Disadvantages of Eyelash Perming

It sounds simple enough--you lie back and close your eyes as a licensed technician adheres your eyelashes to a small spongy roller. There is protective gauze in the area underneath your eyes in the event of a spillage, however minor. You keep your eyes shut as the perming solution sets your lashes in place. All appears to flow smoothly, yet you wake up the following day and notice that your eyes are extra sensitive. Know that you won't be the first one with an adverse reaction to eyelash perming. Before deciding to try the procedure, at least be informed of the risks involved.

Significance

Along with everything else that people have withstood for the sake of looking more attractive, eyelash perming is one more potentially risky item to add to the list. Lash perming might actually appear tame when compared to other beauty practices known to have harmful effects. The more daring among us may even reason that although blindness may result from the procedure, there have been no reports so far of deaths resulting from it. After all, women--and men--have engaged in bleeding themselves to appear paler, wearing arsenic-laced cosmetics as a complexion aid and baking in the sun for hours at a time to get a tan.

Warning

If you think that the chance of losing your sight after an eyelash perming session gone wrong is slim, there are other factors you may want to weigh. Using potent chemicals on your lashes makes them fall out more quickly than they typically would. While the life span of a lash is normally around five months before it falls out for a new one to take its place, eyelash perming causes lashes to shed around two months after the procedure. Not only may your lashes become noticeably sparser, they may become brittle as well and break off, appearing much shorter. Allergic reactions are also common, and irritated eyes have to be soothed with eye drops for a few days after the perm.
To stay on the safest side possible, do not attempt to perm your lashes at home. Go to a qualified aesthetician instead.

Function

Lashes that have been permed are upturned and stay that way from anywhere in between a month and a half to three months. A makeup wearer wanting to deduct minutes off of her beauty regimen may choose to get a lash perm so that she no longer has to fiddle with an eyelash curler every morning. Someone with small or downturned eyes may also opt to get her lashes permed to keep her eyes looking flatteringly doe-like even after crying, swimming or sweating through a workout. However, another consideration that may affect your decision is the price. It is still cheaper to invest in a lash curler and mascara--both of which can be purchased from even the dollar store--as compared to the $60 to $100 that you spend on an eyelash perm at a salon.

Prevention/Solution

You may find yourself frightened by the risks of eyelash perming and decide not to pursue it, yet still want upturned lashes. Eyelash extensions, which are also semi-permanent and make lashes appear to have been curled as well, are an alternative you can explore. Nevertheless, if you are firm about not wanting any eye-related beauty procedures, you can still get your desired results through makeup. Learn how to use an eyelash curler coupled with a lengthening or curling mascara. Add false eyelashes if you wish.

Misconceptions

If your reasons for wanting to get your eyelashes permed involve the hope that they will appear darker or increase in length afterward, you are better off seeking other solutions. Eyelash perming may make your lashes appear longer immediately after the process, as they are flicked upwards and are thus more noticeable, but they do not actually grow. As for light-colored lashes, they need a separate treatment to get any darker. If tinting is what you are after, your safest bet is to simply experiment with mascara instead.

Resources

• Video on the disadvantages of eyelash perming