When Ukrainian researchers examined the eyelashes of 25 young women who regularly wore extensions, 24 of them were harboring tiny skin mites at the base of their lashes.
Most also showed signs of trouble with the tiny oil glands that keep the eye's surface from drying out.
The findings, presented at the 44th Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons in London in September 2026, come from a survey of 345 women aged 16 to 28.
Roughly a quarter had ever received extensions, and 58 percent of that group got them every three to four weeks.
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What the researchers found on the lashes
The mite in question is Demodex folliculorum, a microscopic parasite that lives in and around hair follicles on human skin.
It is common on the face, but heavy infestation of the eyelashes is linked to a condition called demodicosis, which can cause itching, redness, swollen lids, sticky lashes, and scaly skin at the lash base.
Of the 25 women who provided lash samples for microscopic analysis, 18 had those irritation signs.
Nearly half of the wider group of extension users, 47.6 percent, reported discomfort, redness, tearing, or itching after their procedure.
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The bigger problem sits behind the lash line
The eyelids house rows of tiny oil glands called meibomian glands.
They secrete the oily layer of the tear film, the thin coating that keeps the eye's surface from evaporating between blinks.
When those glands become blocked or stop working properly, the tear film breaks down and the eye feels chronically dry, gritty, or burning, a pattern known as evaporative dry eye.
Among women who had received lash extensions ten or more times, 85 percent showed signs of meibomian gland dysfunction on infrared imaging of the lids.
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Demodex mites are not a fringe finding in dry eye clinics either.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology notes that blepharitis, an inflammation of the eyelids, may result from an over-population of Demodex mites in the eyelash follicles.
Patients often describe burning, flaking, and a foreign-body sensation, and the condition is frequently mistaken for ordinary dryness.
What the study author recommends
Dr. Tetiana Zhmud of the Department of Ophthalmology at National Pirogov Memorial Medical University in Vinnytsia, Ukraine, who led the work, is not telling anyone to throw out their lash extensions.
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She emphasized daily lid hygiene: cleansing the lashes twice a day with a preservative-free, hypoallergenic gel and a dedicated eyelash brush.
Where a mite infestation is confirmed by a clinician, she said an antiparasitic treatment may be considered.
The researchers also flagged clear limits to their work.
The lash-sample group was small, only 25 women, and there was no comparison group of women who had never worn extensions.
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Larger studies with a control arm are needed to pin down how much of the mite load and gland damage is driven by the extensions themselves versus other factors.
What to watch for if you wear extensions
Warning signs worth taking to an eye doctor include persistent itching or burning at the lash line, red or swollen lids, crusting or flakes at the base of the lashes, sticky lashes in the morning, and a gritty or dry feeling that does not go away with over-the-counter drops.
Symptoms of Demodex blepharitis and meibomian gland dysfunction overlap heavily with plain dry eye, and diagnosis usually requires an examination of the lid margin under magnification.
Warm compresses and lid scrubs are common first-line measures, and prescription options exist for confirmed mite infestation.
This article is made and published by Ida-Marie Palm Varbæk, who may have used AI in the preparation.