Dry Skin on Eyelids, Patch, Dermatitis, Pictures, Causes, Treatment & Home Remedies

Dry skin on eyelids is typically characterized by scaly, flaky or cracked patches on the skin. Occasionally, this might be accompanied by sores that won’t go away. This post presents facts, pictures, causes, signs, and symptoms of dry skin on eyelids. Also, it outlines how to get rid of this condition using treatments and home remedies.

Signs and Symptoms

Do you have a dry skin on the eyelids? This is a common condition that affects many individuals, especially if you already have issues related to dry skin on the face. The condition of dry skin can occur in both adults and children (infants, babies or toddlers) regardless of the sex and skin color.

Having a dry or flaky skin of the eyelids and entire parts of the face is a condition that can really embarrass you. This is a cosmetic issue that might lower your self-esteem when your face has scaly skin that appears less attractive.

Dry skin on your eyelids can manifest in various signs and symptoms depending on the causal agent. It can be itchy, burning, irritating skin that can make you feel a discomfort. The common signs and symptoms of dry skin on eyelids include:

Rough skin on eyelids with tiny bumps like rashes
A feeling of tightness or stretched skin on the eyelids
Dryness and cracked skin around eyes
Whites scales on the skin of the eyelids
Difficulties to blink the eyes and itchy eyeballs
Itchy red, brown, pink or white sores on the eyelids
The shiny red scaly and thin skin on the eyelids that won’t go away easily
Ashy dots, patches or marks on the skin of the eyelids
Inflamed or swollen eyelids

The dry skin on your eyelids can also accompany other strange symptoms such as red spots on the eyeball, dryness of the eyeball, watery eyes, blurry vision, and black spots in vision, floaters in vision, and others. For this case, you can seek the help of your doctor for diagnosis and treatment.

Causes of Dry Skin on Eyelids

You can develop a dry skin on your eyelids due to various causes. These causes can lead to either harmless or more serious skin condition. The harmless condition of the dry skin on your eyelids can go away within few days without the use of treatment.

Unlike harmless causes, your eyelids may develop dry skin as a result of serious skin condition such as eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea that won’t go away easily. For this case, you need to seek the help of your doctor for diagnosis and treatment.

The possible common causes that can lead to dry skin on eyelids include the following:

1. Dry environmental conditions

Your face may develop a dry skin on the eyelids as a consequence of dry environmental conditions. Climatic or weather condition that is associated with dryness and hotness is a risk factor that can encourage your skin to lose water and become scaly.

Winter is a season of the year that is usually accompanied by dry winds that can blow away moisture content from your skin. This can lead to the development of dry marks or patches on the skin of your eyelids or entire parts of the face.

You can treat the skin condition of dryness due to the environmental condition by the application of the appropriate skin moisturizer creams or gel such as Vaseline gel and others. Most of the skin moisturizers are formulated to lock in moisture on your skin and prevent excess evaporation that helps to maintain your skin soft.

2. Sun damage

The exposure of your skin to harmful UV rays from the sun can lead to various skin problems such as dryness, burnt blisters, dark spots, freckles, Melasma, and wrinkles. Sun damage can also result to dry white patches on your eyelids.

According to Mayo Clinic, you can escape problems of sun damage and flaky cracked skin on the face by avoiding direct and long exposure to sunlight. Alternatively, protect your skin by applying suitable sunscreen cream with SPF to your skin.

The mild sunburnt skin on the face that causes dryness that can be treated by the use of suitable skin moisturizer cream or gel. For the case of severe sunburnt and dry skin on your face, you can seek the help of your doctor for diagnosis and treatment.

3. Contact dermatitis

Contact dermatitis is also known as allergic eczema, contact allergic eczema or contact allergic dermatitis. This is a skin condition that can lead to dry itchy rash when your skin becomes into direct in contact with the harsh or harmful substance.

