The Popular Beauty Treatment That Left This Woman’s Eyes Swollen Shut

“This morning I woke up and wondered if I would ever be able to see again.” - by Lucy Bode

When it comes to beauty trends, eyelash extensions are having a serious moment right now. They nix the need for makeup, are relatively inexpensive and you practically roll outta bed looking like Beyonce.

But sometimes, when they’re not applied by an experienced technician, things can go horribly wrong – a feeling Canadian woman Isabelle Kun knows all too well.

The morning after the 20-year-old booked in for the treatment, she woke to find her eyes completely swollen shut.

“My girlfriend had slept over and I couldn’t even see her,” she told CTV News. “I was having a hard time swallowing and even breathing.”

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Isabelle rushed to hospital in an Uber, where she was admitted “within seconds.”

“They took me right in… when they saw my face,” she said. “My eyes are swollen both above and below and my tonsils were apparently really inflamed.”

For the past year Isabelle had been getting eyelash extensions every two or three weeks, and at her last appointment, she had experienced some minor irritation. So this time, the nursing student came prepared and asked for the brand name of the adhesive they used in case it was the same one she thought she might be allergic to. The tech wasn’t sure, but told her she “should be good,” so Isabelle pressed on with the treatment.

“I continued with it when I really shouldn’t have,” she admitted.

“I shouldn’t have done it when I heard she didn’t even know what glue she was using or what the ingredients were or anything.”

At the hospital, doctors administered a steroid intravenously and sent her home with antihistamines. But as the swelling prevented all of the adhesive from being removed, days later her condition hadn’t improved.

“My eyes are actually even worse,” she said.

“There’s like a sac of fluid under my eye now. It’s so gross.”

Isabelle’s advice to others getting the service? Do your research and request an allergy test when possible.

“Be very careful where you go,” she said. “These people are dealing with your eyes, with your vision. I mean, this morning I woke up and wondered if I would ever be able to see again.”