01 June 2007
Women’s beauty habits are putting eye health at risk, new research reveals.
In the quest for beauty, one in every four women is putting their eye health AND looks at risk by using bacteria-infected make-up over FOUR YEARS OLD, a new study by The College of Optometrists reveals today.
While millions of pounds are spent on beauty products every year, it seems that hygiene is not a priority for British women. Despite recommendations that eye make-up should be thrown away after six months, 92% of women admit to keeping their mascara for longer than that, and nearly two-thirds use eye make-up that is over two years old.
A quarter of those surveyed also confessed to sharing eye make-up with friends, family and colleagues, even though 1 in 10 admit to frequently suffering from unsightly eye conditions such as conjunctivitis.
Dr. Susan Blakeney, Optometric Adviser to The College of Optometrists, says: “Mascara can be a breeding ground for bacteria, so it’s not surprising we’ve found nearly half of women suffer from itchy, watery and red eyes when they are holding onto their eye make-up for so long and sharing it among their friends. The irony is that eye infections are not a pretty sight!”
“Most women are either unaware of or simply ignoring manufacturers’ recommended use-by-dates,” says Dr. Blakeney. “The good news is that by taking a little bit more care with your make-up and beauty regime it’s easy to reduce the risk of eye infections.”
Some of the key findings include:
- Welsh women top the hall of make-up shame, with a third admitting to owning eye make-up that is over four years old
- Women in their late thirties and early forties have the most ancient make-up bags in the UK: 1 in 5 still uses eye make-up that is over five years old
- Over a third of women under 24 admit to sharing mascara with their friends - only 4% of those aged 55+ admit to this.
Top Tips for Safe Make-Up Use:
The College of Optometrists recommends the following simple rules for safe make-up use and maintaining eye health:
- Don’t apply make-up on the move. Scratching the eye with a mascara wand is the most common injury from make-up and can lead to eye infections. To reduce the risk of scratches, never attempt applying mascara while travelling in a car, train, bus or aeroplane.
- Don’t share your eye make-up. Sharing make-up can be risky as you may be sharing bacteria too. It’s particularly inadvisable to share mascara and eyeliner.
- Play it safe - ditch mascara after six months of use. Cosmetic brushes pick up bacteria from the skin. The risk of infection is increased if you moisten the brushes with saliva.
- Avoid using eyeliner on the inside or ‘wet’ area of your eyelids. It can block the glands there and lead to styes and dry eyes.
- Put your contact lenses in before you put your make-up on. Contact lens wearers know how important it is to keep their contact lenses clean to avoid infection but then risk compromising this with old make-up. If you are a contact lens wearer put your lenses in before you put your make-up on – not only will this will make it easier for you to see what you are doing but it will also mean you are less likely to get make-up underneath your lenses.
- Visit an optometrist regularly. Optometrists are professionally trained to not only test sight and prescribe glasses and contact lenses; they can also spot eye problems and treat infections.
The study was conducted by the College of Optometrists as part of an ongoing campaign to raise awareness of eye health issues.