You wake up, blink a few times, and feel that telltale prickle. It’s localized. It’s tender. By lunchtime, you’ve got a red, angry bump perched right on your lash line that looks like a miniature pimple. It’s a stye. Or, if you want to get clinical about it, a hordeolum. But honestly? Most people just want to know one thing: how do you get styes in the first place when you were doing just fine yesterday?
It feels like a fluke. It isn't.
A stye is basically a localized infection, usually caused by Staphylococcus bacteria. We all have "staph" living on our skin; it’s a permanent resident. Most of the time, it’s harmless. But when that bacteria gets trapped inside an oil gland or a hair follicle on your eyelid, it starts a tiny, painful war.
The Bacterial Traffic Jam
Think of your eyelid as a high-maintenance piece of machinery. You have dozens of tiny oil glands—called Meibomian glands—lining the edges of your lids. Their job is to pump out a specific kind of oil that keeps your tears from evaporating too fast. If that oil gets too thick, or if dead skin cells and debris plug the opening, the bacteria have a party. They multiply. The gland swells. You get a stye.
It’s often a result of simple hygiene lapses, but not always. Sometimes your body's chemistry just shifts.
Real Ways You’re Inviting Bacteria to Your Eyes
We touch our faces way more than we realize. Studies from the National Institutes of Health suggest the average person touches their face about 23 times per hour. If you’ve just touched a doorknob, a phone, or a keyboard and then rub your eye because it itches? You’ve just delivered a fresh colony of bacteria directly to your lash line.
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Dirty makeup is another massive culprit. That mascara tube you’ve had for six months? It’s a petri dish. Every time you use the wand and put it back in the tube, you’re introducing skin bacteria into a dark, moist environment where they can thrive. Eye doctors, like those at the American Academy of Ophthalmology, generally recommend tossing eye makeup every three months. Most people don't. Most people wait until it's clumpy or smells weird, which is far too late.
Then there are contact lenses. If you aren't obsessive about washing your hands before popping those lenses in, you are begging for an eyelid infection. Even worse? Sleeping in them. When you sleep in lenses not designed for extended wear, you create a stagnant environment where bacteria can settle into the lid margins.
The Role of Blepharitis and Skin Conditions
Sometimes, how do you get styes has nothing to do with a one-time mistake and everything to do with chronic inflammation. Blepharitis is a common condition where the edges of your eyelids become red, itchy, and slightly swollen. It’s often caused by an overgrowth of bacteria or even tiny mites called Demodex. If you have chronic blepharitis, you’re much more likely to get recurring styes because your oil glands are constantly struggling to stay clear.
Stress matters too. While stress doesn't "cause" bacteria, it spikes your cortisol levels. High cortisol can weaken your immune system's ability to keep that staph bacteria in check. You’ve probably noticed that styes tend to pop up right when you’re exhausted, finishing a big project, or recovering from a cold. Your defenses are down, and the bacteria take the gap.
Rosacea is another sneaky factor. People with ocular rosacea have thicker oil secretions. It’s like trying to push cold butter through a straw. The glands clog, the bacteria move in, and suddenly you're dealing with a painful bump for the third time in a year.
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Internal vs. External: There’s a Difference
Not all styes are created equal. An external stye starts at the base of the eyelash. It looks like a pimple and usually comes to a head fairly quickly.
An internal stye is different. This happens in the Meibomian glands deeper inside the lid. These are often more painful and don't "point" as easily. If an internal stye doesn't drain, it can turn into a chalazion. That’s a firm, painless lump that’s actually a granuloma—basically, your body walled off the inflammation because it couldn't get rid of it. These can hang around for months and sometimes require a doctor to drain them.
Breaking the Cycle
If you’re wondering how do you get styes to stop coming back, you have to change the environment of your eyelid. It isn't just about treating the one you have; it’s about preventing the next clog.
Warm compresses are the gold standard. But most people do them wrong. You can't just splash warm water on your face. You need sustained heat—about 104 to 108 degrees Fahrenheit—for at least 10 to 15 minutes. This softens the hardened oils (the "butter") so they can flow out of the glands. A clean washcloth works, but it loses heat fast. A microwaveable eye mask or even a warm, hard-boiled egg wrapped in a thin cloth can hold the temperature longer.
Actionable Steps for Prevention
Stop rubbing your eyes. Just stop. If they itch, use artificial tears or a cold compress, but keep your fingers away.
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Clean your lids. If you're prone to styes, use a dedicated eyelid cleanser or a very diluted solution of baby shampoo on a washcloth. Gently scrub the base of your lashes every night to remove the biofilm that builds up.
Check your diet. Some evidence suggests that Omega-3 fatty acids (found in fish oil) can improve the quality of the oil your glands produce, making it less likely to clog. It’s not a magic bullet, but for people with chronic dry eye or blepharitis, it’s a common clinical recommendation.
Lastly, never, ever pop a stye. It’s tempting. It looks like a whitehead. But if you squeeze it, you risk pushing the infection deeper into the eyelid tissue, which can lead to cellulitis—a much more serious infection that might require IV antibiotics. Let it drain on its own through heat and patience.
Immediate Next Steps:
- Discard any eye makeup used in the 48 hours before the stye appeared to prevent reinfection.
- Apply a warm compress for 10 minutes, four times a day, to encourage natural drainage.
- Switch to glasses immediately if you wear contacts until the redness is entirely gone.
- Wash your pillowcases in hot water to kill any lingering bacterial buildup from your skin.
- Consult an optometrist if the stye begins to affect your vision or if the entire eyelid becomes red and swollen.