When can I wear makeup after Laser Eye Surgery?

After Laser Eye Surgery, it’s often a shock when you look in the mirror for the first time with your new and much greater level of visual clarity.

Ideally, the shock would come out along with something like:

“I look great without glasses.”

“I can see and I haven’t put my contact lenses in yet!”

Yet unfortunately it’s often more like:

“WOW, I didn’t realise how many wrinkles I have!”

If you’re like me and are more inclined to come out with the latter, you may be raring to find out how long it will be until you can once again wear makeup after having Laser Eye Surgery.

In the short video below, expert laser eye surgeon Mr Glenn Carp offers advice on wearing makeup after Laser Eye Surgery and stresses the importance of avoiding the big three—eye shadow, eye liner, and mascara.

Mr Glenn Carp answers the question: When can I wear make-up after Laser Eye Surgery?

I may be wrong, but Mr Glenn Carp doesn’t seem the type to adorn some blusher and mascara. Or at least if he does, he keeps the quirk well contained to outside of working hours.

This would be an impressive feat because as one of the UK and most likely the world’s leading Laser Eye Surgeons, Mr Glenn Carp’s work is his life. And so if there’s anyone to listen to regarding do’s and don’t after Laser Eye Surgery, even when it comes to makeup, it’s him.

As Mr Carp explains in the video above (in which he is makeup free) it’s best practice to abstain from wearing eye makeup for a period of at least one week after Laser Eye Surgery.

Fortunately, this week-long makeup-free period doesn’t include all types of face make-up. For example, lipstick is fine to use just a day or two after the treatment. It’s only really the makeup that is applied in and around the eyes that needs to be strictly avoided for at least the first seven days.

During this time, it’s most important to avoid wearing the following cosmetics: eyeliner, eye shadow, and mascara. The stricter you are, the better, as you will avoid any unwanted fibres or liquids entering the eye, causing irritation, and prolonging the eye’s recovery process.

There’s a bunch of other things you can do to ensure a smooth and speedy recovery. Of particular note here is to be careful not to rub your eyes whether it’s because you’re once again removing eye makeup or because you can’t believe what you’re seeing.

If you have a question about wearing makeup before or after Laser Eye Surgery, or anything else you’ll like to ask, drop it in the comments below or get in touch with our friendly team of experts.