My Eyelash Extension Experience

In preparation for our 8th anniversary, I decided to do something I've never tried before - get eyelash extensions.  The nail salon that I go to (Get Polished) offers this service and I decided to give it a go.

The procedure took an hour.  It stung a little but went away.  I came home with beautiful, thick, curly lashes.  After a few hours, I noticed my right eye was slightly swollen so I took an anti-histamine before bed.  I woke up the following morning and my right eye was completely red and swollen!!!  I panicked!  I googled "eyelash extension allergy" and the search results scared me!

I don't have a picture of myself (I'd rather not scare you) but I looked like this (thankfully my left eye was spared):

I immediately phoned the owner of the salon (at 8 am no less) to inform her of what happened and she assured me her staff will take care of me as soon as they open at 10 am.  So I got there even before 10 am and the staff were already aware of my situation and were expecting me.  They also gave me a full refund.

The technician who did the procedure took care of it.  But my nightmare was just beginning.  It took her 3 hours to remove everything!!! It was excruciatingly painful!  I would imagine it as a form of torture inflicted by the FBI (sort of like having your nails plucked).  And no, I am not exaggerating. 

I've been told this is the first time this has ever happened.  But while it gives me some relief to know that this is not a regular occurrence, I believe this could have been avoided if:

1. They do a quick survey to check if you have allergies (ex. mascara, eyeliner or any cosmetic product).
2. They do a patch test of the glue (I suspect this is what caused the reaction).  A friend who manages a salon that they do this step before every eyelash extension procedure.

It's now day 3 and the swelling has subsided but it's still noticeable.  I'm sharing this experience so that people are aware that you could get an allergic reaction from a seemingly simple procedure.  I might be part of a small statistic but it's a possibility.  You should be more proactive about getting a sensitivity test done even if it's not part of their protocol.  Looking back, I should've researched more about it instead of just jumping in.  I'm just glad that the salon owner was easy to talk to.

This post does not aim to discredit the salon.  I've been patronizing their services since 2007 and will continue to do so even after this experience. I want to put this out there so they can improve their service.  Because if it happened to me, it could happen to someone else.