The Danger of Lining Your Waterline!

by BR Kellie

From the 'oh my giddy aunt, why would you show this to me?' files... Recently BR Nat was kind enough to share with me this Tiktok video, from optometrist Dr Brittani Carver, about the danger of consistently wearing eyeliner in your waterline. In a nutshell, the video shows the waterline being squeezed and oil coming out that is thick and gloopy, not like olive oil, which is apparently how it ought to look.

In typical TikTok fashion the video isn't long enough to go into why this gloopy secretion is caused by wearing eyeliner and why we ought not to use it regularly, so I did some digging...

My eyes have glands? 

Indeed they do! They're called Meibomian glands, and they hang out in our waterline. As the video shows, the glands secrete oil in order to help our eyes not dry out. If they become blocked or if the quality of the oil becomes compromised it can result in Meibomian Gland Dysfunction, which can be as simple as experiencing irritated, scratchy eyes, but can also result in styes, or even changes in your vision.

So what's eyeliner got to do with it?

Simply put, regular usage of eyeliner, or any usage of eyeliner, on our waterline can contribute to the glands becoming blocked, which can result in Meibomian Gland Dysfunction. Other factors to developing the syndrome can include age, and wearing contact lenses.

So how can we take better care of the area?

The easy fix? Don't apply eyeliner to your waterline. If you do find your eyes are irritating you, have a chat with a health professional. The sooner, the better, as since we only get one set of eyes we really need to do our best by them.

What if I really want to wear eyeliner?

If you really want to wear eyeliner in your waterline, keep it to special occasions, and make sure you cleanse the area well at the end of the day.

While I really did NOT need to see an oil gland being squeezed, I'm now grateful for the information. Turns out sharing really can be caring.

So... are you a fan of applying liner to your waterline? Will you be thinking twice about doing it the next time? Has it now been relegated to a 'special occasions only' makeup look? Or are you not all that bothered and happy to continue applying eyeliner to your waterline? Chat below!