Eczema on eyelid??

For the past 1.5 months i've had this eczema type thing under my eyebrow and on the crease of my eyelid. It starts off with dry skin (it seriously feels like snake leather) and starts to feel itchy and the skin turns red.

I went to my doctor and he told me it is allergies. Well, I don't think so. The eyedrops he prescribed me don't even work. I don't want to keep paying my co-pay to get crap advice. I'm also afraid a dermatologist will prescribe some cortisone cream, which just isn't good for the thin skin in the eye area.

I've resorted to using baby shampoo to clean my face and Egytian Magic to moisturize it. This has alleviate the problem, but it hasn't gone away. I've also purchased a humidifier, because the air can get really dry here in So Cal.

Does anybody else get this? Doesn't have to be on your eyelid. And what do you do to get rid of it? It is driving me nuts!

Something that my holistic practitioner recommended for eczema, hives or dry skin is Squalene Oil. You can find it at a health food store. A small bottle is a bit pricey but well worth it. If the issue is on my face I use just a small drop and rub it in well. You can also add a drop to a small amount of your favorite moisturizer mix it well in the palm of your hand and apply.

For larger areas just add a couple of drops to what ever type of lotion you use and apply.

I think iherb.com carries this product. Their prices are always much less than a health food store and their service is excellent.

Did you do a search?

I've never had it on my eyelid, but I do get dyshidrosis (a type of eczema), mostly on my hands, sometimes on my feet, sometimes on my forehead when I'm riding the motorcycle a lot, once on my ear. It's never completely symmetrical and sometimes I get it just on one side (including the once when it was on my ear). I get it when my skin stays too moist (gloves, shoes and helmet), but that's atypical - most people get it as a reaction to excessive dryness.

Stress is also a HUGE contributor (as with most autoimmune issues). DH gets it on his hands ONLY when he's stressed out - external conditions really don't affect it with him. I think everyone in the western world is enormously stressed for the last half of November and all of December... so maybe now that all the holiday stuff is over it'll resolve on its own?

Egyptian Magic looks really benign, but what brand of baby shampoo are you using to clean your face? I just looked up the ingredient list for J&J and there are several nasties in there. The only brands of cleansers I can use on my face are Better Botanicals and Dr. Hauschka's (Dr. Hauschka's is just too heavy for me, but in a dry climate it might work for you).

The shampoo you use on your hair might affect your face too. Some toothpastes will make my chin break out, only on one side, just from whatever small amount gets drooled out during brushing and the short time it stays there before I rinse. :rolleyes: DH's dandruff (which I think is related to eczema? not sure) went away when we started using Kiss My Face Whenever Shampoo (no SLS's, which is not the case for their whole line).

I'd worry about cortisone around the eyes too, but I think if it's going to respond to cortisone it should start responding very quickly. I definitely wouldn't do cortisone OTC on my eyelid - let a doctor prescribe it if they're going to.

What's in the eye drops you're using now? I would've thought it would be a steroid.

Sunlight also makes it go away, eventually, for me. Direct sunlight to the area - not just anywhere on the body. Are you getting enough sunshine this time of year - even in LA, the days are shorter? Without sunglasses, so your eyelid can get some exposure?

Thanks for the advice everybody!

I use Aveeno baby shampoo. It's very gentle and smells good too. I'm not very good at checking the ingredients and if they are bad or not...

Could be the shampoo/conditioner i'm using too...I use Pureology. I've noticed though that it makes my scalp very dry and I get dandruff (eeeew!). So i'll try that Kiss My Face one.

I just want it to go away soon, because it looks gross, having a red patch right under my eyebrow.

I have a co-worker whose 3-year-old daughter has excema problems. The doctor recommended Aquaphor. She greases the kid up and it helps.

Also I don't know what you used to use to wash your face before using baby shampoo, but I use Cetaphil cleanser which is pretty mild.

I used to get that and it was no fun. I don't know if it was actually excema, but your description sounds like what I had. I was under alot of stress at the time. It's gone away now, for a few years at least. I use Dr. Hauschka on my face, which is very pricey but very worth it for me.

