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Society: Barber offers to shave insides of eyelids

Street barber Xiong Gaowu in Chengdu, Sichuan province, deftly scrapes a straight razor along the inside of his customer's eyelid. Customers swear by the practice - "blade wash eyes", as it is known in China - saying they trust Xiong's skill with the blade. Xiong, 62, said he learned the technique in the 1980s and serves up to eight customers a week, charging 80 yuan ($12) per shave. The technique appears to unblock moisturizing sebaceous glands along the rim of the eyelid, said Qu Chao, an ophthalmologist. She said there is a risk of infection if equipment is not sterilized.