The ultimate 'expressing oil' thread

[acarol]

Yes, like you would if you had a head cold and blocked nose. It was Stella that gave me the idea

[stella]

I,ve been doing the steaming method for 18 months and my facial skin never looked better!
I am fair skinned too - It certainly helps the eyes ,and moist heat is known to penetrate more than dry heat
Re - like steamed vegetables - When steaming your face the water is not boiling continuously as in cooking, also i usually begin a good 12inches above the jug and as the water cools down lower my face.
Also you can have your eyes half open and then fully open as you wish,so you are actually steaming the lid margins and the eyes ,which is very soothing i find.
Heat has always been used traditionally to reduce inflamation
In the old days they used poultices - which was the application of heat(usually moist ) to an inflamed area such as a boil.
I am quite sure if used sensibly that it can do no harm - its only evaporating water!

[acarol]

I,ve been doing the steaming method for 18 months and my facial skin never looked better!
I am fair skinned too - It certainly helps the eyes ,and moist heat is known to penetrate more than dry heat
Re - like steamed vegetables - When steaming your face the water is not boiling continuously as in cooking, also i usually begin a good 12inches above the jug and as the water cools down lower my face.
Also you can have your eyes half open and then fully open as you wish,so you are actually steaming the lid margins and the eyes ,which is very soothing i find.
Heat has always been used traditionally to reduce inflamation
In the old days they used poultices - which was the application of heat(usually moist ) to an inflamed area such as a boil.
I am quite sure if used sensibly that it can do no harm - its only evaporating water!

Thanks for that - i had just posted you a private message there asking about it. I will continue doing it as i find it helps my lids esp when they feel prickly and irriated.

[NYer]

To everyone who is defending steaming here...
I'm a major fan of steaming. But the context here was that acarol said that since she's been doing this, the skin around her eyes is red and sore. Well then, something she is doing isn't a good idea for her..and what she said she was doing was steaming. Not everyone can steam, just like not everyone can use hot compresses. But different things work well for some people and not for others.

acarol, if you want to keep steaming, by all means do so. It's YOUR face, LOL. But that's what's irritating your skin, so you might want to consider an alternative method that works just as well for your eyes without irritating your skin. And that's why I mentioned the shower method. And that's exactly why Dr. Latkany recommended it.

By the way, there is also the alternative of COLD moist air from a humidifier. That would accomplish the soothing sensation you are like from steam but, unfortunately, it wouldn't open your oil glands. You do need heat for that.

[NYer]

Brd, every time I see your little cat picture, it makes me smile. What a cutie!

[brd888]

Cute?

Cute? He has a head the size of a grapefruit!

[acarol]

To everyone who is defending steaming here...
I'm a major fan of steaming. But the context here was that acarol said that since she's been doing this, the skin around her eyes is red and sore. Well then, something she is doing isn't a good idea for her..and what she said she was doing was steaming. Not everyone can steam, just like not everyone can use hot compresses. But different things work well for some people and not for others.

acarol, if you want to keep steaming, by all means do so. It's YOUR face, LOL. But that's what's irritating your skin, so you might want to consider an alternative method that works just as well for your eyes without irritating your skin. And that's why I mentioned the shower method. And that's exactly why Dr. Latkany recommended it.

By the way, there is also the alternative of COLD moist air from a humidifier. That would accomplish the soothing sensation you are like from steam but, unfortunately, it wouldn't open your oil glands. You do need heat for that.

Ya i know what your saying and thanks for your advice - i will maybe do the steaming on alternative days just to cut back and see if the skin around my eyes feel less irriated. The steaming does help my actually EYES though and makes them feel more moist.

[NYer]

Cute? He has a head the size of a grapefruit!

Brd, that just really made me laugh out loud!
(I think if I heard you say that with your Scottish accent, I may have had a little accident ...I don't know why but funny things sound funnier with a Scottish accent.)

[calli66]

Baring the Q-Tip

Refreshing this thread---

Just wanted to clarify my "technique"---taking most of the cotton off of the Q-tip. It might sound radical, but today when I was doing my "lid routine" I realized that what I do is no more radical than applying eye liner with a liner pencil. I just push a little harder. I don't totally "poke" inwards, but sort of stroke along under the eyelashes, like you do when you put on makeup.

As to whether this is actually expressing oil, I don't really know. My meibomian glands don't look obviously plugged. But after the do this, my eyes feel more invigorated---I figure it stimulates the eyelids. So I'm not going to stop, for now.

Calli

[acarol]

Refreshing this thread---

Just wanted to clarify my "technique"---taking most of the cotton off of the Q-tip. It might sound radical, but today when I was doing my "lid routine" I realized that what I do is no more radical than applying eye liner with a liner pencil. I just push a little harder. I don't totally "poke" inwards, but sort of stroke along under the eyelashes, like you do when you put on makeup.

As to whether this is actually expressing oil, I don't really know. My meibomian glands don't look obviously plugged. But after the do this, my eyes feel more invigorated---I figure it stimulates the eyelids. So I'm not going to stop, for now.

Calli

Ya it sounds as if your doing it right, the optician told me that the glands can be blocked even if they don't LOOKED blocked.

[Sabrina]

steaming

I tried steaming too as I felt it would be gentler and thought it may be good for the skin as well. I found it made my eye skin look more parched, wrinkled , red and old. The shower doesn't do it for me....So, I'm back to Rebecca's rice baggy!

[kendal]

Sometimes you have to draw me a picture!

This is all very difficult to picture. Are there any videos of this out there, or even a succession of pictures? I have a combination of meibomitis and blepharitis and it's been making me miserable for years. Now I have a diagnosis of corneal dystrophy and the first attempt at correcting my doubled vision would be a contact, which I can't have if I can't better keep my eyelids in check.