It might be worth your while to go to a dermatologist. Cortisol isn't the only thing out there.

I started getting some dry/peeling around my eyebrows last year and then it started to get really raw and wasn't clearing up on its own . . . my dermatologist thought it might be the same thing that was causing a scalp problem for me in the past, but said that you definitely don't put the same stuff on your facial skin than other parts of the body because the skin is very thin.

She gave me a prescription for a cream called desonide, which seems to keep it under control. Which is not to say that you have the same problem/solution, but that dermatologists probably have more in their arsenal than we laypeople would know.

fwiw, desonide is a corticosteroid.

I had similar issue which was diagnosed as the following:

http://www.aoa.org/Blepharitis.xml

I don't think mine is blepharitis since the red patch is under my eyebrow and if I don't moisturize (or if I stay in a very dry environment, like my office, for a prolonged time), the redness and dryness also goes to the crease of my eyelid. Never to my lashline though.

Oh, by the way, the eyedrops the doctor prescribed is called Patanol.

I will definitely try to seek out help from a dermatologist. Thanks guys!

Tulip what did you do to get rid of your red patches?

As I recall, my dry patches (itchy!) seemed to clear up when my other allergies cleared up--when I moved to a house without carpets. I can't remember if I had the problem after moving. I certainly have not had it in several years, but I can't pinpoint what exactly changed.

I don't remember what I put on it, but I did not see a doctor about it (if anything, I'm anti-hypochondriac and often don't see a doctor even when I should, but I'm working on that). I think I actually put cucumber slices on my eyelid and that seemed to help. At least it relieved the itching.

Since that time I have changed alot about my life, and I no longer am so stressed out at home and at work. Maybe that has something to do with it, too.

Not much help, sorry, but perhaps the cukes will feel good.

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Originally Posted by tulip

As I recall, my dry patches (itchy!) seemed to clear up when my other allergies cleared up--when I moved to a house without carpets. I can't remember if I had the problem after moving. I certainly have not had it in several years, but I can't pinpoint what exactly changed.

I don't remember what I put on it, but I did not see a doctor about it (if anything, I'm anti-hypochondriac and often don't see a doctor even when I should, but I'm working on that). I think I actually put cucumber slices on my eyelid and that seemed to help. At least it relieved the itching.

Since that time I have changed alot about my life, and I no longer am so stressed out at home and at work. Maybe that has something to do with it, too.

Not much help, sorry, but perhaps the cukes will feel good.

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You know what? This dry, red, flakiness started after I moved into my new apartment (which is carpeted). Before I lived in a place with hardwood floors, never had a problem. I started to vacuum every other day, and the itchiness has gone away, but the red dry patch is still there (and gets worse when i'm at work).

It's amazing how much dust accumulates, even though I vacuum every other day! Where does it come from? I feel like getting a carpet cleaner in here now.

carpets ought to be banned, imho. It's hideous, harbours so much grossness, and is a pain to keep clean. My whole place is wood or tile, and I wouldn't have it any other way now.

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

fwiw, desonide is a corticosteroid.

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Yes, but I believe that the dose/formulation that I'm using is designed for more delicate skin.

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Originally Posted by Fujichants

You know what? This dry, red, flakiness started after I moved into my new apartment (which is carpeted). Before I lived in a place with hardwood floors, never had a problem. I started to vacuum every other day, and the itchiness has gone away, but the red dry patch is still there (and gets worse when i'm at work).

It's amazing how much dust accumulates, even though I vacuum every other day! Where does it come from? I feel like getting a carpet cleaner in here now.

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Not a good feeling to think that it's part of your home that might be causing the irritation :eek:

Which reminds me, I've got a bunch of area rugs that I should probably send out to have professionally cleaned. That'll be a new adventure.

