Styes: Causes, Symptoms, Home Remedies & Treatment

Everyone loves to keep their face bright and shine without pimples, especially women. Having a stye on their eyelids can make them worry. And so they try to make it heal faster. So to help them, here we’ve given some tips to speed up the healing process of stye.

But before entering into the hot topic, we must know what is stye and how to prevent them? So that we can be aware of some infections that make us unhealthy.

What is a Stye?

A stye (hordeolum) is an infection or a red bump like a pimple appears on the edges of the eyelid. This infection is caused by the bacteria named staph (Staphylococcus aureus) on the glands of the eyelids.

Lots of tiny oil glands are present on your eyelids, especially around the eyelashes. Dirt, dead skin, or oil buildup can block these small holes, which in turn allows the bacteria to grow inside and causes infection. That infected gland is called a stye.

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Types of Styes

The stye can be caused both externally and internally and so there are two types of stye.

External Stye: Appears at the base of an eyelash.
Internal Stye: Occurs in any of the tiny oil glands present within the eyelid.

In most cases, styes are caused as a result of the blocked oil gland. But these red bumps on your eyelid may also be a sign of some other conditions like chalazia, a scratch, milia, or cancer in rare cases.

What Causes a Stye?

Staphylococcal bacteria found in our nose causes stye. This bacterium already infects your nose and when you rub your nose, then your eye, it easily transfers to the eye causing stye.
This bacteria causes inflammation or infection on the eyelash follicles or oil glands that drain through ducts into the eyelashes. When the duct is blocked, oil cannot drain and flow back into the gland. Therefore, the gland swells up and inflames, which is said to be stye. The most common causes of styes are:

Touching or rubbing your eye with the same hand used for the nose.
Using contaminated eyeliners or makeup
Not removing the eye makeup
Blepharitis can also be a reason for the inflammation of the eyelids.
If occurred in the past
Some medical conditions such as ocular rosacea, seborrheic dermatitis, diabetes, etc.

Symptoms & Signs of Stye

Styes usually go off on their own within a week or 10 days,” says Dr. Michele Green, a New York-based cosmetic dermatologist.

The most common symptoms of stye include:

A bump or pimple on the eyelid
Redness
Swelling and pain in the eyelid
Itchiness
Soreness and tenderness
Frequent crust formation around the eyelid
A burning sensation
Tears fall off more frequently or Watery eyes

If your stye did not cause any pain, then it may not be a stye, a chalazion. Both are similar, but stye is painful while chalazion does not hurt you a lot. The treatments are also similar for both stye and chalazion. But in the case of a chalazion, it may take a longer time to heal.

10 Best Home Remedies for Stye

Generally, styes heal themselves on their own. But it takes a long time to heal the bump. So most of them use some home remedies to speed up the healing process and to prevent further infection. Here are 10 simple remedies that you can try to treat stye.

1. Stop Wearing Contact Lenses

One of the first important steps in stye treatment is removing possible irritants from the eye, that is contact lenses or solutions. They can cause further irritation or postpone the healing time. It might cause dryness or discomfort in the eyes. Instead of using contact lenses, you can wear power glass which gives space to heal and prevents spreading.
If you’re a lens wearer and have got cleared with stye, then use a new pair of lenses. This avoids reinfection.

2. Keep Your Eyelids Clean

Always keep your eye and the surrounding area clean, if or if not caused by stye. Keeping the eyelids clean will heal the infection as much as faster. As the eye is very sensitive, it needs to be maintained very carefully. So use only mild products on them and that should not create any further irritations or allergic reactions. Some examples that can be used are,

Mild, hypoallergenic soap
Saline solution
Tear-free baby wash or shampoo

If you use tear-free baby shampoo, then mix a few drops in them with a little bit of warm water. Then clean the area around the stye using a cotton swab or washcloth or even with your finger. But make sure that they are clean.

Do this every day until the stye goes off. This can also help you prevent future styes. It can also help break down the bacterial membranes. Follow the same procedure for the above products also.

3. Pause Your Makeup Routine

Avoiding cosmetics around the stye prevents further irritation as well as the spreading of bacteria through brushes or tools that you use during makeup. Once your stye has healed off, replace the old makeup tools with a fresh one, so that you can resume your makeup routine.
We all know eyes are very sensitive and thinner than other parts of the body. So you have to use makeup very safely around your eyes. The American Academy of Ophthalmology suggests some tips to take care of your eyes.

Wash your hands before you start your makeup.
Do not share your makeup brushes, eyeliners, or mascara with others.
Clean your makeup brushes and other tools regularly.
Don’t use expired or defective products.

4. Use a Warm Compress

A warm compress is one of the most effective ways to cure stye. It helps you relieve irritation, pain and also induces in healing the stye of its own.

How to do it?

Take a clean cloth, dip into warm water and place it over the affected area. Let it stay there for up to 10 minutes. The warmth helps to draw the pus to the surface of the stye and dissolves it. So the stye drains naturally. You can do this warm compress three to four times a day.

Note: Make sure that you are using only warm water. If the water is too hot, it might damage your skin and causes discomfort. Don’t press or try to puncture the stye.

5. Try Warm Tea Bags

Like a warm compress, warm tea bags may also help in reducing the bump as well as irritation on the surrounding area. This also involves the same method as a compress.

Steep the tea bag for a few minutes in boiling water. Then remove the tea bag from water and leave it to cool until it is comfortable for your skin. Then keep the tea bag on your eye or the affected area for up to 10 minutes. Remove it off after 10 minutes and gently pat the area with a soft cloth. You can do this method on both eyes, but make sure that you’re using a separate tea bag on each eye.

