Dry skin around eyes is typically characterized by a flaky, scaly and usually itchy patches, which are sometimes peeling. Depending on the trigger, it might appear red and irritated. It may also show up under eyes, on eyelids, mouth or nose. This post presents facts, pictures, causes, signs and symptoms of dry skin around eyes. Also, it highlights how to get rid of and prevent this condition, treatments and home remedies.
Signs and Symptoms
Does your face have a dry skin around eyes? If you answer is “yes”, then you are not the only one having this skin condition. Dry skin around the eyes is a common beauty and health issue that occurs to many people.
The condition of having flaky skin around eyes typically occurs on your eyelids, nose, and parts of the forehead. Other than developing scaly skin around your eyes, your face might show up symptoms of dryness on cheeks, chin or any other parts of the face.
Dry skin on your face around eyes can show up in different signs and symptoms depending on the causal agent. These symptoms may vary from one person to another due to the natural differences that exist such as skin tone and texture.
The dry skin around eyes is usually characterized by the following signs and symptoms that include:
- White dry scales or patches around the eyes
- Gray or ashy patches around the skin of the eyelids
- The uncomfortable feeling of stretched and tight skin around your eyes
- Tiny cracks in the skin around the eyes
- Roughness, and bumpy skin around the eyes
- Difficulties to blink the eyelids
- Skin peeling around the eyes
- Itchy eyelids and eyeballs
- Redness, tenderness or inflamed skin around the eyes
- Flaky skin on the entire parts of the face
A dry skin around your eyes can also accompany other signs and symptoms such as red eyeballs, fluid-filled blisters on eyelids, watery eyes, too dry eyeballs, blurred vision and other. In case you notice the above strange symptoms, it is advisable to seek the help of the doctor for diagnosis and treatment.
Causes of Dry Skin Around Eyes
Your face can develop dry skin around the eyes due to several reasons or causes. These causes may range from minor to major skin conditions. Usually, minor causes can lead to mind dryness of your skin that can last few days and restore to normal without the use of ant treatment.
On the other hand, major causes or serious condition can lead to chronic dryness and flaking of the skin around your eye or any other parts of the face. Sometimes chronic dry skin can also itch worse and make you feel a discomfort.
Most of the major skin condition such as eczema, rosacea, and psoriasis that leads to dry skin on the face might not go away easily unless you go for treatment. In case you notice that your face has chronic dry leathery skin around the eyes, you can visit your dermatologist to help in diagnosis and treatment.
Some of the causes of dry skin around eyes include the following:
1. Dry environmental conditions
Exposing your skin to dry climatic or weather condition may increase the risk of getting flaky skin around the eyes. This occurs when dry environmental condition encourages a high rate of evaporation and dehydration of your skin.
The problem of dry skin around the eyes and other parts of the body is common during the winter season of the year. This season is usually associated with dry winds or blowing air that can make your skin dry by blowing away skin moisture and leave you with dry patches on face.
You can manage dry skin around the eyes caused by environmental condition through simple treatment. Just apply suitable skin moisturizer to your skin such as Vaseline gel or any other. The skin moisturizer can help to lock in moisture under the surface of your skin hence restore to normal.
2. Contact dermatitis
Other names of contact dermatitis are allergic eczema and contact allergic dermatitis. Usually, it occurs when your skin comes directly into contact with irritants or allergens. Your face can develop itchy dry or flaky skin after direct in contact with harmful or harsh chemicals.
Some of the substance that can lead to contact dermatitis and dry skin around the eyes include harsh detergents, poison ivy, and certain makeups.
You can treat the dry skin around your eyes due to contact dermatitis by using home remedies. This includes the application of skin moisturizers and essential oils. Coconut oil, castor oil, olive oil, Neem tree oil, and almond oil are examples of essential oils you can use over your dry face.
3. Sun damage
Your face can develop a dry skin around eyes as a consequence of sun damage. The sun has harmful UV rays that can lead to various skin problems when you are exposed to it for a long duration. It can result in skin condition such as Dark Age spots, freckles, wrinkles, burnt blister and skin dryness.
The heat energy from the sun can encourage a high rate of evaporation of skin moisture. This can lead to dryness, cracked or leathery skin to the affected area typically around eyes, nose, lips or any other parts of the face.
