A woman tried cucumber slicing on her eyes as a beauty routine. A beauty hack ended up in an eye infection!
A woman presented to the doctor’s office with complaints of red-eye along with swelling and discharge from her eyes for one day. The patient revealed that she had applied slices of cucumber to her eyes. Applying cucumbers to her eyes was her favourite home remedy for baggy eyelids.
One day after her beauty hack, her eyes started to hurt. Gradually, she noticed redness and swelling of her eyes. Thereafter, she noticed some oozing too. It was then she presented to the doctor’s clinic. The patient reassured the patient that she had washed the cucumber thoroughly.
Although she had washed the cucumber, water cannot eliminate the risk of infection.
Cucumber is 96% water. Besides water, it contains vitamins, minerals, amino acids, phytosterols, phenolic acids, fatty acids, pectins, starch, vitamin C, and cucurbitacins. Moreover, glycosides, steroids, flavonoids, terpenoids, and tannins were also identified.
Although it is an age-old beauty hack to use cucumber’s slices for baggy eyelids and dark circles, there is no proven research to support its skin effects.
Moreover, for those who are to apply cucumbers for the first time, it is imperative to do a patch test or be cautious as there have been reports of skin irritation. Some cosmetic sprays and foundations also contain cucumber extract; therefore, it is crucial to be cautious when selecting cosmetic products after experiencing skin irritation with cucumber use. There has been no report of any severe/serious adverse effect of cucumbers. Additionally, there is no report of any significant side effect of oral consumption of cucumbers either
Before using its slices on the eyes, it is vital to wash thoroughly and peel it; the peel may contain pests that should not be in direct contact with the eyes. Besides a small risk of infection, cucumber slice with its high water content can add moisture to the skin under the eyes. Cucumber is rich in vitamin C and folic acid, therefore may be helpful in revitalizing the skin. However, these effects are most people’s experiences, there are no clinical trials to scientifically support these benefits.
