Dry Skin Around The Eyes 15 Home Remedies To Treat It

Furthermore, because the skin around your eyes is so fragile, you will not be able to hide the marks of negligence easily. If you’re wondering how to treat dry skin around the eyes, do not worry! Here’s a list of natural and simple home remedies for dealing with it.

What Causes Dry Skin Around The Eyes?

Dr. Stefani Kappel , a board-certified dermatologist, says, “The skin around your eyes is the first skin to get dry if there is a drop in humidity or irritants in your skin care products. Also, the dermis and epidermis around the eye, which we call periorbital skin, is thinner and more susceptible to irritation than the skin on the rest of the face.” Multiple factors can be responsible for dry skin around your eyes, especially on your eyelids and the undereye area. The skin around your eyes can be dry, itchy, and flaky due to:

Weather conditions (low humidity and dry weather, especially during seasonal change) Excessive use of hot water Aging Not removing makeup properly Excessive rubbing Harsh chemicals (present in soaps, skincare, and cosmetic products)

However, other underlying health factors can also cause dryness around your eyes and make the skin itchy and flaky. These include:

Contact Dermatitis

This is caused when your skin comes in contact with an irritant in your skincare or eye care products. Sunscreen, moisturizer, face wash, mascara, and styling products – anything can irritate your skin. Avoiding the 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 condition and can be caused by your immune system, triggered by the environment, or may run in your family. You need to consult a doctor to manage its symptoms.

Blepharitis

It is the inflammation around the eyelids, typically affecting both eyes. This condition results from the blockage of small oil glands near the eyelashes’ base, leading to irritation and redness. It can be caused by a bacterial or a skin infection. You may experience a burning sensation, itching, swollen eyelids, dry eyes, crusting of the eyelids, or excessive tearing.

Ocular Rosacea

It is an inflammatory condition that causes redness, burning, and itchy eyes. It frequently occurs in individuals with rosacea, a chronic skin condition characterized by redness on the face. This issue may affect the surface of your eye, especially in cases of dry eyes caused by tear evaporation.

Facial Psoriasis

Psoriasis makes your eyelids turn scaly (the scales usually cover the eyelashes) and the undereye area to become dry and crusty. According to a cross-sectional study conducted on 4016 Danish adults with psoriasis, 2602 (64.8%) patients had psoriasis in hard-to-treat areas. The most frequently hard-to-treat area was the scalp (43%), followed by the face (29.9%), nails (24.5%), soles (15.6%), genitals (14.1%), and palms (13.7%), respectively. Visit a dermatologist if you have any of these conditions. They can assess your condition and suggest a proper remedy. However, if the dry skin around your eyes is due to general neglect or any other reason, you can show it some love with home remedies. These remedies will keep the skin around your eyes nourished and hydrated. Scroll down to check them out. Note: Please make sure that none of these ingredients go into your eyes. Also, test these remedies on the inner arm or wrist before applying under your eyes as there is a risk of an allergic reaction, and it can be dangerous around the eyes.

15 Home Remedies To Treat Dry Skin Around Your Eyes

1. Aloe Vera Gel

Aloe vera hydrates and moisturizes your skin. It also promotes collagen production by stimulating fibroblasts, thus preventing wrinkles (1). This is especially beneficial for treating dry patches of skin around your eyes. 1 tablespoon fresh aloe vera gel

2. Almond Oil

Almond oil is an excellent emollient that can heal dry skin . It is also beneficial in managing eczema and psoriasis (2). A few drops of almond oil

3. Vitamin E Oil

Vitamin E is an excellent antioxidant. It boosts collagen production, has anti-aging effects, and reduces dark circles (3). It also keeps the skin around your eyes youthful and healthy. 2 vitamin E capsules

4. Glycerin

Glycerin keeps your skin hydrated and prevents dryness. A study found that glycerin containing cream was effective in treating atopic dry skin (4).

A few drops of glycerin 2 cotton pads

5. Vaseline Or Petroleum Jelly

Petroleum jelly helps to prevent moisture loss from your skin (5). This property of petroleum jelly keeps your skin hydrated and prevents dryness. However, it is a bit greasy, which may be undesirable to some people. ½ teaspoon Vaseline or any petroleum jelly

6. Green Tea Bags

Green tea has skin renewal and rejuvenating benefits (6). Although there is no evidence to prove the effectiveness of green tea in reducing dryness around the eyes, applying green tea bags on your skin can help prevent puffiness and dryness in the eye area.

2 green tea bags Water

7. Avocado

Avocado oil is extremely nourishing for dry and damaged skin. Its topical application has shown to increase collagen synthesis in rat studies (7). This may help reduce the appearance of eye wrinkles or Crow’s feet. Avocado pulp showed faster wound-healing properties in rat studies. A few drops of avocado oil or 1 tablespoon avocado pulp (mashed)

8. Honey

Honey has been used for healing and treating skin conditions since ancient times. Honey improves hydration and is an excellent emollient and humectant that keeps your skin healthy by preventing water loss and keeping it moisturized (9). 1 teaspoon organic or Manuka honey

9. Cucumber

4-5 tablespoons cucumber juice (grate a cucumber and extract the juice) 2 cotton pads

10. Milk

Milk has a cooling effect on your skin. It keeps your skin nourished and hydrated. Milk contains lactic acid that can help improve skin texture and make it smooth (11).

Raw milk 2 cotton pads

11. Shea Butter

Shea butter is often used in commercial moisturizing creams skincare products for its hydrating, anti-inflammatory, and moisturizing benefits (12). Hence, shea butter can be used to heal the skin around your eyes.

