Carmel on the Case: False Eyelashes

WSVN -- Back in the 60s the longer the lash the better the look.

Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor were the envy of women -- but, like all trends, it faded away.

Daneshia White: "I absolutely love my lashes."

But long lashes are back, and false eyelashes have come a long way, baby.

Talia Jones: "When I wear eyelashes it makes me feel fabulous. Hollywood, you know -- like Halle Barry or J-Lo."

New materials and techniques are making movie star eyes possible for everyone, but you have to be careful.

Toni Mayes: "I started losing, losing my lashes."

Toni Mayes had a terrible experience after a beauty salon worker put lashes on her.

Toni Mayes: "I tried to take the lashes off because my eyes were burning. I tried using water or whatever to get them off. They would not come off."

Manufacturers provide glue for false eyelashes, but not everybody is using that.

Toni doesn't know what was used on her, but there are reports of technicians using everything from glue for hair extensions to fast drying hobby glue.

Toni Mayes: "It really, really hurt bad."

At the Rand Eye Institute, doctors have treated complications from lids stuck together to glue that got in someone's eye and scratched the cornea.

Dr. Salomon Esquenazi: "And that abrasion, if not treated properly, can end up having a corneal ulcer and infection in the eye."

Carmel Cafiero: "And could risk the eye sight?"

Dr. Salomon Esquenazi: "And could risk the eye sight at that point."

And it looks like these kinds of problems are developing because unlicensed and untrained people are applying false eyelashes in salons throughout South Florida.

Ellie Malmin: "They have glued the eyes almost to where they couldn't open them, and they would just have to pull it apart."

Cosmetologist Ellie Malmin teaches the proper techniques for applying lashes. She says it can take up to two hours to do right.

Ellie Malmin: "I think they're absolutely safe. I think it's absolutely beautiful -- but it depends on the person doing it."

And if an untrained person makes a mistake, lashes can go from pretty to ugly in a hurry.

Toni Mayes: "Like my eyes were all bald. Like no hair around my eyes at all. It was horrible."

Carmel Cafiero: "So, before you let anyone near your eyes, look for a license and don't be afraid to ask what experience does the person have and what materials are being used."

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