If you’ve always wanted to get beautiful, lush lashes, you may think about booking an appointment for extensions. However, are they really safe? What if you were allergic?
I get you. At The Lash Spa, we take measures to minimise the risks of clients having an allergic reaction or irritation. In this article though, I’ll dispel some of your lash-related fears by answering some of your most frequently asked questions.
Allergic reactions
Firstly, allergic reactions due to lash extensions are extremely rare. Common symptoms of allergic reactions could be any of the following: swollen eyes or eyelids, redness of the cornea, and or discomfort or itchiness around the eye area. These symptoms might also occur 48 hours or more after lash application and likely won’t subside over time.
Clients may be allergic to the lash glue itself due to its base ingredient: cyanoacrylate. If you’re allergic to this compound, full removal is recommended to prevent further complications. Some salons will do a patch test to with a drop of glue on a sensitive area of skin like behind your ear, but we’ve found that in many cases this can lead to a ‘false-positive’ result where the client doesn’t react and then assumes she’s in the clear – then after extensions are applied it becomes apparent that she actually is allergic and needs to get a full removal. That’s why we don’t patch test and recommend that if you’ve had a reaction in the past, just don’t get lash extensions. We know you’d love them, but if you’re allergic, you’ll probably always be allergic.
Having an allergic reaction on only one eye is highly unlikely, but you may experience irritation on just one eye for other reasons.
Irritations
While lash extensions are considered low-risk when done by skilled technicians, there is still a risk for irritation. This can be induced by the adhesive fumes. Symptoms are similar to that of an allergic reaction, but irritation will subside once the adhesive properly cures.
Irritation can also occur over a longer period of time, when bacteria build up. When lashes are worn for a long time, bacteria can accumulate either on the glue or on the lashes themselves. If this happens, make sure that you go to your eye doctor immediately. Irritation can be treated with medication, so there’s no need to worry too much about it. Our clients never have this issue because we arm them with our Lash Spa cleanser in their welcome gift-bag and teach them how to keep their extensions squeaky clean and in tip-top condition so they look better, last longer and stay healthy.
We take extra care to minimize reactions or risks at The Lash Spa while you get pampered.
Our highly-skilled master lash technicians work in well-ventilated rooms. We utilise medical tape, as well as quick-drying glue that dries in 0.5 seconds to minimise fumes, and therefore reduce the risk of irritation. We also have an incredibly strict 3-stage sterilisation process for all our tools.
We also make sure to explain lash aftercare to our clients, new or regular, all to ensure that you can enjoy your lashes and be beautifully worry-free.