There are few things as painful and uncomfortable as a stye. This bump on the edge of the eyelid is sore to the touch and detracts from your appearance. It makes the eye tear up more than usual and leads to a crust forming over the lashes.

With a condition that presents with soreness and sizeable distortion of the eyelid, one might think that there should be some fairly complex procedure to remove the stye. On the contrary, however, a stye can recede of its own free will if the affected person does not tamper with it. Let's get into the nitty-gritty of styes and how to cure them.

What Kinds of Styes Exist?

There are only two types of styes, and both occur on the eyelid. Many people wrongly refer to a chalazion as a stye, but a chalazion actually differs from a stye in that it is the result of scar tissue that remains after the stye has healed and is no longer painful.

• Internal Stye: With this kind of stye, you will feel a bump on the underside of the eyelid, and there is always some irritation when you blink. An internal stye occurs when a bacterial infection fills a duct on the underside of the eyelid. Because of this characteristic, you only see a rounded red bump when you look in the mirror.

• External Stye: An external stye presents with the characteristic white pus head on top of the bump. When the infection has run its course, the stye on the eyelid bursts and the healing process seals it up quickly.

How to Get Rid of a Stye

Once you know what kind of stye you have, you need to know to eliminate it. Some of the methods are simple home remedies that will have you looking like yourself again before you know it. However, sometimes the removal of a stye needs the practiced hand of a medical professional.

Home Remedies Include:

• Eyelid massage

• Warm compresses and tea bags

• Regular washing of the eye

• Slices of cucumber and potato
  
  

One of the most common ways to relieve the nuisance and discomfort of a stye is through the use of warm compresses. Since the stye is caused in part by a blockage of oil glands, warm compresses unblock these channels and allow the pus to drain out.

The oil gland blockage teams up with infection to form the stye which is when tea bags may come in handy. You can place a warm tea bag over your eye instead of a warm compress. Tea possesses some bactericidal properties that curb infection. Use caution and allow the tea bag to cool before applying it to your eye to prevent scalding.

To reduce the inflammation on the eyelid, you may also consider putting some cold cucumber or potato slices over the affected eye.

Washing the eye regularly ensures any crustiness is removed and hastens the healing of the stye. Gently massaging the eyelid may also speed up the healing process by encouraging proper blood flow as well as the breakdown of blockage in the duct.

Things to Avoid When You Get a Stye

Having a stye can throw your routine into a relative tailspin. If you wear contact lenses, you will have to throw away the pair you were wearing prior to the infection and opt for glasses until the stye has completely healed. Since the lenses have come into contact with the bacteria causing the stye, they could contaminate healthy areas of the eye and spread infection. If you do not have glasses, pay very close attention to your personal hygiene, and wash your hands before and after any contact with the eyes during the process of removing the lenses.

Makeup is a complete "no-no” when you are suffering from a stye. If you try to cover the bump with face products, the stye will be irritated by the chemicals in the cosmetics. This will seriously impede the healing process and lengthen your time dealing with this nuisance.

It should also be noted that a stye is not contagious - it only affects the person who has developed it.

How to Prevent a Stye

Following a few basic hygiene rules will help ensure your oil glands do not become blocked and infected and possibly prevent styes in the future. Personal hygiene is your greatest ally when it comes to avoiding styes. Regularly wash your hands to ensure that you do not transfer bacteria to your eyes when touching them. All makeup should be removed before bed so that follicles and ducts are clean. For general good eye health, apply the same principles and activities you direct toward your overall health, but keep in mind that the eye is very susceptible to dirt and germs.

In addition to cleanliness, nutrition goes a long way towards ensuring the eyes are in perfect health. Nutrients like vitamin A directly enhance vision, and a balanced diet reduces your chances of developing a disease like a type 2 diabetes which is one of the leading causes of eye trouble and blindness.

Finally, the rest is a great thing for your eyes. Rest eases the stress on tissues surrounding the eyes and helps keep them healthy.