Why Do I Keep Getting Styes? Recurrent Styes and Chalazia
Medically reviewed by Dr. Y. Shira Kresch, OD, MS
If you get styes or chalazia over and over, it’s not bad luck and it’s usually not poor hygiene — it’s a sign that the oil glands in your eyelids are chronically blocked or inflamed. Each bump is the symptom; the gland disease underneath is the real problem. Treat only the bumps and they keep coming back. Treat the underlying cause and the cycle stops. This page is part of our stye & chalazion treatment guide.
What Causes Recurrent Styes and Chalazia?
Nearly everyone who gets repeated styes or chalazia has one or more of these underlying conditions:
- Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD) — the eyelid oil glands are clogged and don’t drain properly, so they keep backing up into styes and chalazia.
- Blepharitis and Demodex mites — chronic inflammation and mites at the lash line repeatedly clog and infect the glands.
- Ocular rosacea — inflamed, abnormal blood vessels along the lids drive gland dysfunction and recurrent bumps.
These conditions overlap and reinforce each other, which is why the styes keep returning until the underlying disease is treated.
Why Treating Each Stye Individually Isn’t Enough
Warm compresses, draining a stye, or removing a chalazion all deal with the bump in front of you — but none of them fixes the clogged, inflamed glands that produced it. As long as those glands stay dysfunctional, a new stye or chalazion is only a matter of time. This is the single most common reason people feel like they “always” have a stye.
How We Break the Cycle: IPL and Radiofrequency
This is where our approach differs from a general practice. Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) and radiofrequency (RF) treat the root cause directly — they clear the blocked Meibomian glands, calm the inflammation and abnormal blood vessels along the lid margin, and eliminate the Demodex mites that keep the glands infected. For patients who have battled recurrent styes and chalazia for years, restoring normal gland function is what finally stops the cycle. Most people who get styes repeatedly have never had this underlying gland disease treated.
What a Recurrent-Stye Evaluation Looks Like
At your comprehensive evaluation, Dr. Kresch images your Meibomian glands (meibography), examines the lid margins for Demodex and blepharitis, and identifies exactly which conditions are driving your recurrent styes — then builds a treatment plan around the cause, not just the latest bump.
Stop the Cycle — Southfield, MI
If you keep getting styes or chalazia, Dr. Shira Kresch can find out why and treat it at the 1-800-Dry-Eyes Specialty Vision Institute, serving Southfield and Metro Detroit.
Schedule an appointment → | Call 1-800-DRY-EYES →
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I keep getting styes? Recurrent styes almost always mean the oil glands in your eyelids are chronically blocked or inflamed — usually from Meibomian gland dysfunction, blepharitis, Demodex mites, or ocular rosacea. Until that underlying condition is treated, the styes tend to keep coming back.
How do I stop getting styes and chalazia? Treat the root cause, not just each bump. Consistent lid hygiene helps, but the most effective step for recurrent cases is treating the underlying gland dysfunction with in-office IPL and radiofrequency, which clear the glands and reduce inflammation so new bumps are far less likely.
Are recurrent styes a sign of something serious? They’re rarely dangerous, but they are a sign of an underlying eyelid gland or skin condition worth diagnosing. Frequently recurring bumps — especially in the same spot — should be evaluated by an eye doctor.
Does a vitamin deficiency cause recurrent styes? Diet and general health play a minor role, but the main drivers are gland dysfunction, blepharitis, Demodex, and rosacea. A proper eyelid evaluation identifies the actual cause rather than guessing.