You're about to approach the big day you've been waiting for and getting ready to look your best, but suddenly there's a stye. Lame, right!? This lump comes on suddenly. Sometimes a lump with a small white dot appears, but it does not hurt. Sometimes the eyelids are swollen and reddish and not too visible, but it hurts so bad... and makes us grumpy!
The Staphylococcus bacteria is the cause of the stye. The bacteria clog the oil glands in the eyelids and cause inflammation. Styes can also be caused by germs and dead skin cells that get stuck at the tip of the eyelids. There are still many causes for styes, such as frequently touching your eyes with dirty hands, using expired cosmetics, not removing eye makeup before bed, or using contact lenses that are not sterile can also trigger the occurrence of a stye.
A stye can heal on its own within a week to three weeks. It may take a long time as the stye bursts, and the white tip exudes pus. Never force, squeeze or pop a stye, as infection can occur.
If the pain from a stye is too bothersome, you can take painkillers and compress the eyeball with a towel soaked in warm water. Remember always to keep your eyes clean and don't use any makeup on your eyes until the stye heals.
You can try black tea bag compresses as they are known to help reduce swelling and have antibacterial properties. The trick is to brew tea that sits in a bag for a minute. Then use the tea bag to compress the eye for 10 minutes twice a day, and use a new tea bag each time you compress your eye.