Allergens that can lead to allergic eczema and dry skin on eyelids include:

Detergents and soaps: the harsh ingredients in the detergents can remove all the skin oil leading to dryness on the face. This often occurs after washing your face with harsh soap or detergent.
Cosmetic products: your skin might develop dry patches on eyelids due allergic reactions brought about by certain beauty products on your skin.
Poison substances: the exposure of your skin to a poisonous substance such as poison ivy may result in dryness of the skin to the affected area.

The treatment of allergic dermatitis and dry skin on eyelids include the use of suitable essentials oils such as coconut oil, Olive oil, castor oil, Neem tree oil or any other skin moisturizer. You can prevent contact dermatitis and dry skin on your face by avoiding allergens that might irritate your skin.

4. Hot bath or shower

Taking a hot shower or bath is a pleasure. However, it can encourage dry or flaky skin on your face. The hot water can dissolve and wash away all the natural superficial oils from your skin leaving you with dry skin.

In addition, you can develop a dry skin on your eyelids due to washing your body with heavily chlorinated water. The chlorine in the water can burn your skin and leave you with dry patches. This can also occur during swimming in a pool that has highly chlorinated water.

If you develop a feeling of stretched and tightness of skin on eyelids after hot bath or shower, you can treat this condition by applying soothing creams such as Aloe Vera to the affected area. Another skin moisturizer can also work similarly to Aloe Vera to your dry skin on eyelids.

5. Ringworms on eyelids

Facial ringworms are called Tinea Faciei. This is a fungal or yeast infection that can result in the development of white or ashy dry patches on your eyelids or any other parts of the face. The dry patches are usually ringed-shaped.

This condition often occurs in infants, babies or toddlers. Adults, you can also get ringworms of the face. The growth of yeast infection is encouraged by the hot and moist condition of the skin. This is why yeast infection is prevalent in an area that has hot and moist weather condition.

Dry patches of ringworms on the face can be treated with the help of antifungal ointment creams. Alternatively, you can use home remedies such as the application of essential oils, baking soda, apple cider vinegar and others.

6. Certain medication

The use of certain medication to treat the underlying infection or condition in your body might have a side effect of dry skin on eyelids. These medications include antibiotics, antiviral and antifungals drugs. In case you develop chronic dry skin after using certain medication, you can consult your doctor to help you.

7. Psoriasis on eyelids

Dry itchy chronic patches can appear on your face as a consequence of psoriasis. This skin condition is usually characterized by silvery white scales that turn into red, pink, dark thick patches to the affected area of the skin.

Psoriasis is an autoimmune disorder that can occur anywhere on your body parts. You can control and treat dry patches of psoriasis by using prescribe medicated creams or ointments.

8. Eczema on eyelids

Eczema is also called atopic dermatitis. This is a chronic autoimmune disorder that can lead to dry skin on eyelids, cheeks, forehead or any other parts of your body that won’t go away easily. The condition of eczema can show up as a red dry patch with rashes that resemble a burn that is accompanied by soreness or blisters that ooze out and crust over.

Infants, babies or toddlers are more susceptible to develop patches of eczema on the face than adults. Doctors can help you to manage and treat chronic patches of eczema with the use of topical creams or ointments.

9. Rosacea on eyelids

This is a chronic autoimmune disorder that can lead itchy dry skin with cracks that won’t go away easily. Also, it can lead to tenderness, redness or inflamed skin to the affected area. This condition can also damage your eyelids with the development of hard cysts.

This condition can occur in both adults and children. This condition can be cured by medical treatment by visiting your doctor.

10. Skin cancer

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that can show up dry dark patches to the affected area. This condition can occur anywhere including the skin of your face. Early detection of skin cancer can be treated successfully by the doctors.

11. Other is causes of dry skin on eyelids

Your eyelids can develop dry skin due to other rare underlying condition or disorders in your body. They include:

Eye infections or disorders
Diabetes
Cholera
Kawasaki disease
Kidney infection
Liver disorder
Vitamin A toxicity in the body
Vitamin B deficiency
Hormone disorders

How to get rid of Dry Skin on Eyelids

You can get rid of dry skin on your eyelids using different treatment methods depending on the condition. You can use home remedies to treat dry skin on the eyelids that are caused by mild skin condition such as dry weather, allergic reaction, ringworm, and hot shower (bath).

