Reoccurrimg rash around eyes!
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Sat Feb 18, 2012 12:35 pm

I have been suffering with a rash around my eyes for the past 4-5 months and i am at the point now were i can no longer deal with it and just want it to go! I am unable to cover it in any way with makeup as it just makes it look 10x worse! It makes my face look dull and tired and generally just looks awful.

It is red and bumpy,extremely dry and often itchy!The first time i noticed this was when the weather started to get cold and the wind caused my eyes to water so i would be constantly wiping my eye area to keep my makeup in place and stop my eyes running. Now,the weather isnt as cold and my eyes no longer water in the wind but it will not clear up! I havent changed any cosmetics and now leave my makeup of as often as i can! My mum hasnt changed fabric conditioners or anything like that so i really cannot think what it could be!

Ive visited my doctor 3 times now and even she doesnt know what it is,shes given me steroid tablets that cleared it but didnt stop it coming back! Shes given me an emolient cream as she first thought it was dermatitis but this didnt help in any way and shes given me hydricortisone cream which i am currently using and it clears it but keeps coming back every week! There isnt a pattern when i comes back,it just does! I drink plenty of water and my diet is balanced!

Someone told me your skin around your eyes represents the health of your liver,but im not sure this is true i just thought your eyes turned a yellowish colour if something wrong with your liver! I read a thread on this site saying that it could be a fungal infection which i am going to research more into,how could this be treated if it was? Also i am a 14 year old girl so my mum said it could be something to do with my hormones,im not sure!

I suffer with allergies such as hayfever and i am allergic to thing like dust ect. But so is alot of my family and they have never suffered with anything like this! I have a history of eczema in my family and i also suffer with it on certain areas of my body,but its not really bad! I know this isnt eczema as it looks completely different and is alot harder to treat!

I really am fed up with this now and would appreciate any response! I have tried everything and its started getting me down and stopped me going out with my friends! Please help,thankyou!x

Sat Feb 18, 2012 12:47 pm

There are some good suggestions in this thread, Dem97, that might help you out:

eyelid eczema - HELP!!!
http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=9330

Welcome to the forum. Smile

Sat Feb 18, 2012 12:51 pm

Thankyou for that,ill check it out and hopefully it will help! And thankyou:D

free skin care · Sat Feb 18, 2012 2:04 pm

Loads of questions sorry ...

Emollients and corticosteroids are treatment not cure unfortunately: the fact that these are effective suggests an inappropriate immune response, perhaps allergic or irritant contact dermatitis. When you say you have tried everything what do you mean? Have you eliminated every product that comes into contact with your skin on a daily basis one by one or in groups? Have you tried keeping a detailed food, activity and skincare diary? What products are you using on your face and hands at present? Have you switched to a hypo-allergenic laundry product, double rinsing without fabric conditioner? Does your hair touch your face during the day or do you allow the residues of any products to rinse over your face whilst in the shower? What do you mean by leaving make up off as often as you can, how many consecutive days do you do this?

The skin around the eyes is some of the thinnest on the body so it is often more sensitive than elsewhere. Secondly you can become allergic or sensitive to a substance at any time, even things you have used for years. In fact allergies to substances you regularly come into contact with are more common than ones to a novel substance! Reactions are often to a combination of substances, not simply one culprit: once the skin barrier has been damaged anything you apply thereafter can be a problem, even chlorine or fluoride in tap water. The smallest amount of a cosmetic can be a problem: my mild eczema/ contact dermatitis is triggered by shampoo bubbles running down my arm!

Asthma, eczema, dermatitis and hayfever all respond well to lifestyle modification, especially diet and stress management. Are you consistently meeting or exceeding all your government's recommendations for healthy eating and lifestyle? Little sugar or white/ refined carbs, plenty of healthy fats especially oily fish or a high strength EPA/ DHA supplement? Are you getting plenty of sleep and being physically active on a daily basis?

free skin care · Sat Feb 18, 2012 3:27 pm

I agree on the chlorine and fluoride in tap water! They drive my skin NUTS!!!!!! Shock

lol I've had to put filters on my taps to remove as much of these nasty chemicals as I can - this has greatly improved my skin issues.

Sat Feb 18, 2012 4:46 pm

Haha,dont worry about the questions firefox7275!
Well...that is what my doctor suggested i had,contact dermatitis,so i researched it and i know people may suffer differently but it didnt really sound much like what i have!

When i say ive tryed everything,i dont actually mean everything i just mean everything i can think of for example...ive tried thousands of different creams, loghter ones such as sensitive skin moisturisers and heavier ones such as emulsifying ointment,vaseline and even bepanthem (suggested from a friend) none have helped!

