eyelash growth

sty on my eye!?

I have a sty on my eye!! Its pretty puffy and swollen looking along the line of my eyelashes (on the top). Has anyone else ever had one of these and what ended up happening?? Also, I just read that they are caused my a hair follicle that I guess has stuff clogged in it?? and they said to find that hair and try to pull it!! OUCH! should i do that…?? If so, How will I know which hair is infected

A sty is an ingrown eyelash or blocked hair follicle, and you don’t want to go poking around your eyelids. Apply a hot washcloth several times a day, and take a steam facial if you can. The body will either absorb the hair, or more likely will force it to the surface and out. If it is due to an ingrown hair, the hair will come to the surface of the skin and be held by a thin cover, which you can either rub open with the cloth, or sometimes use a tweezer to open and release the hair. If it is an infected follicle, it will form a whitehead- like the others on a face, and the heat will make it drain. In the meantime, you need to dispose of any eye makeup you have been using. That means mascara, eyeliners, and shadow (ouch the expense!). Any one of those items can carry bacteria, or have particles/clumps which have caused the pore to block. In future, be very careful to remove all makeup from the eye area every day- use a makeup remover to make sure it’s all off. Try to avoid the water-proof mascaras, as they are really hard to get off completely and are more likely to block a pore. Wash your hands well before you mess with your eye, use a clean cloth each time, and don’t touch the other eye after touching the sty until you wash your hands well. If it is an infection, you dont want to spread it to the other eye. If it really gets painful and you can’t get it to heal, you will need to visit the opthomologist. Not an optometrist- they just do glasses. An opthomologist is a medical doctor who specializes in eyes. You regular doctor may be able to help as well. But try the heat first, and give it a week to take care of itself. Just don’t go poking at your eye. Aside from the obvious danger, it’s just a welcome for a worse infection.