1 teaspoon raw shea butter 1 vitamin E capsule (optional)

12. Olive Oil

The topical application of olive oil has an anti-inflammatory effect on the skin. It reduces oxidative damage, heals your skin, and promotes dermal reconstruction (7). A few drops of cold-pressed olive oil Clare, a blogger, writes about persistent dry and crepey skin under her eyes which even affected her makeup application. After using a lot of products, she finally tried extra virgin olive oil. She applied it 15 minutes before bedtime, following a warm cloth treatment to open pores. She summed up her personal experience thus: “After two nights of doing this, I noticed a massive difference in how my make up looked during the day. Not nearly as dry as before (i).”

13. Yogurt

Yogurt is often used in facial masks or applied on its own for its moisturizing benefits. It brightens your skin, calms it down, and improves its moisture levels (13). 1 tablespoon plain yogurt or curd

14. Milk Cream

Milk cream is a popular home remedy used for its moisturizing effects. It helps to keep the skin moisturized and youthful and leaves it feeling soft and smooth. 1 teaspoon milk cream or malai

15. Rose Water

Rose water rejuvenates your skin. It has an anti-inflammatory effect on your skin and helps reduce redness, puffiness, and inflammation (14). It may not prevent dryness, but it can help to keep the skin calm and rejuvenated. You can easily prepare rose water at home. Rosewater prepared at home is more beneficial than commercially available ones.

2 tablespoons rose water 2 cotton pads

Preventing dryness around your eyes is not a difficult task. Follow these simple home remedies for dry eyes to take care of the skin around your eyes. Also, being a little careful with how you treat your skin and eyes can keep them healthy for long. Take a look at the precautions you need to follow to prevent dryness on the skin around your eyes.

How To Prevent Dryness Around Your Eyes – Tips To Follow

1. Keep Yourself Hydrated

Drinking water helps maintain the moisture balance in your body and prevents dehydrated skin.

2. Avoid Harsh Face Washes

Always opt for soap-free, hypoallergenic, and mild face washes. Such face washes don’t strain your skin or dry it out.

3. Keep The Eye Area Moisturized

Use a good eye cream to moisturize your eye area. Your regular face cream will not work on the delicate eye area; it needs specific products to stay healthy.

4. Avoid Rubbing Your Eyes

Since the skin around your eyes is delicate, rubbing it too hard or excessively can damage the capillaries and make your eyes look swollen and bruised.

5. Limit Your Sun Exposure

The harmful UV rays of the sun can cause sun damage, fine lines, dryness, and wrinkling of the skin around your eyes (15). Always apply sunscreen on the area to keep it protected and wear sunglasses when you step out.

6. Remove Makeup Every Day

If you apply makeup on or around your eyes, make it a point to remove them properly every night before going to bed. Also, while buying cosmetics, make sure you are not allergic to them.

7. Avoid Certain Ingredients In Your Products

Avoid putting any product on your skin with parabens, lanolin, formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing agents, and fragrances. These often cause skin irritation and may lead to dryness around your eyes.

8. Avoid Scratching The Area Around Your Eyes

If you have dry and itchy skin, do not scratch it. This may worsen the condition. Apply anti-itching cream or a hot or cold compress to reduce irritation. Apart from these eye care tips and precautions, you also need to take care of your diet to improve your skin and overall health.

What To Eat And Avoid To Treat Dry Skin Around The Eyes

1. Consume Probiotics

These improve the overall health of your skin (16). Try including probiotics, such as fermented foods, yogurt, and sauerkraut, in your diet.

2. Follow A Balanced Diet

Following a balanced diet helps your body deal with a variety of health and skin conditions (17). Include fish, eggs, meat, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains in your diet. These foods are loaded with antioxidants that help in repairing damaged skin cells and improve your skin quality.

3. Include Essential Fatty Acids

Essential fatty acids protect the lipid layer of your skin and prevent it from drying out (18). That is why it is better to use unhydrogenated vegetable oils while cooking. Include canola oil and olive oil in your diet.

4. Consume Fiber-Rich Food

Fiber helps flush out the toxins from your body that have accumulated from environmental factors, such as dust and pollution. Eat foods such as whole-wheat bread, corn, kidney beans, apples, and Brussels sprouts to meet your daily fiber requirements. Additionally, try to avoid processed, fried, and spicy foods. If your body is healthy from within, it shows on your skin. Check out the infographic and pick one that you can apply at a moment’s notice.Illustration: StyleCraze Design Team Can you use jojoba oil around the eyes? According to Dr. Kappel, “Of all the oils that are used in skin care, jojoba oil is the safest. However, when applying anything around the eyes, keeping any products about 1 cm from the eyelid margin is recommended. This is because there can be migration across the skin, and although jojoba oil is safe to use, you would want to keep it from migrating into your eye.” Is dimethicone good for dry skin around the eyes? Dr. Kappel says, “No. Dimethicone can actually increase skin irritation, especially for those with sensitive skin. This is due to the coding property. In addition, it can be an eye irritant. So, if it migrates into the eye, it can cause a corneal abrasion or corneal ulceration and severe eye irritation.” Can allergies cause dry skin around the eyes? Yes, they can. Consult a doctor and get yourself tested for allergies. You may get allergies from any topical ingredient or food. How to soothe irritated skin around eyes? Follow the home remedies, use topical ointments, and develop a good skincare routine, especially for the skin around your eyes. What deficiency causes dry skin around eyes? Vitamin D deficiency and deficiency of minerals like zinc and iron can cause dry skin around the eyes. Is Vaseline good for dry skin under the eyes? Yes, it is a tried and tested method to keep the skin around the eyes soft and to lock in moisture to rejuvenate dry skin.