Popular beauty trends can come with some dangers, such as eyelash extensions. They're popular among women for added length and volume. However, they can also cause unwanted reactions and spread infections.
"Its not the extensions, its the artist that causes the problems," said Angela Borboa, a lash artist and owner of Wink Lashes.
One of the easiest red flags to spot in a lash artist, is if they can't answer questions about their craft. Tucson lash artists Angela Borboa and Melissa Rudolphi say, you want to ask about their education on lash extensions. The more continued education the artist has the better.
Arizona state law requires cosmetologists to at least post their licenses on the wall. However both Borboa and Rudolphi say they continually display their earned certificates to show their clients they are up to date on the latest techniques.
"For artists, you don't need to get certifications. You can get certified once and just do lashes for the next 20 years. But we feel its really important to continue our education," said Melissa Rudolphi, a lash artist and owner of At Lash.
"Its like anything else. I mean, you can get a doctor. If the doctor's not doing his continued education, do you want a doctor without continued education?" said Borboa.
Between Borboa and Rudolphi, they have 17 certifications on top of their licenses. They advise that you ask about education and quality, not about price. There are many cases were people opt in for cheaper lashes, but those cheaper lashes may end up costing you more in hospital bills. That's what happened to someone Borboa knows in California.
"So she went and found somebody that did a $50 set out of her home. Now that's not to say that someone working out of their home is bad. If they're following and are complaint with the laws and regulations, then that's ok. But this particular girl wasn't. When she had applied the lashes, she actually attached the lashes to the skin, and it should never touch the skin; it created such an major reaction in her lash line. That her eyes swelled up and she needed to go to the hospital," said Borboa.
"Lash extensions are a luxury service. It can be pricy, and it can be expensive. But that's like anything else in life, you kind of get what you paid for. I think I would rather go to someone who'd really certified, knows what they're doing and uses real quality products and charge us a little bit more. But you know you're being taken care of," said Rudolphi.
Lash glue for extensions should never have latex or formaldehyde. You want a lash artist who buys her glue from a reputable lash company, and these glues usually only have two to three ingredients.
"What causes allergic reactions is 'A,' somebody could already actually be allergic," said Borboa.
Or "B," your artist is applying the glue directly to your lash line: an incorrect way of application and something that is highly known to cause allergic reactions.
"Application is everything," said Borboa.
But some people may mistake short-term irriation as an allergic reaction.
"Not necessarily, so if you think you're allergic to lash extensions, you want to make sure that you call your artist, go back, and talk about it. And they'll guide you through it. There are ways to get around it to know whether you're allergic or you're just having an irritation," said Rudolphi.
When you have a qualified and educated lash artist, if something goes wrong -- they can assess the problem and solve it. If you have an artist that is continually not able to solve your irritation problem, stop going to her right away.
