How to Get Rid of an Eye Stye Quickly | Risk Factors and Treatment

how to cure a stye

How to Get Rid of an Eye Stye Quickly | Risk Factors and Treatment

A stye, also known as a kuliti, is an infection that causes small painful bumps usually on the eyelid.

Caused due to the accumulation of bacteria around the eyes or clogged oil pores, it can even occur in one of the glands of the eyes.

Though people usually get one stye at a time, it can also occur around both eyes if the first one is not treated.

But the good news is they are one-time visitors. Once you treat them, they usually won’t reappear. 

Since most of these red bumps appear around the external eye, they are self-treatable and go off on their own. But this might take a lot of time, and sty is already a nuisance to be left open for so many days.

Fortunately, there are many easy peasy at-home remedies that one can use to get rid of a stye.

Though it is not practically possible to get rid of a sty overnight, there are ways to speed up the treatment.

 

How to Cure a Stye – 8 Remedies to Treat at Home

A sty often appears to be like a pimple, tempting you to squeeze it. 

In fact, many people believe that squeezing a sty is the best possible way to get rid of it.

Though, when it pops, it ultimately drains out and heals. But that could work another way too and even spread the infection to other areas.

Hence, you must let it take its time to heal, speeding up the treatment with the following remedies:

#1. Eyebright

For all those people looking for some quick steps on how to cure a stye on your upper eyelid, this one might be enough to end your search.

One of the most popular remedies for sty is the herbal remedy of eyebright.

As its name suggests, eyebright is known for clearing out your eyes of any sort of infection.

It has got many chemical compounds that not just reduce the infection but also relieve the swelling and redness.

Usually, it’s available in dried form which you can add to boiling water and strain out.

Then, let it cool off and apply it to your eyelid.

#2. Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar has got numerous benefits because of its anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties.

One such benefit includes treating stye as it reduces the inflammation and kills the bacteria causing the infection.

The best way to use it is by taking 2 teaspoons of organic apple cider vinegar in a cup of hot water. Soak a cotton ball in this solution and then apply it around the sty area for a minute.

Follow this remedy thrice a day for a few days to see the best results.

#3. Tea Bag Compress

All you gotta do is take a cup of boiling water and dip a tea bag in it.

Let the tea steep and then pull out the bag and wait until it becomes cold enough to be used as an eye compress.

Once it cools down, place the bag on your eyes and chill down for 5 minutes.

Because of the anti-bacterial properties of the tea, you will find the swelling gone and the redness decreases too.

#4. Cleaning Your Eyelids

Cleaning your eyelids to sweep out any dirt particles for the bacteria to stick on is the most important part of treating kuliti.

For this, you can use a diluted mild shampoo like the tear-free baby shampoos.

Take the shampoo on a cotton ball or makeup remover pad and apply it around the affected area. Then wash it off with warm water and pat dry.

As an alternative to baby shampoos, you can even use mild saline water or a moisturized eyelid pad.

These are easily available through the local stores.

#5. Colloidal Silver

It is again a famous anti-bacterial solution that helps get rid of all sorts of skin infections like skin burns and also flu.

Hence, for people wondering how to cure a stye eye infection, colloidal silver is one of the best at-home remedies.

The reason why we use it for stye is its ability to reduce infections and inflammation, and fasten the healing process.

#6. Warm Compress

If you’ve been searching for how to get rid of a stye on your bottom eyelid,warm compress is an ideal fit.

A clean, warm compress on the affected area for around 5 to 10 minutes three times a day is an effective remedy for stye.

Further, this is the easiest remedy on our list as the treatment is easily available in every house.

The reason behind its effectiveness is the heat that opens up the oil glands, making the clogged particles flow out.

Though applying a warm compress is time-consuming, the number of times you do it, the chances of stye healing go high.

You can even use a washcloth with warm water, and use it for compressing.

#7. Antibacterial Creams

There are many OTC creams available with anti-bacterial properties. You just need to apply the cream around the affected area.

There are some specific stye creams too that help reduce the symptoms.

However, you must be very careful while applying the cream as it might seep into your eyes causing irritation.