You can prevent the problem of sun damage on your face by avoiding long and direct exposure to sunlight. Alternatively, shade your face with a sunhat or apply suitable sunscreen cream with SPF before you are exposed to sunlight.
The treatment of sun damage and dry skin around eyes depend on your condition. Mild damage of the sun on your skin can be treated with the use of soothing and moisturizing creams like Aloe Vera. For the serious sunburnt face, you can seek the help of the doctor for diagnosis and treatment.
4. Hot shower or bath
You can develop dry skin around the eyes after having a hot bath or shower. The hot water and soap might wash away all the natural skin oil. This can leave you with a feeling of tightness and stretched skin on face hence dryness occurs.
In addition, swimming in pools that have heavily chlorinated water can burn your face to develop dry patches around the eyes, forehead, cheeks, and chin. Dry patches might also show up on your face when you wash your skin with water that is chlorinated highly.
The treatment of dry patches around your eyes after bath, shower or swimming include the use of skin moisturizer and soothing cream like Aloe Vera.
5. Certain medication
Your face can dry skin around the eyes after the use of certain medication to treat the underlying infection or condition in your body. This could be attributed to being the side effect of certain medication to your skin.
Drug allergy and dry skin on the face can be treated with the help of your doctor. at the same time, use skin moisturizer and other applicable home remedies such as Aloe Vera, Honey and lemon juice to treat dry skin around, or under eyes.
6. Ringworms around eyes
Tinea faciei is a type of ringworms that shows up on the face. Ringworm is a fungal infection of the skin that may lead to dry skin around your eyes. The infection of ringworms is usually characterized by dry itchy white patches to the affected area.
The infection of ringworms often occurs in babies, infants or toddlers than in adults. This condition is caused by the overgrowth of skin fungus than normal. Hot and moist environmental condition is risk factors that can encourage ringworm infection.
Other risk factors that encourage ringworms infection on the skin include:
- After the use of strong antibiotics drugs
- Weakened body immune system
- Accumulation of dirt and sweat on the skin
The treatment of dry patches of ringworm around the eyes involves the use of home remedies such as baking soda, apple cider vinegar, and lemon juice. Alternatively, you can go for medical treatment. The doctor can help to prescribe for you anti-fungal cream that can help to cure your skin condition.
7. Psoriasis around eyes
Your face can develop dry skin around the eyes due to the effect of psoriasis. This is an autoimmune disorder that is usually associated with dry silvery white patches. These patches can also appear as shiny pink or brown in color depending on your skin tone.
You can treat dry patches of psoriasis no your face with the use of prescribed medicated creams or ointments.
8. Rosacea around the eyes
Rosacea is a lifelong autoimmune disorder that can lead to the development dry itchy patches and itchy plagues on your face. This condition can as well lead tenderness, tenderness and inflamed skin that resemble a burn.
The treatment of psoriasis is usually done by dermatologists. Consult your doctor in case your skin has symptoms that resemble that of psoriasis for diagnosis and treatment.
9. Eczema around eyes
Eczema is another autoimmune disorder that can lead to the itchy dry skin around your eyes, nose, and mouth. The condition of eczema is usually characterized by a red rash that can develop into oozing blisters that crust over.
You can manage chronic dry patches of eczema on your skin by seeking the help of the doctor for diagnosis and treatment.
10. Other rare causes
Your face can form a dry skin around eyes as a result of other rare underlying infections or condition such as:
- Skin cancer
- Eye infections
- Deficiency of vitamins
- Vitamin A toxicity
- Hormone disorders
- Cholera
- Kawasaki’s syndrome
Itchy Dry Skin Around Eyes
The itchy dry skin around your eyes can either be mild or severe. Usually, mild itchy flaky or dry skin could be symptoms of harmless skin condition that can go away without treatment. Severe or intense itchy flaky skin around the eyes might be an indication of a more serious skin condition that needs you to seek the help from the dermatologist.
The common skin conditions that can lead to the itchy dry skin on face around the eyes include contact dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, ringworms and skin cancer.
Irritated Dry Skin Around Eyes
Do you have an irritated dry skin around the eyes? The condition of the irritated flaky skin around eyes can appear in various forms. It may develop sores, fluid-filled blisters, and bumps. Skin peeling can also occur to the irritated skin area.
