You need to look good like it’s no man’s business. Yes, it is your own business to look sweet always. From the beginning of times, women have been known for their desire to look extra-beautiful.
Beauty has been derived in various ways and these have evolved through the years, from simple ornaments and coloured creams to very complicated ones.
How did that happen, you’d ask? Was she using a blade to incise off a layer-deep skin to make it look better?
There are many mechanisms through which people sustain facial injuries during makeups and countless experiences of sustaining major facial and eye injuries have been reported with ensuing disfigurement of face and blindness respectively.
Then I thought about what could have caused the injury and one-eyed blindness.
Very often, cases of injury resulting from cosmetics are reported but the full details are almost always kept secret from other people because of what they think they might say. To everyone including the victim, it is not worth sustaining a major injury or losing an eye or both due to cosmetics. But looking good is still your own personal business, isn’t it? Hence, there is a need to observe special care when doing makeups.
Injuries That Can Be Sustained Via Make-ups And Make-overs
- They could be due to direct trauma to the face, skin or eyes as a result of the use of sharp make-up materials. It is no news that not all the make-up equipment are blunt, some have sharp edges and tips for various purposes.
In the hands of an inexperienced girl, these can be sources of major injuries to the face, skin and eyes. Hence, care must be taken at all times when make-ups or make-overs are being done.
- Many of the creams, lotions, powders and oils used for make-ups are made of synthetic chemicals that may be harmful to the skin. Some individuals may also have allergic reactions to some chemicals. Chemical injuries can present as burns, allergies, and blindness when in direct contact with the eye.
The black eyeliner used by many women could contain toxic chemicals that may cause injuries to the eye or blindness on prolonged use. Some of these injuries have been minimized by ensuring that the chemical used in producing the creams are almost 100% safe for human use.
When an allergic reaction is experienced, you must change or stop using the product that caused the reaction, because, on contact with the eyes, allergic conjunctivitis and/or keratitis can result.
- The third mechanism is the biological mechanism which involves inoculation of infective micro-organisms that have grown in/on the make-up kits and powders. Chlamydia trachomatis is known to cause trachoma, a leading cause of blindness can grow in some makeup creams. Therefore, it is recommended that you exhaust or dispose-off your makeup creams after about 3 months.
Contact lenses must be thoroughly washed before every use because there can be re-introduction of some bacteria that may cause the cornea of the eye to excoriate and form scars, which may, in turn, result in irreversible blindness.
- Blindness
- Lacerations
- Eruptive Skin Lesions
- Allergies
- Chemical burns
- Skin Infections
- Bruises, etc
How To Prevent Injuries/Infections Associated With Makeups
- Be careful while using make-up kits
- Change them when there is some reaction to the chemicals in them
- Dispose-off oil-based lotions after 3 months of non-usage
- Avoid the use of obviously irritating chemicals in the eye or around it
- Learn properly before trying out by yourself
- Never share makeups
- Store properly
- Avoid use when you already have an eye infection
- Never use aerosol sprays near heat or direct flame to avoid fire. Avoid inhalation of aerosols hairsprays and powders, as they can cause lung damage.
Care must be observed when using makeups, especially when they involve usee of sharp and pointed instruments. Never drive while applying makeups. Not only does this make driving a danger but hitting a bump or irregular surface can redirect your makeup instrument to cause serious eye injury.
Stop use immediately if you notice any reactions and report such problems to the FDA department of your country, if necessary.
Throw off cosmetics when it changes colour or it starts to smell. A space of three months is enough to cause spoilage of the chemicals used, so it is recommended that you dispose of cosmetic lotions and powders when they begin to show signs of spoilage or super-imposed growth of microorganisms.
Use liquids on the eye only when they are specified. Never apply a liquid unless the labels so specify.
Avoid the use of permanent colour additives that are not approved, such as “permanent” eyelash tints, and kohl(a colour additive containing lead salts used in eyeliners in some countries).
Before you try out new complex methods, make sure you have fully understood it especially when it would involve the use of sharps or the eye.
To avoid infections via infected makeups, do not share makeups. If you need to try out a mascara at a store, always use a new sponge. Insist that salespersons clean container openings with alcohol before applying to your skin.
First, keep out of reach of children. Store makeups in closed airtight containers when not in use.
Keep makeup out of the sun and heat. Light and heat can destroy the preservatives and antimicrobial agents. Hence, bacteria and fungi can begin to grow in them. Avoid keeping cosmetics in a hot car for a long time.
This is important to avoid contaminating them with the infection already in your eyes. If you noticed that you have red/pink eye (conjunctivitis commonly) or eyelash irritations/infections (stye and chalazion), don’t use your cosmetics for that period. If you already used them before you noticed the eye infection, throw away the makeup(s) you used for the infected eyes since they would have been already contaminated.
