Waikato Herald
  • Waikato Herald home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Locations

  • Hamilton
  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Matamata & Piako
  • Cambridge
  • Te Awamutu
  • Tokoroa & South Waikato
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Weather

  • Thames
  • Hamilton
  • Tokoroa
  • Taumarunui
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Waikato News / Lifestyle

Ask Dr Gary: Compress relieves stye pain

Hamilton News
27 Jan, 2013 05:00 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

I have a stye on my lower eyelid for the third time in three years, although each time it has been in a different place. The first one went away by itself. The second needed antibiotics. What can I do to prevent them? -M.H.

Styes are essentially tiny abscesses of the hair follicles of the eyelashes or deeper down in the oil-secreting glands of the lids. A duct gets plugged and fills with oily debris that causes painful inflammation.

People make them worse if they needle or squeeze them, which pushes the infection deeper.

The mainstay of treatment is warm compresses (a flannel wet with very warm water then wrung out and placed over the closed eyelids) three or four times a day for five minutes.

Some think the warmth liquefies the oils in the glands, promoting easier drainage. It's more likely the warmth dilates blood vessels, stimulating more white blood cells to migrate to the region to fight infection, creating more pus, which accumulates under pressure and eventually ruptures, usually to the inner surface of the eyelid.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Like a mini volcano, a rupturing abscess suddenly releases pressure, bringing relief from pain and a speedy resolution of the infection.

When compresses fail, doctors may lance the stye, but this is rare.

Because antibiotics can't penetrate well into pus-filled abscesses they are not the mainstay of treatment. But they are used to treat skin infections that are spreading, which we would call cellulitis.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Regarding prevention, some people have chronic blepharitis, which is eyelid follicle inflammation that results in crusty eyelash buildup.

It responds very well to gentle cleansing with a cotton bud soaked in tear-free baby shampoo.

This removes protein and oil debris from the ducts, preventing blockage.

People with diabetes or other diseases that weaken the immune system often get more styes and infections than normal.

This isn't likely, but it is something that doctors and patients should keep in mind if repeated infections keep occurring.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Lifestyle

Lifestyle

Watch: The latest highlights from Smokefreerockquest and Showquest

Waikato Herald

NZ actress accuses Australian policeman of using CCTV to spy on her

Lifestyle

Watch: Smokefreerockquest and Showquest's finals around the motu


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Lifestyle

Watch: The latest highlights from Smokefreerockquest and Showquest
Lifestyle

Watch: The latest highlights from Smokefreerockquest and Showquest

Regional finals from Auckland, Canterbury, Far North, Northland, Nelson and Wairarapa.

14 Jul 10:25 PM
NZ actress accuses Australian policeman of using CCTV to spy on her
Waikato Herald

NZ actress accuses Australian policeman of using CCTV to spy on her

06 Jul 12:48 AM
Watch: Smokefreerockquest and Showquest's finals around the motu
Lifestyle

Watch: Smokefreerockquest and Showquest's finals around the motu

03 Jul 06:00 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Waikato Herald e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Waikato Herald
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP