blocked meibomian glands

[lashin']

HI CAN ANYONE HELP HERE,
A friend of mine suffers from blocked meibomian glands which can turn into meibomian cysts or chalazions. They are glands that produce sebum to lubricate the eye. It is caused by an overproduction of sebum. It is hereditary in her case and she has seen an ophthalmologist to be diagnosed with this, She is interested in extensions but worries it will aggravate her condition. When she feels it coming on(it turns into a whitehead which lasts a couple of days) she has to clean it with baby shampoo and massage the area for it to clear up. Has anyone else heard of this or have any suggestions as to whether to apply extensions or not???

[Lash Out! Administrator]

Im sorry to tell you, but this sort of client should NOT have eyelash extensions. There are several reasons why you need to turn her away...

The eyelids contain about 30 tiny meibomian glands which lubricate the edge of the eyelid. When one of these glands becomes blocked (appearing like a whitehead), a meibomian cyst develops. Meibomian cysts are more likely to develop in people who have BLEPHARITIS (inflammation of the eyelids) and in those with skin conditions such as acne, rosacea or seborrhoeic dermatitis. A stye is an infected sebaceous gland, which will burst of its own accord, releasing a small amount of pus and then clears up.

1. Clients with this condition require maintaining, the highest standard of hygiene in their eye care. Ultimately the regular washing of her eyes may cause her to pull out her natural lashes while she is cleaning the area.

2. The over-production of sebum (oil), will ultimately cause her extensions to debond the glue. Resulting in her extensions only lasting for a short time. Even clients with the oiliest skin types have issues with long lasting results. Although this case is very rare, this sort of client would need to have to have refills every 1-2 weeks.

3. Cysts are a contra-indication to eyelash extensions