Since you've already decided to see a dermatologist, I guess this isn't helpful advice, but more of an FYI. I had a similar problem around my nose and then under my eyebrows. It got REALLY bad. I went to a dermatologist and after trying a couple of creams that didn't work, he prescribed an oral antibiotic and a very mild steroid cream. He said that even though you usually don't want to use a steroid cream on your face, this one is mild enough to use short term on the face. After months of suffering, this almost completely cleared it up in a couple of weeks. I wish I had gone to the doctor sooner (I am so lazy about making doctor's appointments), glad to hear you're smarter than I am and getting it taken care of. :o

Grrr my appointment isn't until next week. But thanks for the advice ladies! Now I know what to expect when I go see my dermatologist.

So the past two nights I decided to turn off my humidifier because I felt it was prolonging my cold. Finally, a night where I didn't cough, and I feel so much better this morning.

But the humidifier has helped keep that red patch under my eyelid under control, and now it has spread to my eyelid and my eyelid looks all puffy, wrinkly, and red. It feels really uncomfortable (like I have a really heavy eyelid). I can't go to work looking like this! What on earth is this?? And why won't it go away, but instead just keeps on getting worse!

I just want to get to my dermatologist already. Stupid HMO insurance.

I have the exact same thing fujichants. I was also told that it is from allergies. I live in San Diego, and it seems that there is always something to be allergic to :confused:. Pollens, and molds. Nothing has worked for me except allergy shots for 5 yrs., got sick of that and quit. It has come back since I quit shots. Hope this helps. If you find anything that helps, let me know.

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Originally Posted by ladyicon

I have the exact same thing fujichants. I was also told that it is from allergies. I live in San Diego, and it seems that there is always something to be allergic to :confused:. Pollens, and molds. Nothing has worked for me except allergy shots for 5 yrs., got sick of that and quit. It has come back since I quit shots. Hope this helps. If you find anything that helps, let me know.

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I will! Do you use any creams/moisturizers on it? I just found out that my appointment with the dermatologist isn't until 2/17 :eek: I just find it weird that it suddenly appears now. I've never had this problem before and i've lived in So Cal since 2002! With a 5 months break for when I moved to Singapore.

You become allergic to things as you age. I was never allergic till I woke up one morning with the puffy eye thing :confused:.I used to be allergic to strawberries, but have since outgrown it ( love berries :p).

Any ways, back to the eyes.....I used to get allergy shots but after 5 yrs. could not handle the committment. I now use Lidex (prescribed). i do not like the steroid thing either, but I was more desperate to have normal eyes . I also take Zyrtec every day. Let me know if you find anything natural that works. Use the steroid cream till you can get it under control.

After all the rains that we have had, and now the warmer weather, makes all those mold spores fly around.

I hope you find a cure, but you are not alone. Good luck, let me know what the Dr. says.

Silver Daughter has this. I hadn't replied before because we've never found a really god solution.

But she's sitting right here and I asked her what worked best. She says that Elidel is best. It's a non-steroid eczema creme.

But the solution is really more involved than that. She's done allergy shots, and all kinds of testing plus seeing an Eczema Expert in Louisville. Seems like the eyelid reaction happens when the allergies are really on overload. So she has done the shots, takes an antihistimine, avoids her allergens and treats the eyes. In other words, reduce your overall allergy exposure and the eyelid issue will get a little better.

I had this issue when I first started running...I was essentially allergic to my own sweat. What solved the problem was ALWAYS wearing a hat or wicking headcovering (Headsweats are fabulous for this) and carrying a cotton hanky for wiping my brow to keep the sweat away from my eyes.

carpet carpet carpet. You really can't clean them well enough.I read that everything you track in stays there. Like heavy metals, tire dust from cars... all that stuff. carpet cleaners don't really get it all out. Maybe you don't allow shoes in your house, but what about the previous occupants?

Not only that, but even if your carpet could be pristine, it still holds humidity, which breeds mold on EVERYTHING. When we replaced our downstairs carpet with beautiful cork flooring, making no other changes, the humidity dropped by 10%.

I also second the carpet removal recommendations (though in an apt. I'm sure this is not an option, unfortunately. We tore ours up in our entire downstairs and put in pine planks) and treating allergies systemically. I've had good luck with daily Zyrtec, though Claritin or Allegra would be good to try.