#8. Massage

Gently massage the area around the stye for a few minutes with your clean and sterilized fingers. This can open up the clogged glands, speeding up the healing process.

However, make sure you keep your hands clean while doing so to prevent the infection from spreading.

Although a stye usually doesn’t reappear once it is gone, some people may be prone to recurring stye.

For instance, people with meibomian gland disease where the oil glands around the outer eyelid usually don’t work are prone to styes.

For all such people and also the ones who don’t want this nuisance to disturb them further, the following prevention tips can be really helpful.

 

How Do You Stop Recurring Styes?

The major causes of a stye are usually touching your eyes with dirty hands.

Apart from that, there are certain lifestyle conditions that invite a stye.

Hence the following tips are what you can follow for stopping the occurrence and recurrence of a stye forever:

  • Cleaning your face properly and gently.
  • Removing your makeup every night and not sleeping with them on.
  • Don’t wash your eyelids with harsh chemical-infused products; switch to milder cleansers.
  • Always wash your hands when you are about to remove your contacts and make sure you follow all the cleaning and storage instructions for the contacts as given by the manufacturers.
  • Replace your makeup every 2 -3 months as bacteria can grow there and cause a nuisance.
  • Always keep your makeup tools clean and also keep them in clean areas to prevent any major skin and eye infections.
  • Avoid rubbing your eyes when they feel itchy, especially when your hands are dirty.
  • Don’t share your towels, masks, and other such things with people or someone who has a stye as styes are contagious.
  • Keep changing masks and use a fresh mask frequently to let your skin breathe.
  • Always take care of the diet you take as what you eat reflects through your face.
  • Never squeeze or pop a stye and let it heal on its own. 
  • Do not wear makeup or contact lenses until you have a stye. Let it heal, and then you can continue with whatever you like.
  • If you have got infected with a stye and used some makeup products during the same, replace your makeup. 
  • Apply a warm compress regularly to let the stye heal and not reoccur.
  • Improve your diet with omega-3 fatty acids as they promote a healthy surface over the eye. Some healthy sources include flax seeds, fatty fish like salmon, and walnuts.
  • Use heated sleep masks at night. These are the special masks that you can microwave and then use. They help to heat the oil glands and let the clogged particles loosen up. 

Apart from the people who have already got infected once with a sty, there are other groups of people at a high risk of a stye. These people should also take special care about their prevention and cure.

The following section highlights some major factors determining the risk of having a stye.

 

Risk Factors of a Stye

The risk of stye increases when you don’t take care of your hygiene.

Hence, the chances of getting infected with a stye increase among people who:

  • Insert and remove their contact lenses without taking care of how dirty their hands might be.
  • Forgetting about the disinfection rule with contact lenses.
  • Leaving their eye makeup through the night.
  • Using old or expired cosmetics.
  • Have chronic inflammation around the outer edge of their eyes.
  • Suffer from rosacea, which is a skin condition characterized by redness around the facial skin.

In some of these cases, the stye might just get more complicated and mutate into something bigger if not treated.

 

Complications of Stye

It is best to treat the beginning stages of eye stye, so they won’t get aggravated to cause more complications.

The most common and milder form of complication includes recurring stye. Other than that, a simple sty or kuliti can go on to block the oil glands completely. This can cause severe complications.

It is usually large and painful causing severe pain and might even affect your vision too.

This sort of infection can even spread to different areas of your face. And cellulitis is what forms the dangerous part of this infection.

Though it occurs in rare cases, people must be aware to treat their eye infections in time.

Since the complications can go on to take drastic forms, we always suggest our readers consult a doctor when in doubt.

 

When to See a Doctor for Eye Stye?

You should immediately meet a doctor for consultation when:

  • Your stye doesn’t show any improvement even after trying home remedies.
  • It worsens and becomes more painful.
  • Your eye starts paining other than the eyelid.
  • You feel your vision is getting affected.
  • The eyelids swell up or become significantly red.
  • If the stye makes it uncomfortable to open your eyes.
  • The stye is internal and the OTC formulas are not working.
  • If it continues to get bigger.

 

How to Cure a Stye – What’s the Outlook?

Well, hopefully, now you’ve got some idea about how to cure a stye and treat it at home.