Note: Use black tea or any other herbal tea bags that have antibacterial properties. This will be very effective in treating stye. Because the antibacterial properties in the herbs have the potential to kill the bacteria found in the stye.

6. Don’t Pop a Stye

Avoid popping or squeezing a stye. Because squeezing the stye will tend to release pus which might spread the infection. It also creates more irritation and extends the healing process.

If the stye irritates you too much or interferes with your vision, then it is best to see a doctor for the right treatment. You don’t do anything by yourself. The doctor will keenly notice the reason and spread of the infection and will provide you with the right medications that drain the stye quickly.

7. Applying Light Pressure

As I said in the above section that you should not pop or squeeze a stye, then you may ask how applying light pressure will help?

Applying a very light pressure or massaging around the area can give you relief from the pain. It may help the stye to drain on its own. Use your clean hands and gently massage the affected area. If you find any drainage on the stye, then use a clean cloth or wash that area with mild soap and water. If you feel any discomfort while doing it, then stop immediately.

8. Applying Ointment

Ointment used for treating the eye area promotes faster healing and also provides relief from a stye. Use a cotton swab or your own finger and apply a few drops of ointment on the eyelid. Make sure that your finger or cotton swab is clean.
While choosing an ointment, keep in mind that your eye is sensitive. So select the safest product for your eye. Avoid any ointment that contains steroids or whitening agents.

Can eye drops treat a stye?

Exactly eye drops cannot heal the stye, but it relieves the dryness or irritation that occurs when the stye has healed off. A topical ointment is the best to relieve discomfort caused by the stye.

9. Use an OTC Pain Reliever

In addition to OTC ointment, you can also try out over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen or acetaminophen to relieve pain. It might also reduce the inflammation or irritation in and around the stye. Both Ibuprofen and acetaminophen are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that effectively relieve pain, irritation, and speed up the healing process.
If the stye is severe even after using these medications, then it is better to visit the doctor for the right treatment.

10. Seek Medical Treatment

If your stye does not respond to any of the remedies or if the condition has gone worse, then immediately consult an eye doctor. If the condition is more serious, your doctor only can give proper treatment to drain the stye.

How to Prevent Styes

Don’t rub or touch your eyes more often.
Keep your hands clean or use a hand sanitizer to keep them clean.
Use fresh contact lenses and clean them according to the instructions
Wash your hands with warm water or soap often
Avoid wearing eye makeup or using the expired ones
Wear glasses instead of contact lenses
Keep you free from itchy eyes or allergies

Natural Remedies to Heal Stye

An excellent natural remedy to treat the stye is a warm compress. This helps relieve pain, irritation, inflammation and eases the release of pus. We have explained it in the previous section, refer to it if needed.

Here we’ll deal with other natural remedies that help to treat the stye. Some of them are chamomile, aloe vera, cloves, and organic baby shampoo.

1] Chamomile and Rosemary Eyewash

A great natural remedy for stye treatment is washing your eyes twice or thrice a day with a chamomile and rosemary infusion. This is because chamomile possesses calming properties that help relieve pain and discomfort. While rosemary is a natural antibiotic that kills bacteria.

Ingredients
30 g chamomile flowers
3 rosemary stems
½ liter (17 oz) boiling water

Preparation Method
Put the required amount of chamomile flowers and rosemary stems into the boiling water and leave it for up to five minutes. Then remove the flowers and stems. Allow the mixture to cool down and then wash your eyes with this infusion.

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2] Massage with Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is a medicinal plant that is loaded with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. They help to reduce swelling in and around the stye and prevent the spread of infection. This remedy is very effective and can be used to relieve pain, redness, and swelling in the eye.

Ingredients
Aloe vera leaf -1

Preparation Method
Cut the aloe vera and open it. Carefully remove the transparent aloe vera gel from it. Take a little amount of the aloe gel and apply it on the stye, keeping your eye closed. Also, gently massage that area.

Then leave it for up to 20 minutes for the nutrients to enter into stye from the gel. Then wash it off with a little warm water. You can also use a warm chamomile infusion to clean the gel. By doing this, you’ll get great relief from irritation and it significantly reduces swelling.

3] Clove Infusion Compress

Cloves are the common spice that we use in our kitchen. But do you know that clove is an excellent pain reliever? Yes, cloves act as natural analgesics that help in relieving pain and killing bacteria. For this reason, cloves are widely used in toothpaste and improve overall dental health. decrease eye irritation, and can also eliminate bacteria.

Here, it fights off the bacteria and relieves pain. If the bacteria still did not get removed from an eye stye, then will worsen the pus accumulation and swellings in the eyelid.

Ingredients
6 cloves
Cup of boiling water

Preparation Method
Take a pan, boil a cup of water and then add cloves to it. Then leave the mixture for five or six minutes Strain the mixture and dip a clean cloth or cotton swab into it. Remove the excess water and slowly apply it to the affected area. Let the cloth stay there from five to ten minutes. You can also do it twice or thrice a day.

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4] Organic Baby Shampoo

One of the most important steps involved in treating a stye is the compress. Keep your eye clean as much as possible. This avoids pain and swelling.

Organic baby shampoo is another great natural choice for washing your eyes because it cleans the skin without causing burning or eye irritation. Wash the shampoo from the eye to relieve discomfort.

Closing Thoughts

As everyone is using makeup, especially women, most of them are suffering from stye. Mostly stye does not require any medical treatment, because stye itself disappears on its own. However, if it lasts for more than 10 days or is severe enough, then consult an ophthalmologist as soon as possible. Be preventive and take care of your health!!