Successful LASIK surgery allows makeup wearers to experiment with new looks without glasses. Unsurprisingly two of the most common questions asked are, “when can I wear makeup after LASIK?” and “when can I wear mascara after LASIK?”.
During the healing and recovery period after LASIK surgery in Kansas City, your doctor’s primary concern will be inflammation and infection, hence wearing makeup takes a back seat.
Forgoing makeup to protect your vision is absolutely invaluable!
You will be prescribed prescription eye drops during recovery. The vast majority of the time, if taken correctly, these drops (not makeup) are necessary to fast-track and improve healing.
This blog explains how long after LASIK you can wear makeup and offers some post-surgery makeup tips.
Although some patients can wear makeup a few days post-LASIK surgery, we recommend waiting at least a week. That’s because tiny particles from eyeliner, eyeshadow, mascara, and blush or bronzer can quickly come into contact with your eyes and cause an infection.
Additionally, wearing eye makeup after LASIK can irritate your eyes, which may prolong recovery. Immediately after surgery, your eyes are more prone to infection because of the healing flap on the cornea.
Neither stitches nor bandages are required for the flap to heal, but since there’s nothing to hold it in place, infection from bacteria and loose particles may occur. Moreover, bacteria are everywhere, including on makeup brushes and application tools. So, it’s not only loose makeup particles that may cause harm during the makeup application process.
Please note that if you wear eyelash extensions, you must remove them before the surgery. The chemical used to remove extensions can irritate the eyes, so be sure to take them off a few days before your procedure.
What’s more, eyelashes play an essential role during recovery. Poorly applied lash extensions can cause lashes to rub and scratch eyes. When combined with post-surgery dryness, this can be pretty irritating and painful.
To ensure a smooth recovery, you shouldn’t replace or refill eyelash extensions after LASIK for a minimum of two months.
The severity of infections can vary; some may even result in permanent vision loss. As such, preventing infection is much easier than treating it.
Symptoms of infection caused by makeup include:
Contact your doctor immediately if you think you’ve developed an infection. Of course, following your doctor’s post-surgery care instructions is the best way to avoid such medical emergencies and speed up the healing process.
How long after LASIK until I can wear mascara? You’ll receive instructions regarding your postoperative care during your preoperative consultation, including when and how to wear makeup again.
If you need to wear makeup following your LASIK procedure (such as for a special event), you may want to postpone your surgery. In your free consultation with our team of experts, we will discuss your options and help you decide what’s right for you.
Below are a few general guidelines, but please bear in mind that every patient is different.
Avoiding makeup 24 hours before LASIK is best. As we previously mentioned, if you wear eyelash extensions, you’ll need to remove them. Consider tinting your lashes a week or two before the procedure if you can’t live without mascara.
You can’t wear makeup on the day of your procedure. We also recommend not wearing perfume or aftershave and removing moisturizer or lotions from your face. Clean skin ensures vapor and additional moisture and oils don’t interfere with the procedure.
We’re often asked, “how long after LASIK can I wear eye makeup?” or “when can I wear makeup after LASIK?”. Ideally, avoid wearing mascara for up to two weeks. The same applies to other eye makeup that could end up in your eyes. And when you do start to wear mascara after LASIK, ensure it isn’t waterproof.
Some basic guidelines:
The more cautious you are about when you can wear makeup after LASIK, the better.
LASIK has improved millions of people’s vision and made their lives easier. At Discover Vision Centers, we take great pride in offering LASIK surgery that provides every patient with the best visual outcome possible. Schedule a free LASIK eye exam to determine if you’re a suitable candidate and learn more about when you can wear makeup after LASIK.