I have changed my products one by one not in groups,so i could find out specifically what it is that it irritating my skin,nothings changed though! Ive even tried moving around my furniture in my bedroom as my bed was near the window my mum thought this could have some effect but it didnt at all! No,i haven tried keeping a diary but this sounds a good idea so i may try that!

Currently i am using simples kind to skin range (cleanser,toner and moisturiser) which is specifically for sensitive skin (which i have) and i have used it for soo long! Yes,my mum has changed everything to hypo allergenic stuff! And as far as i know my hair doesnt come in contact with my face much,because i usually jave my front bits clipped back and always sleep with my hair in a bun,this is something i havent axtually thought off,i didnt know my hair could harm my skin?

And the ammount i leave my makeup of varys from week to week really,because it has been half term i havent had to go out as much so recently its been off quite a lot around 4 days in a row! But other weeks,if i have a free weekend ill leave it off then,other times its on all week,it changes all the time! Anyway,i have changed all my cosmetics and my doctor advised me to keep makeup off to help it heal but she said she didnt think it was the cause!

I have suufered with asthma and eczema in the past so maybe it is dermatitis! I feel my diet is good but honestly all that is nonsense to me so i couldnt tell you really! What i will say though is i do get stressed very easily and i am often very stressed! I hope ive answered all your questions! Thanks for the response!

free skin care · Sat Feb 18, 2012 5:21 pm

Dem97 wrote:

Haha,dont worry about the questions firefox7275!
Well...that is what my doctor suggested i had,contact dermatitis,so i researched it and i know people may suffer differently but it didnt really sound much like what i have!

When i say ive tryed everything,i dont actually mean everything i just mean everything i can think of for example...ive tried thousands of different creams, loghter ones such as sensitive skin moisturisers and heavier ones such as emulsifying ointment,vaseline and even bepanthem (suggested from a friend) none have helped!

I have changed my products one by one not in groups,so i could find out specifically what it is that it irritating my skin,nothings changed though! Ive even tried moving around my furniture in my bedroom as my bed was near the window my mum thought this could have some effect but it didnt at all! No,i haven tried keeping a diary but this sounds a good idea so i may try that!

Currently i am using simples kind to skin range (cleanser,toner and moisturiser) which is specifically for sensitive skin (which i have) and i have used it for soo long! Yes,my mum has changed everything to hypo allergenic stuff! And as far as i know my hair doesnt come in contact with my face much,because i usually jave my front bits clipped back and always sleep with my hair in a bun,this is something i havent axtually thought off,i didnt know my hair could harm my skin?

And the ammount i leave my makeup of varys from week to week really,because it has been half term i havent had to go out as much so recently its been off quite a lot around 4 days in a row! But other weeks,if i have a free weekend ill leave it off then,other times its on all week,it changes all the time! Anyway,i have changed all my cosmetics and my doctor advised me to keep makeup off to help it heal but she said she didnt think it was the cause!

I have suufered with asthma and eczema in the past so maybe it is dermatitis! I feel my diet is good but honestly all that is nonsense to me so i couldnt tell you really! What i will say though is i do get stressed very easily and i am often very stressed! I hope ive answered all your questions! Thanks for the response!

With contact dermatitis (allergic or irritant) one thing might be the initial trigger but then your skin barrier is damaged so molecules of other products are not effectively being kept out. The cells of the immune system that are on red alert then start responding to anything they think is 'dangerous' ... One of the reasons corticosteroids are used is to break that cycle. IMO dermatitis is more often about what you take out of the routine/ lifestyle/ diet than what you add in.

Simple is really not that gentle - I react to quite a few of their products, plus they use sulphate surfactants and parabens both of which are known irritants. Not saying that range is the culprit, just that you might be best reading the ingredients lists and educating yourself as to what everything does. Total PITA I know but so I wish I had started doing that fifteen years ago when I first had eczema! Right now I am basically clear and my mother's eczema is healing up nicely too. Very Happy

Not your hair harming your skin but possibly residues of hair products could cause an issue. It's not the most likely since you tie your hair back. Four days is probably long enough to notice a subtle difference if being make up free was going to help, but one or two days without a product is not enough to see your skin starting to heal.

