Best Ways to Treat a Stye + When Medical Action is Needed
Anyone thats ever woken up with a swollen, red bump on their eyelid, knows that an eye stye can be painful and unattractive.
We are all susceptible to developing this pimple-like condition, as our eyelids have many oil glands that can become clogged with dead skin cells, bacteria, dirt, and make-up.
The good news is that styes are easily treatable at home by following these tips. However, if your stye is unresponsive to these remedies or worsens, medical action may be necessary.
Here are 8 ways to heal a stye.
1. APPLY A WARM COMPRESS
A warm compress is one of the best ways to treat a stye at home. You can run a clean washcloth under warm water and apply it to the affected area for 5-10 minutes at a time.
This technique is useful because it assists in dissolving the pus that has developed within the eye stye.
2. CLEANSE THE EYELIDS WITH MILD SOAP AND WATER
Keeping the eyelids free of any other bacteria is essential to accelerate healing of an eye stye.
Patients can cleanse the eyelids with a tear-free shampoo, warm water, and a cotton pad or washcloth.
Saline solution is another option to remove any build-up from the eyelids.
3. PLACE A TEA BAG ON THE STYE
Prepare the tea bag as you normally would and wait until it cools. Then rest it on the stye for 5-10 minutes.
You can use any type of tea, but black tea is especially helpful because it has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties.
4. TAKE OVER THE COUNTER PAIN MEDICATION
Over the counter pain medication, including ibuprofen and acetaminophen, can be taken to alleviate discomfort associated with a stye.
However, if pain begins to interfere with your daily activities, it is time to schedule an appointment with your dermatologist.
5. SKIP MAKE-UP AND CONTACT LENSES
Make-up and brushes can attract bacteria and potentially transfer infection from one eye to the other. Therefore, its recommended that patients avoid using cosmetics until their stye has healed.
Additionally, wearing contact lenses can further irritate the eyes, and patients should use their glasses instead.
6. APPLY ANTIBIOTIC OINTMENT
Antibiotic ointment can be purchased at a pharmacy or drugstore and applied about a quarter inch inside the eyelid to help reduce a stye.
7. MASSAGE THE STYE TO PROMOTE DRAINAGE
After washing your hands, you can gently massage the stye to accelerate drainage.
8. SEE YOUR DOCTOR
These at home treatments are often effective in resolving the signs and symptoms of a stye. However, if they persist or worsen, patients should seek experienced professional medical care.
Your physician can prescribe an antibiotic cream to target infection, safely drain the stye, or inject it with a steroid to reduce inflammation.
For additional information on the ways to treat a stye, please call our office today to schedule an appointment.