When you’re tired (or possibly, maybe, just a little drunk), wiping off the day’s makeup is probably the last thing that you want to do. Of course, we know that the health of your skin suffers if you opt to leave your primer, foundation, concealer, and other products on overnight. Makeup clogs pores — and ruins your sheets, too. But if you need further convincing that falling asleep in a full face is a very bad idea, take heed to the tale of Theresa Lynch.
Australian mom Lynch managed to wear her mascara every night to bed for 25 years. She started when she was 25 years old, and now that she is 50, she reached somewhat of a milestone in life.
Warning: This post contains graphic images!
When you see these pictures, you are going to realize just how dangerous it can be to fall asleep without removing your makeup. Lynch didn’t intend on being a warning for us in this regard, but you may never wear makeup to bed again.
Lynch decided to visit the doctor after having a strange sensation in her eye. She described it as being as if something was stuck in her eye and she couldn’t get it out. When the doctors examined her, they were shocked at what they saw. In fact, she even ended up as a case study in the American Academy of Ophthalmology. In that study, Lynch admitted that she wore heavy mascara for 25 years with “inadequate removal.”
“I had fallen into a bad habit of wearing a lot of makeup and not washing it off,” Lynch said. “It’s so important to properly take your makeup off every single night. You can’t miss a single day.”
The problem was on the inside of her eyelids. The buildup of mascara had calcified into lumps and that made her feel as if something was stuck in her eye. In reality, something was actually stuck in her eye!
Dr. Rebecca Taylor, a clinical spokesperson for the AAO and an ophthalmologist had the following to say: “The concretions got embedded in the conjunctiva and it went deeper into the subconjunctival layer, but you could still see it, sort of like a tattoo. She basically had these rough things stuck on the underside of her upper eyelid so every time she closed her eyes it would scratch her eyeball, particularly the cornea.”
Dr. Robaei was able to remove the bumps during a 90-minute procedure, but Lynch still isn’t out of the woods. “It was certainly disabling,” the doctor said. “She has suffered permanent scarring on her eyelid and the surface of her cornea. The symptoms are like somebody throwing a handful of sand in your eye — it’s constantly irritating.”
Because many people ignore the dangers of not washing off their makeup every night, Dr. Robaei has used Lynch’s case to raise awareness about the dangers. She published a study on the mother’s injuries and indicated that Lynch could have gone blind.
The lesson: Wash off your makeup every night. Yes, it may cost you a few precious minutes of your beauty sleep — but ultimately, it might just save your vision.
Source: AWM
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