Stress could definitely be playing a role but healthy diet and exercise are actually really helpful at managing stress. Your government will produce nutrition and physical activity guidelines so you don't need to understand how it all works just follow the 'rules'. Exercise try to walk 10,000 steps every day or the equivalent; so you could do a dance class or play sport for an hour. Research shows that exercise with music and/ or in a group are the best for stress, partly because it distracts you and partly because it triggers the release of certain chemicals in your brain. Nutrition-wise the important stuff for stress AND for skin health is really limiting sugar, limiting white/ refined carbs (so only have wholegrains), two to three portions a week of oily fish (salmon/ trout/ pilchards) OR fish oil capsules as a supplement, nine portions a day of fruit and veg, other healthy fats from nuts and seeds. Omega-3s from oily fish is the one that very few people do but it is super important. Some people with a genetic tendency to skin issues also find borage seed oil capsules helpful, or borage seed oil applied topically. Borage supplies the only omega-6 that is anti-inflammatory like fish oils are.

The last thought is when did you last have a brand new pillow or duvet or steam clean your mattress and carpet? Otherwise do you already use allergen protective bed linen? Again it might not be the cause, but your dust mite allergy might be adding to the irritation.

HTH!

Sat Feb 18, 2012 6:08 pm

Yes,that sounds very likely but i suppose without knowing what it is that is causing my skin to carry on being irriated,theres not much i can do! Ive swapped every product literally! And im sure my doctor is sick of seeing me now,and she has no idea either! And oh,i cant think what i could have taken out my lifestyle really! i know its orabable but i really dont think its dermatitis!

Like i said,ive used simple for so long and i know your body can all of sudden become alergic to something no other area of my face is irritated!I dont even notice a difference when i go 4-5 days without makeup though,thats the thing!

I think i am quite active and i do alot of walking! I must say though i really dont like fish but i take vitamins daily that contain omega 3! I miss them on the odd occassion though! Also,since i have been suffering with this i have been washing my bed linen every other day to keep it clean and recently got a new matress! Aswell as changing my pillow case daily!
I am beggining to wonder if this is underlying another problem i may have,is this possible?

free skin care · Sat Feb 18, 2012 6:38 pm

Dem97 wrote:

Like i said,ive used simple for so long and i know your body can all of sudden become alergic to something no other area of my face is irritated!I dont even notice a difference when i go 4-5 days without makeup though,thats the thing!

I think i am quite active and i do alot of walking! I must say though i really dont like fish but i take vitamins daily that contain omega 3! I miss them on the odd occassion though! Also,since i have been suffering with this i have been washing my bed linen every other day to keep it clean and recently got a new matress! Aswell as changing my pillow case daily!
I am beggining to wonder if this is underlying another problem i may have,is this possible?

The skin around your eyes is very thin so more reactive, plus you are reporting this started with your eyes watering and damaging the barrier function of the skin in that area only.

Don't worry about not liking fish, I nearly faint when I see a nutrition client who does eat fish!! Does your vitamin supplement contain long chain omega-3s (fish oils) or short chain (seed oils)? You want the omega-3s called DHA and EPA, the amount should be marked on the container. Look to be taking 2-3g of combined DHA and EPS per day. Even if it doesn't massively help your current skin issues, these long chain omega-3s are good for you in so many other ways.

Skin problems certainly can be a sign of something else, do you have any other symptoms even if they seem tiny or silly or not related at all? If you do it would be best to write any little thing down as you think of it, then take the list to your doctor. I hope they will send you for an allergy test and run some blood tests also.

Sun Feb 19, 2012 6:30 am

I understand that now,thankyou! Do you know any creams that may help my damaged skin barrier to heal?

Imnot sure about the omega 3 but i will definitely check and look out for these in other vitamins innthe future!i cant think of any other symptoms or changes but now im looking,they might be easier to notice! One thing that has happened though that probably isnt relevant at all i have been having really itchy dry skin on my ears a patch on my neck,under my ear and on my forehead-not sure if this has anythking else to do with it! Thanks for all your help though!

free skin care · Sun Feb 19, 2012 7:15 am

Dem97 wrote:

I understand that now,thankyou! Do you know any creams that may help my damaged skin barrier to heal?

Imnot sure about the omega 3 but i will definitely check and look out for these in other vitamins innthe future!i cant think of any other symptoms or changes but now im looking,they might be easier to notice! One thing that has happened though that probably isnt relevant at all i have been having really itchy dry skin on my ears a patch on my neck,under my ear and on my forehead-not sure if this has anythking else to do with it! Thanks for all your help though!

I think it is likely all the different skin issues are related. For some reason different areas of skin can react in totally different ways to the same irritant, I can get dry itchy skin in one place and little spots and redness in another. On my face only my eye area and the part where the nose joins to the outside of the mouth usually react. So all the dry patches are close to your hairline, maybe hair products? Or is it more on the side your sleep (if a side sleeper) or where you rest your head in your hand at work/ college?

