A Rash…On Your Eyelids?

Eye­lid der­mati­tis, or a rash on the eye­lids, is a very com­mon skin con­di­tion. Eye­lids have the thinnest skin of the whole body so they are most sus­cep­ti­ble to irri­ta­tion. Eye­lid der­mati­tis presents as dry, red, itchy skin and can have many causes. 

The win­ter months in cold and dry cli­mates can bring out eye­lid der­mati­tis as a form of eczema. Some peo­ple may have eczema or dry, itchy skin else­where, but it is very com­mon on the eye­lids because the skin is so thin. Eye­lid der­mati­tis can also be due to an aller­gic reac­tion. This is usu­al­ly caused by some­thing you come in con­tact with, but deter­min­ing the item can be tricky. It can be some­thing that you are apply­ing direct­ly to your eye­lids, or it can be some­thing that is on your hands, fin­gers, or nails, and then gets trans­ferred to your eye­lids when itch­ing or scratch­ing your eyes. 

The best way to treat eye­lid der­mati­tis is to start with basic skin care. Use a gen­tle cleanser to wash your face and apply a gen­tle mois­tur­iz­ing cream dai­ly. Refrain from using any acne or anti-aging skin care prod­ucts or make­up on the eye area. A der­ma­tol­o­gist may pre­scribe a med­icat­ed cream, but if the rash still per­sists, aller­gy test­ing may be rec­om­mend­ed. Although treat­able, peo­ple who have this con­di­tion usu­al­ly need to main­tain a gen­tle skin care rou­tine and use hypoal­ler­genic make­up to ensure the rash does­n’t return.

Eye­lid der­mati­tis presents as red, dry, itchy skin around the eye­lids. Pain, swelling, drainage, or pim­ple-like bumps are not com­mon­ly asso­ci­at­ed with eye­lid der­mati­tis. If these symp­toms occur, see your doc­tor for eval­u­a­tion and treatment.