Again. A chalazion. Why are these suddenly a problem?

August 3, 2014 9:39 AM

After fifty-some years of no problems I got a chalazion in May, and attributed it to some new make-up. They are annoying and take time to resolve. After six weeks of no make-up at all I just got another one, on the other eye. Why am I getting these now, and how do I treat my eye-lids better so they stop recurring? NB. I don't have tuberculosis.

So I did the research and find there is not much information about why these happen. I haven't any predisposition to them and now I have had two in three months. What should I do? I have never fussed with my eyes much and realize I must do better at taking make-up off, but beyond that what will help me?

posted by jet_silver to Health & Fitness (5 answers total)

Best answer: For me, removing makeup better completely solved the problem. The easiest product was Biore makeup removing cloths (or similar), because soap and water was insufficient, or worse, painful.
posted by xo at 10:07 AM on August 3, 2014

My husband has a tendency toward these, usually precipitated by allergies to pollen.

He had to be diligent about the warm compresses on the eye, and did get some antibiotic ointment from the eye doctor. Also, they recommended gentle washing in the shower using baby shampoo.

The nurse said the warm compresses have to be done as many times per day as he can tolerate and it does make a difference.

Also, he started Claritin a bit before allergy season this Spring, and did not get any, ymmv.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 10:09 AM on August 3, 2014 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Seconding regular gentle eyelid washing as a preventative measure. I had a different recurrent eyelid condition that was a problem after eye surgery, and the washing made a huge difference for me. A quick search confirms that this is also recommended for your condition. As with any healthcare advice here, I would recommend running it by your doctor first.

The baby shampoo method worked pretty well for me, but I ended up using a foaming lid wash with a mild detergent and tea tree oil that worked better in my case. I've also found that a few drops of sterile saline in each eye afterwards relieves any irritation from the cleanser.
posted by gimli at 11:13 AM on August 3, 2014 [1 favorite]

Nthing allergies as a consideration. My daughter had a chalazion that wasn't resolving on its own even with religious warm compresses a few times a day over a number of months. We were talking to the ophthalmologist about surgical removal. It unexpectedly shrank and disappeared in a matter of a couple of weeks once we gave away our cat, to whom she was very allergic. (Though we did that because of her breathing problems, the eyes were an unexpected bonus.)
posted by Andrhia at 12:24 PM on August 3, 2014

I'd toss all eye makeup, and replace it after the current infection has cleared up, making sure not to contaminate the eye makeup with any unpleasant bacteria that may have gotten in there.
posted by theora55 at 5:42 AM on August 4, 2014