This woman had a severe allergic reaction to her eyelash extensions and it sounds horrifying
Thanks to the development of new products and modern technology (including the internet, where we come to learn about all this), the beauty game is getting more and more advanced. From modern orthodontics and vampire facials to the most diverse range of makeup that's ever been made available (thanks, Rihanna) – there's so much on offer these days that promises to brighten, freshen, and perk up our faces.
But rather than skip around with glee at all the cool stuff that can hide our blemishes and accentuate our best features, we need to remember to heed caution when it comes to putting foreign materials on our faces. Case in point: 20-year-old Canadian Isabelle Kun. The nursing student recently had a severe reaction to the glue in her eyelash extensions, and the pictures are not a sight for sore eyes (no pun intended).
Credit: Isabelle Kun / Facebook
Kun, from Ottawa, told CTVNews.ca that she's been regularly getting eyelash extensions for the past year. She visits the same salon every two or three weeks and had never had a problem before now.
However, after her last appointment about a month ago, she noticed that her eyes felt more irritated than usual. After noticing them swell up a little, she went back to the salon to ask if she might have had an allergic reaction to the glue. The aesthetician waved away her concerns and answered Kun's question about whether she'd been using the same glue as usual with "I don’t know the name of the glue we use, but you should be good."
Credit: Isabelle Kun / Facebook
"So I said okay," Kun recalled, "I continued with it when I really shouldn’t have. I shouldn’t have done it when I heard she didn’t even know what glue she was using or what the ingredients were or anything."
Kun went in for her next appointment last Tuesday, and despite the slight swelling she experienced in her previous touch-up, she was determined to get her lashes done again. But this time, things got much worse. On Thursday, Kun woke up unable to open her eyes because of how swollen they'd become.
"My girlfriend had slept over and I couldn’t even see her," she said. "And I was having a hard time swallowing and even breathing."
Credit: Isabelle Kun / Facebook
Her friend quickly called an Uber to take Kun to the hospital. "They took me right in within seconds when they saw my face. My eyes [were] swollen both above and under and my tonsils were apparently really inflamed," she said. Kun was given an antihistamine and a steroid to reduce the swelling.
She was sent home, and although the swelling didn't improve, was told to continue with antihistamine pills to see if it would help. But the 20-year-old is fearful that won't happen because she still hasn't been able to get the glue out from her eyelids.
"My eyes are actually even worse now. There’s like a sac of fluid under my eye now. It’s so gross," she said. Kun realised that she may have developed a sudden allergy to the glue, and hopes her story will educate other women about the risks involved.
"Also be very careful where you go," she added. "These people are dealing with your eyes, with your vision. I mean, this morning I woke up and I wondered if I would ever be able to see again."
In any case, you should remember to check the aesthetician's credentials – and ensure that there's not just a certificate but also a license. Ask for them to use hypoallergenic glue or request an allergy test before undergoing the full treatment.
But has the experience deterred her from ever getting her lashes done again? Kun doesn't think so.
"I would want to do them again, but I will be going for allergy testing first, because I do love getting fake eyelashes," she said.