CeraVe Cream is the most often recommended product for helping repair the skin barrier, they also do cleansers which you could switch to. If you don't mind something a bit greasy for night time you might try unrefined shea butter (eBay) which many people rave about for dermatitis and other rashes. I have to say using it multiple times a day cleared my eczema better than my prescription steroid cream, but obviously the effects were not permanent until I stopped using my trigger shampoo. The unrefined part means it has various natural 'healing' chemicals in it, plus saturated fatty acids that help repair the skin and form a protective barrier themselves from anything on your hair or pillow. Although it is greasy shea butter will not block your pores, the molecules are much too large. If you like the results but not the greasiness, you can soften it then whip it up with some aloe vera gel to make shealoe butter which is raved about by anyone who likes luxurious body products! Very Happy

ETA: my brain is old so forgive me if I am repeating myself. Did I already ask if you/ advise you to stop using anything containing sulphate surfactants? If not I should have especially in light of the additional dry/ itchy patches. Sulphates are in shampoo, shower gel, foaming face wash, hand wash, dish soap, many laundry products ... and it's even in some of those which claim to be gentle. Mad

Sun Feb 19, 2012 1:13 pm

Yes,i can see why it could be my hair but then again i dont stick to a certaIn shampoo and conditioner it literally changes very often! And no,i dont sleep on a certain side and my irritated spots are on different sides of my body!

I will try and get hold of some of thst cream then,thanks! And shea butter does nothing for me,i have tried it in the past,i dont mind the greasy look of it,it just didnt help at all!

No,you havent mentioned that yet,but i will look out for this in the future!

free skin care · Sun Feb 19, 2012 1:30 pm

Dem97 wrote:

Yes,i can see why it could be my hair but then again i dont stick to a certaIn shampoo and conditioner it literally changes very often! And no,i dont sleep on a certain side and my irritated spots are on different sides of my body!

I will try and get hold of some of thst cream then,thanks! And shea butter does nothing for me,i have tried it in the past,i dont mind the greasy look of it,it just didnt help at all!

No,you havent mentioned that yet,but i will look out for this in the future!

Almost all commercial shampoos contain sulphate surfactants, which are known irritants. So definitely worth considering that. BTW I totally missed that you said you are just 14, I guessed you were young but thought at college as you come over very mature. Very Happy

free skin care · Thu Mar 08, 2012 9:30 am

I have had some luck with using products with zinc on my eyelids. I am currently using a tiny bit of dandruff shampoo containing pytherine(?) zinc. I apply it carefully with a q tip and allow it about a minute to penetrate and then wipe it off and rinse with cool water. I also use Polysporin ointment (once again, be careful with it around you eyes - use a very tiny amount.) I researched this problem on the web and discovered that it might be caused by yeast. Also, be aware that metal eyelash curlers can cause allergy problems, as well as the mica in powder eyeshadows. (I use Mabelline's Color Tatto which are cream shadows and stay on great.)

free skin care · Thu Mar 08, 2012 1:18 pm

Just seen this thread and you have had some excellent advice, one thing that might be worth thinking about is that you may have an underlying fungal infection. This can present as dermatitis and clears when using steroids but will come back unless the underlying infection is solved. what starts off as a basic irritation/dermatitis can get the fungal infection secondary to the original problem. Something like Caneston 1% cream will help (you can also get it combined with hydrocortisone but be careful using HC on your face).
As you have had the rash for a long time its possible this is what is the issue. Improving your skin barrier etc as previously advised will prevent recurrence.

(This may also be why dandruff shampoos work as most have anti fungal ingredients but the detergents aren't so great for you skin barrier).

Hope that helps
Smile

Fri Nov 01, 2013 12:17 am

Hey DEM97, I just came across this post as I am searching the web for a solution to a similar problem as yours. Back in Nov of last year I started getting a rash around the eyelid on my right eye. Slowly it progressed to the side of my eye and slightly towards the lower edge also. It has now progressed to the left eye and is working its way in the same fashion. I too have visited three doctors and they started of by saying it could be: eczema, psoriasis, and even herpes!! I notice that the flair ups tend to correlate with sleep/lack of sleep. I sometimes have to stay up late (later 12-2am) and following those nights I know that it will flair up...and it does. I personally believe that it has something to do with my liver. Chinese face reading has pointed me in that direction and so I am taking personal steps to improve liver function I have a 4th dr's appointment in early November with a dermatologist. I just thought I would throw some ideas and stuff that is going on with me to see it can help you in any way to come up with a solution. Do you notice that it flairs up more when you are stressed...or late nights?

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