Alternatively, you can go for medical treatment if the dry skin on your eyelids is caused by serious skin condition such as eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, and melanoma.

Home Remedies

Home remedies may work effectively to treat dry skin on eyelids that are caused by minor health issues such as allergic reaction, dry environmental condition, hot bath (shower), and ringworms. You can try the following treatments:

1. Aloe Vera

The medicinal properties of Aloe Vera can help to cure dry patches on the skin of the eyelids. It can also help to soothe and moisturize dry itchy patches on your face.

How to use:

Wash the affected skin area with warm water and pat dry it
Apply the Aloe Vera cream or get to the affected skin area
Leave it to stay on your skin for more than 20 minutes before you rinse it off
Repeat to apply three times daily until the dry skin on your eyelids soften

2. Coconut oil

Coconut oil is an excellent skin moisturizer that you can use it as a remedy that can help to treat dry skin on eyelids. The oil has antibacterial, antifungal and soothing properties that can help to cure dry itchy patches on your eyelids:

How to use:

Get warm water in a basin
Wash your face and pat dry it completely
Apply the coconut oil to the affected skin area
Repeat to apply it three times daily until your skin improves
Instead of coconut oil, you can alternatively use any other type of essential oil such as Neem tree oil, castor oil, lavender oil, almond oil, and olive oil

3. Lemon juice and raw honey

Lemon juice has citric acid that can help to exfoliate dry skin on your eyelids. It also has antibacterial and antifungal properties that can help to cure various skin infections that cause dry skin. Raw honey is a skin moisturizer that can help to soften dry skin on eyelids.

How to use:

Mix one teaspoon of raw honey with an equal volume of lemon juice
Apply the mixture to the dry skin of the eyelids
Rinse it after 20 minutes
Repeat to apply it three times daily until your skin improves

4. Apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar has antioxidant and antiseptic properties that can help to cure dry patches in the face. The reagent can help to exfoliate dry skin on the eyelids and leave you with soft and bright skin.

How to use:

Get 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar
Soak a cotton ball in the solution
Apply it to the affected skin area
Rinse it after 10 minutes
Repeat this treatment three times daily until your skin soften

5. Skin moisturizers

You can use suitable skin moisturizer as a remedy that can help to treat dry skin on your eyelids. There are several types of skin moisturizer that can help to soften your skin on the face. Vaseline gel is an example of skin moisturizer that you can apply to your dry skin on the eyelid daily.

Ensure you apply the skin moisturizer each time you feel that you develop a feeling of tightness skin on your face.

Medical Treatment

Medical treatment can help to treat dry skin on eyelids that are caused by serious health conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, cancer and severe sun damage.

Visit your doctor to help you in diagnosis and treatment of your skin condition. The common treatment method that your doctor might use to treat dry skin on your eyes includes:

Prescription of topical creams such as dry eyelids cream that can help to soften the skin around eyes that are caused by ectopic eczema, rosacea, and psoriasis
Prescription of oral medication that can help to treat the underlying condition that leads to dry skin such as diabetes, hormone disorder, and autoimmune disorders
Laser treatment that can help to cure dry skin caused by a cancerous condition
A surgical procedure to remove chronic or malignance cells of cancer that cause dry skin on eyelids

When to see a Doctor

You can see the doctor over the dry skin on eyelids if you notice the following conditions:

When the dry skin on your eyelids has persisted for more than three weeks
When you develop severe itchy or burning dry skin on the eyelids that you cannot withstand
If the dry skin on your eyelids is associated with other strange symptoms such as itchy eyeballs, blurred vision, a blind spot in vision, floaters in vision, difficult to blink eyelids and others
If your eyelids develop dry skin with sores, blisters or bumps that look worrisome