How To Treat Dry Skin Around the Eyes
How To Treat Dry Skin Around the Eyes
There’s truly nothing worse than dealing with dry skin around the eyes. It’s such a sensitive area anyway that sometimes it seems like the smallest things can leave it feeling dry and irritated. Without the proper information, it may seem impossible to get any real relief from the pain and discomfort. However, if you investigate the root cause of the dry skin around your eyes before moving on to quick fixes and long-term treatments, you can say goodbye to dry eyes for good.
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What Causes Dry Skin Around the Eyes?
In an ideal world, you could snap your fingers and get rid of dry skin around the eyes in an instant. Unfortunately, that’s not how things work. Instead of a quick fix, addressing the discomfort that comes with dry skin around the eyes is a process.
The first part of this process involves determining the root cause of dry skin in this area so that you can choose the correct treatment and take concrete steps to prevent the issue from recurring in the future:
Aging: As we age, our skin produces less oils -- thereby drying out our skin. Based on this information, the dry skin around your eyes could simply be the result of aging. This is especially true if you’re experiencing dry skin in other areas of your face like around your mouth and nose.
Environment: Your environment could be contributing to your dry skin. For example, cold air and harsh winds zap moisture from your skin and leave you totally parched. On the other hand, scorching hot and dry climates can do the same thing. But you don’t just have to worry about the outside environment, your inside environment could be problematic as well. Forced air systems like air conditioners and heaters fill your home with really dry air that could be contributing to your dry eyes.
Cosmetic products and practices: Did you know that makeup expires? Many people don’t. Using expired makeup products could be irritating the delicate skin around your eyes. Furthermore, not removing your makeup at the end of the day could be drying out and irritating your skin as well.
Cosmetic ingredients: Many people simply buy cosmetic and skincare products without even glancing at the label. However, you should always closely examine the ingredients in each product that you buy to avoid harsh chemicals. Things like parabens, sulfates, silicones, alcohols, and fragrances can cause skin irritation around your eyes.
Bathing practices: Believe it or not, your bathing practices could be contributing to your dry eyes. Using too much hot water for too long can really dry out your skin and leave it red, irritated, and painful.
Crying: Similarly to bathing, the moisture involved in crying can cause dry skin around your eyes. The salt content in our tears can also have a drying effect on the skin. Furthermore, rubbing or wiping your eyes while crying can exacerbate this issue and lead to red, puffy, swollen, and tender skin around the eyes.
Allergic contact dermatitis: The dry skin around your eyes could be caused by a legitimate allergic reaction. These reactions tend to occur as a result of irritating substances within products like deodorants, body washes, hair dyes, and cosmetics products.
Quick Remedies for Dry Skin Around the Eyes
Dealing with dry skin around the eyes can be extremely uncomfortable and even downright painful! As a result, sometimes you need a quick remedy to provide you with some instant relief.
Here are some different things you can try to help soothe your dry eyes in no time:
Aloe vera: If you have aloe vera on-hand either in your garden or in the fridge, you can use this to soothe your dry eyes. Simply apply a small amount to the affected area, making sure to avoid your actual eye for instant relief.
Green tea bags: Your favorite relaxing drink could actually help your dry eyes! Just boil a tea bag, wrap it in a paper towel, and let it sit on your eye for 10-15 minutes. The green tea will soothe your skin and help combat any sources of irritation.
Vitamin E oil: This oil has soothing properties that can instantly ease irritation around your eyes. Apply a few drops to your skin and gently massage into the affected areas for a quick fix.
Almond oil: This oil has emollient properties that can provide your dry eyes with a much-needed boost of moisture. Apply a few drops to your skin and gently massage into the affected areas for some added moisture.
Rose water: Rose water is able to effectively calm areas of redness and irritation thanks to its soothing properties. Simply soak a cotton ball or cotton swab in rose water and gently apply it to the skin around your eyes.
Effective Treatments for Dry Skin Around the Eyes
While instant fixes are great and all, long-term solutions are always better. With that in mind, here are some effective treatments for dry skin around the eyes that may take longer to have an effect but are more sustainable in the long run:
Moisturizer: Moisturizing is an essential step in your skincare routine. That being said, many people tend to neglect the areas around their eyes in order to avoid getting product in them. However, it’s still important to hydrate these sensitive areas with a moisturizer on a regular basis. Simply try closing your eyes during the application to eliminate the risks.
Sunscreen: Sun exposure can burn and irritate any area of the skin, but this is especially true when it comes to the delicate areas around your eyes. It’s not uncommon for people to skip sunscreen application around their eyes out of fear. However, you’re really not doing yourself any favors with this practice. Instead, make sure to apply adequate SPF protection to all exposed areas of your body -- eyes included. It may also be a good idea to wear sunglasses to further protect your eyes from the sun’s powerful ultraviolet rays.
Topical corticosteroids: If the dry skin around your eyes is being caused by an allergic reaction or by an underlying skin condition, it may be necessary for you to use topical corticosteroids to help eliminate inflammation, redness, and itching. It’s always best to use mild creams around your eyes since it’s a particularly sensitive area.
The Ideal Skincare Routine for Dry Skin
Dry skin requires special care that it doesn’t always receive. Many people simply buy skincare products based on what their friends use or what’s currently trending rather than what actually works well with their skin type. As a result, you could be unknowingly neglecting your dry skin!
Here at PROVEN, we help everyone meet the unique needs of their skin through our custom product formulations. With the help of our simple Skin Genome Quiz, we can come up with the perfect ingredients that you need to quench your dry skin and soothe irritation.
When you take the Skin Genome Quiz, you will receive a custom cleanser, moisturizer, and night cream to meet your skin’s needs. For example, if you have dry skin, you could expect to see ingredients like hyaluronic acid, shea butter, ceramides, and green tea extract in your formula.
From there, your routine is simple. All you need to do in the morning is cleanse with the 3-in-1 cleanser that also has toning and exfoliating properties before applying the 2-in-1 moisturizer that hydrates and protects with SPF. At night, you cleanse again before applying your powerful night cream to let your skin do all the work while you’re sleeping.
Steps to Prevent Dry Skin
Steps to Prevent Dry Skin
While a great skincare routine can definitely help prevent dry skin from occurring in the first place, there are some other steps you can take to ensure that this issue no longer affects your newly hydrated skin:
Audit all of your cosmetic and beauty products that go anywhere near your eyes. Check for irritating ingredients and replace any problematic formulas with more natural alternatives.
Hydrate your skin through your diet and water consumption. Try to drink four to six cups of water a day. Consume healthy foods like fruits and vegetables while avoiding processed foods and sugars.
Treat the skin around your eyes with great care and try to avoid touching the area as much as possible. This delicate area is clearly prone to irritation that can occur as the result of a single eye rub.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, you aren’t doomed to a day of discomfort because of dry skin around your eyes. With the proper skincare routine and a heavy focus on moisturizing, you can treat and prevent this from even becoming an issue in the first place.
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