Contact dermatitis or allergic eczema is a common skin condition that can lead to irritated or corrosive dry skin. Irritated dry skin can occur when harmful substances such as strong acids or bases come directly in contact with the surface of the skin.
Other skin conditions that may lead to irritated dry sores, blisters, wounds on your face around eyes include eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, and skin cancer.
How to get rid of Dry Skin Around Eyes
You can get rid of dry skin around your eyes using different treatment method depending on your condition. You can use either home remedies or go for medical treatment.
Home Remedies
There are various home remedies that may work effectively to cure dry skin around your eyes that are caused by minor causes such as ringworms, allergic reaction, dry environmental condition and hot shower or bath.
Here are some of the home remedies that you can use to treat dry skin around the eyes. They include:
1. Olive oil
Olive oil is one of the essential oils that you can use as a home remedy that can help to treat dry skin around the eyes. The olive oil can help to moisten and soothe itchy dry skin on your face.
How to use:
- Use warm water to wash your face
- Pat dry it with a towel
- Apply the oil to the affected skin area
- Repeat to apply it twice daily few weeks until dry skin go away
- You can alternatively use any other types of essentials such as castor oil, Neem tree oil, coconut oil and almond oil.
2. Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera is an excellent home remedy that you can use to treat a dry skin around eyes. It has antibacterial and antifungal properties that can help to kill harmful pathogens on your skin. Also, it can help to moisturize dry itchy skin on the face.
How to use:
- Get lukewarm water in a basin and wash the affected skin area
- Pat dry it with a clean towel
- Apply the Aloe Vera to the dry skin around your eyes
- Leave to stay on your skin for the whole day or night
- Repeat to apply it two times daily until your skin improves
3. Lemon juice
You can use lemon juice as a remedy that can help to treat a dry skin around eyes. It has citric acid that has antiseptic and antioxidant properties that can help to cure dry skin. The acidic properties of lemon juice can help to exfoliate dry scales on your face.
How to use:
- Get one teaspoon of fresh lemon juice
- Apply the juice to the affected skin area
- Rinse it with warm water after 15 minutes
- Repeat this treatment three times daily until your skin softens to normal
4. Raw honey
The medicinal values of raw honey can help to cure dry skin around your eyes. The natural ingredients of raw honey have antiseptic properties that can help to kill harmful bacteria and fungi on your skin that cause dryness.
In addition, raw honey can moisten and soothe itchy dry skin on your face.
How to use:
- Get 2 teaspoons of raw honey
- Apply it directly to the affected skin area
- Rinse it after 30 minutes
- Repeat to apply it three times daily until dry patches around eyes go away
5. Apple cider vinegar
You can use apple cider vinegar as a home remedy that can help to treat dry skin around your eyes. This reagent has antiseptic and antioxidant abilities that can help to cure problems of having a dry skin.
How to use:
- Dilute 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar with 1 teaspoon of water
- Use a cotton ball to apply the solution to the affected skin area
- Allow it to dry before you rinse it off with warm water
- Repeat this treatment three times daily until your skin improves
Medical Treatment
Medical treatment is another alternative you can go for in case a dry skin around eyes is caused by serious skin condition such as eczema, psoriasis, and cancer. You can visit your doctor to help you in diagnosis and treatment of your skin condition.
Some of the treatment methods that your doctor might use to fix your skin condition include:
- Oral medication: The doctor can help to prescribe for you suitable oral medication that can help to treat the underlying condition that leads to dry skin around eyes such as diabetes and autoimmune disorder.
- Medicated or topical creams: This Involves the prescription of ointment medicated creams that can help to treat skin condition such as ringworms, eczema, psoriasis, and
- Laser treatment: Your doctor might use a beam of light to kill malignant cells of cancer that causes chronic scales on the skin around your eyes.
When to see a Doctor
You can see your doctor over a dry skin around eyes if you notice the following conditions that include:
- If the dry skin around your eyes has persisted for more than three weeks without restoring to normal
- If the flaky skin around eyes burn or itches severely that you cannot withstand
- When the dry skin around your eyes is associated with other strange symptoms such as sore, fluid-filled bumps and others
- When the dry skin around your eyes result in blurred vision, difficult to blink the eyes, blind spots in vision and floaters in vision
Dry skin around my eyes caused by Glycolic acid peel,