Category: A&P

Posted on by — Leave a comment

The Eyelash Lifecycle

They do say that eyes are the windows to the soul.  Whatever they are, most of us women tend to want lovely, long and curled ends to our lashes, but how many of us have thought about the whole life cycle and what happens to them?

All the hair on our bodies follows a natural growth cycle, and it’s important to look after our lashes so they remain in good condition throughout our lives.  Just look at the amount of people who plucked their eyebrows to the bare minimum in the 80’s and 90’s, and how they can’t ever recover those full brows they once had.

Our eyelashes have a very important job, so look after them.  If something touches them, we blink, which in many cases, repels the dust and dirt from falling into our eyes.  We’re all different in how many lashes we have.  On average, we have about 120 on our upper lid and around 77+ on our lower lids.    We can lose a few lashes every day.

The Lifecycle of an Eyelash

1 – Growth

This lasts around a month and a month and a half.  They grow at different times, otherwise, they’d all fall out and be regrowing at the same time.

2 – Transition

When our lashes have reached their full length, they stop growing.  When that happens, the now redundant follicle begins to reduce in size, and the eyelash risks falling out.   This phase can last a few weeks, and if an eyelash falls out at this point, it won’t recover and begin to grow again until the resting time has elapsed.

3 – Resting

At this point, it’s when our lashes lie dormant, not growing and the follicle does nothing, and can last up to three months.  During this time, the lash will fall out and when it’s over, new ones will begin to grow.

Tips To Protect Precious Eyelashes

  1. Take mascara and make up off before going to sleep.  Lying on your lashes can cause them to break, when the rigid, mascara coated lashes come into contact with a pillow you’ve fallen soundly sleep on.
  2. Use water based mascara as often as possible.  Waterproof mascara may be top-notch is making a curled end stay in place, but it’s hard-wearing on our delicate lashes.
  3. Pat your face dry, especially your eyelashes, and don’t rub.  Rubbish can break and pull out lashes before they’re ready in the natural growth cycle.
  4. Comb your lashes gently and regularly, when they are clean and make-up free, to separate them, especially if they’ve been lifted or have extensions.
Posted on by — Leave a comment

The Anatomy of the Eye

Have you ever wondered about the anatomy of your eye?  If so, here’s a little reminder, or a whole lot of a lesson for those who don’t know.

Our lovely little eye globe sits in two bony sockets, called orbits of the skull.   Inside these orbits, our eye globes are embedded in orbital fat, for their own protection.  Around that, there is a membrane known as the Tenon’s capsule, which separates the globe from the orbital fat, but lets the globe move around freely.

To move our eyes, four rectus and two oblique muscles work to move the globes in different directions.

Eye Globe

How is it made up?

Conjunctiva

The mucus membrane lining the inner surface of the eyelids.

Cornea

The transparent and domed part of our eyeballs that also covers the iris and pupil, letting the light into the eye.

Iris

A muscular diaphragm suspended in the front lens of the eye.   This is the part that gives colour to the eyes, knows as pigment, and excludes light, apart from what is allowed through the pupil.

Lens

The lens sits behind the pupil and focuses incoming light rays onto the retina.

Macula

At around the centre of the retina, this almost all consists of retinal cones, responsible for colour.

Optic Nerve

This nerve carries the necessary electrical impulses from the visual information received by the retina.

Pupil

In the iris, the pupil lets light through to the lens of the eye, allowing it to react with the retina.

Retina

Nervous tissue at the back of an eyeball.  Light hits the tissue and initiates an electrochemical reaction, where electrical impulses are sent to the brain.

Vitreous Humor

Gelatinous mass that occupies space between the lens and retina, compused of 99% water.

Our Vision

Our eyes act similar to a camera, as vision starts when light enters the eye through the cornea.  Light travels through aqueous fluid and passes through the pupil.  As muscles in the iris relax or constrict, the pupil changes size to adjust to the amount of light entering the eye.  When light rays land on the retina, they form an upside down image.  The retina coverts the image to an electrical impulse, travelling along the optic nerve to the brain, where it is interpreted as an upright picture.

Corneal Thickening

Vision is affected if the cornea is thickened and loses transparency due to swelling or fluid build up in the cornea.  This happens after eyes have been closed or had pressure applied for a period of time.  Once eyes opened, air dehydrates the cornea, reducing thickness and restoring vision.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

I have a medical condition, can you still treat me?

The answer to this isn’t cut and dried.  It will depend on the treatment, your condition and the length of time your condition may affect you for.   I’ve had many disappointed clients at the point of consultation due to a medical condition making them unsuitable for treatment or requiring a letter from a GP to go ahead, but my answer to them is always the same.  If I carry out a treatment that has a negative impact or affects the treatment they are receiving from another therapist or a medical practitioner, I could do more damage to their health by continuing the treatment.

Please don’t be offended if we ask you to take a letter to your GP or consultant for their permission to go ahead with a treatment.

Common conditions are:

Skin Conditions

  • Both eczema and psoriasis are ok for most treatments, unless they directly affect the area to be treated, for example affecting the eyes when you want your lashes tinted.  It would not be appropriate to carry out that treatment, while a reflexology treatment may be perfectly suitable if the lower limb area is not affected.
  • Rosacea and acne do not usually stop treatments, unless you are being treated by a topical skin treatment, at which time we would rather you wait until your practitioner tells you it is ok to receive treatments.
  • Fungal infections such as athlete’s foot and ringworm would mean the area affected cannot be treated until it has cleared up completely.
  • Verrucas and wards would cause the affected area to be untreatable, however would not hinder other treatments.
  • Rashes will depend on where they are and what the causes are.  Speak to your GP.

Infections

  • colds, flu, cough and bronchitis tend to make you feel bad, so it’s not a good idea to have a treatment.
  • infectious diseases: please remain at home until you are fully better.
  • fever: please remain at home until you are free from illness, as you have an infection in your body.

Cancer

Dependent on your condition, however if you are under treatment, chemotherapy or radiotherapy, we are unable to treat you unless your GP writes to us and lets us know a therapy is suitable for you.

Pregnancy

In the first trimester, we cannot treat you.  For those after 12 weeks, there are still treatments we cannot carry out.  Lash treatments are unsuitable, as are products with chemicals and scents, due to pregnant women being unable to take antihistamine medication in the event of an adverse reaction.

Other Conditions

  • lice, scabies or other:  please do not come for treatment until you are fully clear of the conditions.
  • unusual conditions: please refer to your GP
  • undiagnosed lumps and bumps: please refer to your GP

Your Therapist

Please remember, that if you arrive for an appointment with a contra indicated condition, ie one that we cannot treat you for, and you have not disclosed that, we cannot fill that space and reserve the right to charge for a portion of that treatment.  Cancelling your appointment has a monetary loss of value for us, but we don’t want to put you at risk.

Please do not be angry with us for asking you to go and see your GP, it is for your own benefit, to ensure you do not receive a treatment that may make your health condition worse.