash mites is bad news for your lashes. “Eyelash mites, or Demodex folliculorum, are very small parasites that live on humans and often go unnoticed, but overpopulation in the eyelash follicle can lead to red, dry, irritated eyes, blepharitis, or even rosacea, which can be very painful and itchy,” explains Dr. Robinson.
‘Leaving mascara on overnight can make things worse, as it creates an environment in the follicles that mites and bacteria love. A cleanser or spray with hypochlorous acid like Thochlor will kill mites and bacteria, and is also anti-inflammatory.’
