Dry Skin Around Eyes – Causes & Treatments

The area around your eyes is very delicate and if not taken care of properly, it will easily dry out. Too much eye makeup, caffeine, insufficient sleep, pollution, and other external factors can overwhelm your eyes and the skin around them and make them look dull, tired, and dry. In addition, you cannot easily hide the signs of dry skin around eyes.

What Causes Dry Skin Around Eyes

Several factors can cause dry skin around eyes, especially round the eyelids and under-eye area. The skin around your eyes may become dry, itchy, and flaky due to the following reasons:

• Age
• Excessive eye rubbing
• Not removing makeup properly
• Excessive use of hot water
• Harsh chemicals (found in soaps, skin care products, and cosmetics)
• Weather conditions (low humidity and dry weather, especially during seasonal changes)

However, other underlying conditions can also cause dry skin around eyes and itchy, scaly skin, including:

Contact Dermatitis

This condition occurs when your skin comes into contact with an irritant in your skincare or eye care products. Sunscreens, moisturizers, face washes, mascara, and conditioning products can all irritate your skin. Avoiding products that irritate your skin can help treat contact dermatitis.

Atopic Dermatitis

This condition is characterized by redness, itching, and scaling on your skin. It is a chronic disease and can be caused by your immune system, caused by the environment, or may be hereditary. In order to control its symptoms, you need to consult a doctor.

Facial Psoriasis

Psoriasis makes your eyelids scaly (scales usually cover the eyelashes) and the area under your eyes dry and scaly. If you suffer from any of these conditions, you need to see a dermatologist. They can evaluate your situation and suggest the right solution.

Home Remedies for Dry Skin Around Eyes

If the dry skin around your eyes is due to general neglect or other soft reasons, you can deal with it by taking advantage of home remedies. These treatments keep the skin around your eyes nourished and hydrated.

Note: Make sure that none of these substances enter your eyes. Also, it is a good idea to test them on your arm or wrist before using them under the eyes. In case there is a risk of an allergic reaction, it can be more dangerous around the eyes.

Aloe Vera Gel

Aloe vera hydrates and moisturizes your skin. It also stimulates fibroblasts to produce collagen, thus preventing wrinkles. It is especially useful for treating dry skin around the eyes. Massage the aloe vera gel focusing on the dry areas around your eyes. Leave it on overnight. Wash it off the next day. Repeat this every night.

Almond Oil

Almond oil is an excellent emollient that can heal dry skin. It is also useful in the management of eczema and psoriasis. Gently massage almond oil on the skin around your eyes. Leave it on overnight. Wash it off the next morning. Repeat this treatment every night.

Vitamin E Oil

Vitamin E is an excellent antioxidant. It increases the rate of collagen production, boosts anti-aging effects, and reduces dark circles around the eyes. It also keeps the skin around your eyes young and healthy. Carefully open 2 vitamin E capsules and remove the oil. Massage the oil around your eyes. Leave it on overnight. Repeat this every night.

Glycerin

Glycerin keeps your skin hydrated and prevents it from drying out. One study showed that cream containing glycerin is effective in treating dry atopic skin. Apply some glycerin on cotton pads. Place the pads over your eyes. Leave it on for 5 minutes and then remove it. Leave the glycerin on your skin overnight. Wash it off the next morning. Repeat this every night.

Avocado

Avocado oil is very nourishing for dry and damaged skin. Its topical application has been shown to increase collagen synthesis in various studies. This may help reduce the appearance of wrinkles around the eyes. Avocado pulp showed faster wound healing properties in rat studies. If you use avocado oil, gently massage the skin around your eyes with the oil. Leave it on the skin overnight and wash it off the next morning.

If you use avocado pulp, apply the pulp around the eyes. Let it stay for 15-20 minutes. Use a wet wipe to gently remove the pulp. Wash it off with lukewarm water. Repeat once a day before going to bed.

Olive Oil

The topical use of olive oil has an anti-inflammatory effect on the skin. It reduces oxidative damage, heals your skin, and promotes skin regeneration. Massage the olive oil gently on the area around the eyes. Leave it on overnight. Wash it off with cool water the next morning. Repeat this every night.

How to Prevent Dry Skin Around Eyes?

Preventing dryness around the eyes is not difficult. Most of the time a little bit of care would be all you need to be able to keep the skin around your eyes healthy for a long time.

Stay hydrated. Drinking water helps to maintain the moisture balance in your body and prevents it from drying out.  

Avoid washing your face with harsh chemicals. Always choose soap-free, hypoallergenic, and mild face washes. Such detergents do not put pressure on your skin and do not dry it out.

Keep the eye area moist. Use a good eye cream to moisturize your eye area. Your regular face cream will not work on the delicate eye area. It needs special products to stay healthy.

Avoid rubbing your eyes. Since the skin around your eyes is delicate, rubbing too much can damage the capillaries and make your eyes look puffy and bruised.

Limit exposure to sunlight. The sun's harmful UV rays can cause fine lines, dryness, and wrinkles in the skin around your eyes. Always apply sunscreen to the area to protect it and wear sunglasses when you go outside.

Remove your makeup every day. If you wear makeup on or around your eyes, it is best to remove them properly every night before going to bed. Also, when buying cosmetics, make sure that you are not allergic to them.

Avoid certain ingredients in your products. Avoid using any products containing parabens, lanolin, formaldehyde, formaldehyde-releasing agents, and fragrances. These often irritate the skin and may lead to dry skin around eyes.

Avoid scratching the area around the eyes. If you feel itchy and dry, do not scratch. It may make things worse. Use an anti-itch cream or a cold or warm compress to reduce irritation. Apart from these precautions, you will also need to take care of your diet to improve your skin and overall health.

Read more: Best Eye Wrinkle Treatments

Summing Up

The skin around the eyes is thinner than the rest of the body. This means that it does not retain moisture and dries out more easily. With spots, itching, scaling, and redness, dry skin around eyes can be very unpleasant. In this post, we reviewed the major causes of dry skin around the eyes and practical as well as home remedies available in order to treat it.