We're all guilty of it....applying coats of mascara on each day to achieve full, feathery "JLo-like" eyelashes. After a long day, we get lazy and go straight to bed without removing our makeup...who hasn't done this? It's no big deal right?!
Well, a women in Sydney, Australia got used to doing this bad habit one too many times and it ended up damaging her vision. For 25 years, this 50 year old woman did not remove her mascara and continued to apply more each morning. As a result of all the mascara residue building up, mascara concretions began to form under her eyelids. These hard, black concretions began to scrape the surface of her eye, causing painful discomfort and ultimately scarring her cornea.
After an ophthalmologist removed all the black lumps, the patient was left with permanent damage to her eyelids and corneas.
This is definitely an extreme case of mascara misuse and is not as common as other bad habits like using mascara that is more than 3 months old.
It's important to throw away mascara that is older than 3 months because of bacterial contamination from using the same mascara wand for that long. Even if you don't use the mascara everyday and only on special occasions, once the seal is open, the mascara is only good for 3 months before bacteria starts to accumulate.
A good rule of thumb...once your mascara starts to irritate or causes your eyelids to feel itchy, it's time to throw away the tube. Whether it's a new brand of mascara you're trying or a mascara brand you've been using for years, if it's bothering your eyes, DISCONTINUE USING IT!
Just remember, the "swollen eyelid and bloodshot eyes look" is never a good look!