A stye develops when a gland on the edge of the eyelid is infected or inflamed. Styes are also called "hordeolum." They can develop on the upper or lower eyelids. A stye looks and feels like a pimple. It can cause pain, swelling and redness of the area. Another condition that may mimic stye is “chalazion”. Chalazion causes a painless lump on an eyelid that lasts longer than a stye.
Warm compresses help to alleviate stye symptoms. If it gets too big or painful, redness and edema spread to other parts of the face or it lasts for over a week, evaluation by a qualified healthcare professional should be done. Treatment of choice are topical antibiotic ointment, oral antibiotics or drainage of a stye. It is important not to squeeze stye, since it may cause complications.
Remember that good hygiene, make up removal at night, avoiding use of old make up and make up sharing can prevent a stye formation.
