SAN ANTONIO – Eyelash Extensions are one of the most sought after and dramatic procedures being offered in local beauty salons in South Texas, but should come with some warnings for ladies looking for long, lush lashes.
The procedure initially takes hours and involves applying individual fake lashes permanently to your existing lashes, giving you an instantaneous fuller lash line.
In five to six weeks as your real lashes naturally fall out, so do the fake lashes, setting up the need to reapply new fake lashes every two to three weeks.
Prices vary greatly from one salon to another, but touch ups can cost $50 to $100.
The problem is that people with sensitive skin can have serious allergic reactions to the strong glues used.
One such client, Bernice Kearney, chose eyelash extensions in advance of her wedding. She wore them without a problem for two months, then disaster struck suddenly.
"Within an hour, my eyes were so swollen, they were almost shut. It was horrible. It looked like I had been beaten up, then beaten up again," she said.
She applied a glycol solution to her lash line to remove the lashes, but both eyes remained swollen for three days.
"I see other people who have these eyelashes and they are so beautiful, and I would never say, ‘Oh, you shouldn't do it because of what happened to me,' but lesson learned," she warns.
Marianna Briseno is another person whose skin is too sensitive for eyelash extensions, but she is also an official Novalash trained esthetician who applies them at her Studio 120 Day Spa.
She has loyal customers who have worn the lashes for years with no problem.
But she also says she's seen and heard of issues.
"We hear stories where people are using very strange looking glues, surgical glue or cheapie glue off the shelf of the grocery store. So it depends on where you go. You have to ask a lot of questions," she suggested.
She also recommends a glue patch test on your forearm for 24 hours before trying eyelash extensions and asking for a special sensitive skin glue if you are still unsure.
She also says once you have a reaction, you should go to a professional to have them remove the offending lashes.
"I've seen people yank them out and they are pulling on their natural lashes and that's not good because they are affecting what might grow out later or it may not grow out at all," Briseno warned.
For more information on eyelash extensions, you may go to www.novalash.com or www.studio120sa.com.