There is a lot of misinformation floating around the internet and social media blogs when it comes to this topic.
Do Eyelash Extensions Damage Natural Lashes?
The answer to this question is “Yes” and “No” and it depends on a very important aspect: Is your Lash Artist a Certified and Licensed professional? Eyelash Extension industry is still a very underregulated industry, having few requirements and even less information available to consumers. When you lay on your lash artist’s table for the first time, you are trusting their confidence and believe they know exactly what they are doing. In a perfect world, that might be the case, yet, with an ever-growing demand for eyelash extensions, expertise and proper application is being watered down.
Professional eyelash extensions, when installed by a licensed and certified professional will never damage your natural lashes.
Your eyelash extension professional knows exactly how to preserve the health of your eyelashes. After all, they want you coming back, again and again for as long as possible thus it is definitely in their best interest to keep your natural lashes nice and healthy! Contrary to many “self-taught YouTube artists”, there is an exact science that is complex and absolutely must be followed when it comes to proper application well beyond what one can learn watching YouTube videos.
The use of professional products is another key factor. There is a high amount of low price, low-quality (in some cases, downright dangerous) products used by some uncertified lash artists that are available on sites like eBay and Amazon that should never be used for eyelash extension application.
Every client is not an assembly line. Every person is unique, and so are their eyelashes.
The main difference between a professional and a do-it-yourselfer is that professional looks at your natural lashes how an experienced hairstylist would look at your hair. We go to an expensive hair salon and pay upwards to triple digits for a hair color because we know the hairstylist behind that chair will take a personal approach with our hair. They will look at what YOUR hair and consider YOUR overall look, then tailor a style that will suit your needs.
Eyelash extension artists are no different than hairstylists, there are professional tailors and then there are “others”.
A professional lash artist will calculate the proper weight, length, curl, width and other aspects of your natural lash as well as the eyelash extensions they will be applying. They would also take into account your age, the health of your natural lashes, any medical conditions that might prevent you from enjoying eyelash extensions and a dozen other important factors that are crucial to providing a true professional eyelash extension application service.
At Pearl Lash Extensions Academy, we prepare our graduates to become those “true scientists”. Making sure that every student receives the utmost knowledge on how to prevent the “natural lash damage” and can address each client’s potential concerns with proper application and aftercare instructions.
Can eyelash extensions cause permanent damage to your natural lashes? Absolutely!
If applied by an unlicensed and uncertified artist who does not follow the critical rules, the results could be very unpleasant. Many unlicensed and uncertified lash artists ofter do not understand the difference between the individual eyelash extensions and cluster lashes. Please read out article on this common and very harmfull mistake and avoid “cluster lash artists” at all costs.
Look for these red flags when researching or visiting a new lash artist:
The license and certification is not posted at or near the work station (state requirement)
The technician does not have much (or any) photos of their work available
No hospital-grade disinfectant such as barbicide or marvicide (state requirement)
Products are not displayed at or near the work station (product and ingredient information could not be withheld from the consumer)
Presence of any of the following materials at the work station: hair glue, super glue, crazy glue, nail glue
No pre-service consultation form is filled out/no medical background information requested by the technician
Every industry has a saying “You get what you paid for”, however, nowhere does this moniker prove more prominent than the eyelash extension industry.
Avoid the low-cost traps and you will love wearing your eyelash extensions while avoiding damaging your natural lashes.
