An eye stye is often uncomfortable and can cause redness and irritation. It is mainly caused by an infection or inflammation of the sebaceous gland. Similar to a small, red, painful bump, it is most often located on the eyelid or under the eye. Although generally benign, styes can be particularly annoying. That's why we'd like to take you on a tour of methods for preventing the appearance of a stye.
Understanding the causes of styes to better prevent their appearance
The origin of styes is bacterial and infectious. In other words, a stye can occur when bacteria enter the eye's hair follicles, where the roots of the eyelashes are located.
Bacteria can be transferred to your eyes when you touch them. Most of the time, your eyes can defend themselves against bacterial infection. But sometimes, the immune system may not be effective enough, leading to a stye.
So preventing styes depends on many factors, including your skin's health, skincare habits, environment and lifestyle. Of course, no prevention method is infallible. However, specific preventive measures can reduce the risk of another stye appearing.
That's what we're going to see now.
Good eye hygiene to prevent styes
As you can imagine, avoiding touching your eyes during the day limits the transfer of bacteria. However, it's not always easy to avoid rubbing your eyes. That's why it's essential to wash your hands regularly, using a mild soap.
If you wear make-up, remember to remove it thoroughly at the end of the day, using gentle products on both eyes and skin.
Moisturize to prevent the appearance of styes
Moisturizing your body, skin, and eyes can help your eyelids remove bacteria from hair follicles more quickly. Don't hesitate to drink enough water daily and keep your skin hydrated with skincare products suited to your skin type.
You can use lubricating drops daily to prevent dry eyes if you have dry eyes. Indeed, people with dry eyes tend to rub their eyes more often. Keeping your eyes moisturized is also a good preventive method against styes.
Limit contact with eye-aggressive products
Check the composition of your skincare products, such as shampoos, moisturizing creams and lotions for the face, make-up, make-up removers, etc. Choose the most skin-friendly products to avoid irritating your skin and eyes.
Also, check the composition of cleaning products. If there is a risk of aggressive cleaning agents, such as oven cleaners, coming into contact with your eyes, use protective eyewear.
Be careful with fragrances whose composition is not always indicated on the packaging.
Finally, avoid exposure to chemicals and cigarette smoke.
Accumulate enough hours of sleep each night
When you sleep, your eyes regenerate. Sleep is critical in maintaining overall eye health. Conversely, lack of sleep can lead to styes. Sleeping at least 7 hours a night can help prevent inflammation of the eye's hair follicles.
Balancing your diet
What you eat and drink affects your health and well-being. Eating a varied, balanced diet helps maintain good eye health. Diversifying your diet allows your body to find the many nutrients it needs in food.
To help you, you can refer to Canada's Food Guide. It perfectly illustrates that eating a varied diet is one of the keys to a healthy diet. And don't hesitate to include omega-3-rich foods (such as eggs, salmon, mackerel, walnuts, etc.) in your menus.
Alcohol is one of the consumer products that can cause severe damage to the body. Consequently, limiting alcohol consumption helps maintain a healthy lifestyle.
If you've had styes in the past, we recommend that you book an appointment for an eye exam. Our care specialists will be able to give you personalized advice following the results of the exam.
