Also known as an eye cyst or an infection on the upper side of an eyelid, chalazion is a condition that you’ll want to get rid of ASAP through a reliable form of chalazion treatment. Pictures and various images showcasing and eyelid infected with chalazion will make you instantly consider solutions for removal. Quite a few people resort to surgery, antibiotic medication eye drops or other medicine for treating and removing chalazion, but sometimes the clinic or drug store shouldn’t be your first options. In our list of 12 chalazion treatment home option and tips, we’ll inform you about how you can treat chalazions naturally at home.
What remedy worked the best for you for chalazion treatment?
Causes and Symptoms of Chalazion
Before we dive into chalazion treatment options, we want to expand a bit on what these little lumps are. To put it shortly, chalazia are cysts that develop on the outside of eyelids, usually on the top part. A chalazion is commonly confused with stye, also known as hordeolum when it develops inside the eyelid. While styes are usually reddish, small, painful and develop on the bottom, lower part or under the eyelid, chalazia are larger in size and might not cause any pain at all. Of course, styes can also occur on the upper eyelid, but the pain is one of the most significant factors to set the two apart. One feature the two conditions have in common is that neither is contagious, thankfully. However, they can be chronic and recurring throughout one’s life. If you search for a picture of chalazion vs stye you’ll see the main visual difference.
As for chalazia specifically, the main cause is improper hygiene. A chalazion is the result of a bacterial infection, so washing your hands after doing anything can reduce your risk of developing this eye disease. In addition to this, individuals who have had chalazia in the past have greater chances of getting them in the future.
The symptoms of chalazia are pretty noticeable from the beginning:
- A lump that slowly increases in size, located on the outer portion of your eyelid
- Gradual swelling
- Sensitivity
The cost of excision as chalazion treatment might well exceed the budgets of most, but if you do choose surgery as a cure, take care with your post operation recovery. Still, you can remove chalazia through a few home remedies, listed below.
Natural Remedies for Chalazion Treatment
1. Onion
Even though it might seem like a strange ingredient for treating an eye infection, onions are actually known to be trustworthy for chalazion treatment. The juice of onions, in particular, works well for treating this kind of eye cyst. We recommend that you extract the juice from onions on your own, so you are sure that it’s all natural. Drop a bit on your eyelid, directly on the chalazion, and repeat often for the best results. It can help reduce the swelling, even if it causes discomfort at first.
2. Apple Cider Vinegar
Among healing many other conditions and diseases, apple cider vinegar is also recommended for natural chalazion treatment. It is literally packed with curing properties, and its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties do a fine job of treating chalazia. You can use apple cider vinegar for chalazion treatment in two main ways: orally or topically. You should dilute the ACV in water before using it, afterwards applying it directly to the chalazion several times per day or drinking it two times daily until it disappears. It might not go away in a day or two, but you should be alright in a couple of weeks.
3. Gentle Massage
One form of chalazion treatment at home that doesn’t involve any ingredients is massage. Make sure that you thoroughly wash your hands with antibacterial soap prior to applying this remedy. Carefully massage the chalazion to spread the oils that got blocked and speed up treatment. Depending on where your chalazion is located (top or bottom eyelid), massage in the opposite direction. You should repeat this remedy several times every day to have the best impact.
4. Cleanliness
As chalazia appear because of bacteria, it is of the utmost importance to maintain proper hygiene. Not only does this mean that you should wash your eyes with the suitable solutions, but you should also be very careful in keeping your hands clean at all times. Throughout the day, we frequently tend to rub our eyes without knowing it, and our hands always get dirty as we move from one place to the next. If you have any questions about what you should use to wash your eyes effectively for chalazion prevention, don’t hesitate to reach out to your doctor.
5. Castor Oil
Similar to apple cider vinegar, castor oil is also rich in anti-inflammatory benefits that can work wonders for chalazion treatment. Not only will the inflammation ease off, but you’ll also get rid of any traces of pain associated with chalazia. Swelling will also be reduced, so you should really consider this as chalazion treatment. To make the most of castor oil, use a warm, moist compress on your eye for approximately five minutes beforehand. After that, gently apply a bit of castor oil a couple of times every day. In about a week or two everything should be back to normal.
6. Epsom Salt
If you are keen on homeopathy and want to try one of the most popular homeopathic solutions for chalazion treatment, you can look into Epsom salt. While you shouldn’t use pure Epsom salts directly on your eyelid, you should mix half part Epsom salt with half part water for a warm compress. Quite a few individuals who suffered from chalazion mentioned that this boosted their results of using a warm compress. As an additional piece of advice, you can also use a mild shampoo (like baby shampoo) to wash the area daily.
7. Tea Bags
There are specifically two types of tea bags that are great for chalazion treatment: green tea and chamomile tea. You can apply used tea bags directly on the chalazion or you can drench a cotton pad in the tea and apply this way. The properties that green and chamomile tea have will help you recover in a fast and natural way, without harming your health.
8. Herbal Solutions
Just like with tea bags, there are two main kinds of herbal solutions to treat chalazion: acacia and guava leaves. Both of these herbal remedies have anti-inflammatory properties that will make the swelling go down and leave your eyes clean and healthy. You can boil any kind of these leaves, as you would with a pot of tea. Take a clean towel and dab it thoroughly in the solution and gently press it on your affected eye. If repeated, this remedy can work amazingly as chalazion treatment.
9. Coriander
As you have probably noticed by now, anti-inflammatory properties are a recurring theme when it comes to chalazion treatment. Some awesome seeds that are delightfully full of anti-inflammatory benefits are coriander. When using this remedy for chalazion treatment, take one teaspoon of coriander seeds and boil them in one glass of water. After the solution chills, use it to wash your eyes, particularly the infected one. Like all natural remedies, practice makes perfect, so make sure you repeat regularly until your problem goes away.
10. Warm Compress
We have already covered what Epsom salts and a warm compress can do for chalazion treatment, but you should know that a simple compress also has nice results. This remedy is great if you don’t have any other ingredients lying around or you don’t want to use anything else. All you have to do is soak a clean cloth in hot water and wait until it reaches a comfortably warm temperature. Carefully press the cloth against your affected eyelid and repeat as necessary. A warm compress will reduce any kind of pain or swelling while promoting a fast recovery.
11. Aloe Vera
The gel or juice from aloe vera leaves has all the anti-inflammatory benefits you could ever dream of. If you have an aloe vera plant at home, simply use a knife to slice open one of the leaves. Extract the juice and place it on the chalazion. Wait for roughly twenty minutes, and then wash the area with warm water. Make sure to repeat so you can get rid of the chalazion effectively.
12. Honey & Rosewater Mix
Last but not least, our last option for chalazion treatment at home is actually a mixture of two main ingredients. When combined with rosewater, honey is known to have a delightful effect on clearing up chalazia. Combine equal parts of rosewater and honey and use the resulted substance to apply to your eye. The powerful anti-inflammatory properties in honey will help you get back to normal quickly. Don’t forget to repeat often, otherwise this remedy (or many others) might not provide the results you desire.
Things to Avoid if You Have a Chalazion
If your chalazion proves to be persistent, it may take time for the remedies in this list to help it heal. While you continue treating it, there are a few things that you should avoid doing for the best results.
- Do not use makeup around the area. While your eye is inflamed, makeup can put undue stress on it with a host of chemicals and particles. Wait for it to heal before you use makeup again.
- Do not pick at it or attempt to drain it from the outside. This is a very sensitive area and surgical procedures on it should be handled by a professional.