hello there!

I have very bad blepharitis on my eyelids (doctor wanted to take my
picture for a textbook..). I am extremely sensitive, so even a gentle
clensing mostly results in chalazions, and later on surgeries.

My doctor put me on Oral antibiotics, and while I'm on them I don't
seem to be getting any chalazions (a week after I stopped I got one
though). So now I'm trying to be brave/careless and clean my eyelids
aggresively.

So two questions:

The first, it seems there are massive flakes stuck in the root of my
eyelashes. Nothing removes these: cotton buds, compressions, clensing
with a towel - they are just stuck THAT hard. I believe that if I try
and pick them with my hand I will eventually be successful - but surely
there is another method? Please - any advice?? It seems too risky..no?

Second - last time I've cleaned my eyes so aggresively, they started
swelling (and again, ended in surgery). The doctor told me I should
massage my eyes, and I've just started. So I wonder: Suppose after a
serious/aggressive cleaning, my eye starts swelling: Should I continue
with the massages, or at this point it can just make the problem worse?

Many many thanks, this newsgroup is a godsend!!

Yours truly,
-Z-