# Uncleaned Makeup is the Enemy of the Eyes!

Source page: https://www.kudretgozistanbul.com/en/blog/eye-diseases/uncleaned-makeup-is-the-enemy-of-the-eyes

**Author:** Kudret Eye İstanbul | **Medical Approval:** Op. Dr. Mehmet Ali Özdil | **Date:** 2026-09-04

> **Summary:** Going to bed without removing eye make-up, or removing it carelessly, can cause blepharitis, styes and eye infections as well as damage to the lashes. Ophthalmology Specialist Op. Dr. Deniz Oygar Baylançiçek of Kudret Eye İstanbul explains how to remove eye make-up safely and how to choose and use make-up products.

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## Risks of Uncleaned Eye Make-up
- Uncleaned mascara and eyeliner encourage bacteria and viruses and can cause blepharitis (inflammation of the lash base).
- A stye is a pus-filled abscess at the lash base, with pain, redness, itching, stinging, swelling and watering; it is more likely when body resistance is low.
- A stye often clears up on its own with warm compresses at home; if it lasts longer than 2 weeks or the pain increases, see an ophthalmologist. Recurring styes need the underlying cause assessed by an ophthalmologist.
- Expired or shared make-up invites infection and styes.
- Mascara residue makes lashes break and fall out.

## How to Remove Eye Make-up
- Use products suited to the pH of your tears.
- Cleanse gently without pressing or irritating the skin; keep product out of the eye.
- Clean the eyelids from the inner corner outwards, not top to bottom.
- Renew the cotton with a little product rather than reusing the same cotton.
- Use separate cotton for each eye, so an infection in one eye does not spread to the other.
- Wash your face after removing make-up and in the morning; dry with your own clean, soft towel or paper, not the hand towel or someone else's.
- Contact lens wearers should remove lenses before removing make-up.

## Make-up Tips for Eye Health
- Never share make-up.
- Stop using make-up and see a specialist if itching or redness occurs.
- Replace products periodically; bacteria thrive in mascara tubes and sponges.
- Buy products with an unopened safety band and note the after-opening expiry period.
- Stop using a product whose smell, colour or consistency changes, even if not expired.
- Contact lens wearers should put lenses in before applying make-up.
- Keep brushes and sponges clean; never add water to make-up.
- Wash hands and face before applying make-up.
- Do not apply eye make-up in a moving vehicle.
- Do not wear make-up during an eye infection, and replace products after recovery.
- Apply eyeliner, mascara and lash curlers carefully, even in a hurry.