If yes, then here’s what you must know. Earlier, the most popular remedy for treating a stye was popping a stye.

But actually, there are many ways to finally get rid of a stye.

Some of them might include over-the-counter formulas. While others could come directly from your kitchen.

A stye is basically a bacterial infection that affects the upper eyelid and can be treated with anti-bacterial solutions.

Moreover, most of the answers about how to cure kuliti find warm compress to be a useful treatment. However, if there are severe complications, we strongly recommend you get help from a health professional.

 

FAQs

Missed something? Here are the answers to all of your questions related to a stye.

#1. What causes styes in your eye?

So, how do you get a stye?

Well, it depends on your lifestyle and habits. Usually, they are caused by the inflammation of the eye follicles. The eyelids have small glands around them which release their secretions into the eyes through ducts. When these glands get clogged, the glands fail to drain their secretions and ultimately become swollen.

#2. How long does it take for a stye to go away?

Stye takes its own time to heal. The smaller ones heal in 2 to 5 days. Whereas, the bigger ones might need treatment and can take up to three days or even weeks to go away.

#3. How did I get a stye overnight?

The eyelids are surrounded by tiny glands that drain the eye through ducts. If any of these glands get clogged, they get swollen.  Since even a small dirt particle can clog the glands, leaving makeup overnight or not washing your face can lead to a stye.

#4. Do eye drops help styes?

There are many types of eye drops that can help relieve the pain and redness around the stye. Though they won’t heal the stye, they would relieve the symptoms.

#5. Are you supposed to massage a stye?

Yes, a warm compress is a popular and effective way of getting rid of a stye. You can soak a clean cloth in warm water and put it over the stye.  Follow this for 5 to 10 minutes several times a day. Massage the area around it to let the pores open up and the clogged particles come out. Keep your hands, face, and eye clean while doing this.

#6. How do you massage a stye away?

You can massage a stye using a warm compress with your fingers and a soft cloth. Soak the cloth in warm water and use it for compressing and massaging the area.  With your fingers, gently try pushing it upward. This will cause the clog to open up.

#7. Can I wear mascara with a stye?

No, you must stay away from any type of eye makeup including mascara when you have a stye.  It might carry bacteria that will hurt your stye and make it worse. Even, throw off the brushes that you used with a stye when doing your makeup post-healing.

#8. Should I throw out my makeup after a stye?

The makeup that you used when you were suffering from stye carries bacteria that can further cause the bacteria’s spread post-healing.  This would lead to the recurrence of the stye. Hence, it is always advisable to throw off all the makeup used during the infection.

#9. Can stress cause a stye?

There is no such clinical evidence that proves stress to be a cause behind stye.  But research does claim that stress reduces your immunity. And since your immunity goes down, your body becomes prone to infections like having a stye.

#10. Can you get a stye from lack of sleep?

The cause of almost all stye is unknown, but sleep deprivation has been noted as a possible cause. Apart from that, sleeping with makeup is another highly qualified reason for getting a sty.

#11. Can you pop a stye?

You might be tempted to pop a stye as it resembles a pimple.  But no, you shouldn’t do that as it can spread the infection and slow down the healing process. It might just worsen your case.

#12. What do you do if a stye pops?

When the stye is about to pop or pops, keep compressing until the entire stuff comes out.  Don’t burst it, let that thing rupture on its own. Some stye can just spread the infection after bursting; hence, keep cleaning the area and don’t let the pus spread out.  But if that happens, take antibiotics.

#13. What does the beginning of a stye feel like or what does a stye look like?

The early stages of stye usually show symptoms like slight redness and pain.  The eyelid might appear to have irritation. As it develops, other symptoms would appear like the formation of a red bump that resembles a pimple.

#14. How do you stop a stye from itching?

If your stye keeps on itching, you can try the following remedies:

  • Antihistamine tablets
  • Anti-allergy eye drops
  • Artificial tears
  • Warm compress
#15. How do you know a stye is healing?

The bump pops on its own and releases pus within a few days. This will relieve your pain and the itching would stop too. Gradually the bump would go away.

Have more questions? Drop them in the comments section and we’ll get right back to you.

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