eyelid eczema - HELP!!!
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free skin care · Tue Aug 02, 2011 9:40 pm

I don't know if diet has been mentioned but I had eyelid eczema for years. In 1993, I went on an anti-candida diet to treat systematic candidiasis. The weird thing is not only did I recover from candida issues but my immunity seemed to go through the roof so that I no longer had hay fever in the summer, no matter how high the pollen count (I used to be one of those people who HAD to take an antihistimine or I'd get every symptom associated w/ hay fever); I seemed to develop a resistance to flu and would be left standing while everyone around me had the sniffles (Previously, I'd be the first to get ill during flu season!); and as a bonus, my eczema was no more and has never returned. While I don't know if diet might be everyone's problem, it doesn't hurt to try it. The anti-candida diet is pretty healthy albeit bland if you're used to sugar, dairy, wheat/gluten. It is very similar to the alkaline-causing diet and you do have to give up some yummy foods. But with a bit of creativity, you can come up with some pretty tasty meals.

I also wanted to mention that I know someone whose baby had eczema and virgin coconut oil used as a moisturizer helped clear the eczema. I love the smell of coconut oil and it is the moisturizer I use for my body. There's an article online about why coconut is one of the best moisturizers for skin (I'll quote it below). It's also healthy and tasty to cook with so if you do get some, perhaps you could just scoop out a little in a jar to try out on your eyes...and save the main tub for cooking. That way if it doesn't work, it won't go to waste since you can cook with it. Tip: If you add it to rice in place of butter or margarine it gives the rice a lovely flavor.

Anyway, here's the article about virgin coconut oil that I hope will make you feel safe trying it:

Quote:

Why is coconut oil the only type of oil you should use on your skin?

The answer is free-radicals

Most commercial creams and lotions are predominantly water. Their moisture is quickly absorbed into dry, wrinkled skin. As the water enters the skin, it expands the tissues, like filling a balloon with water, so that wrinkles fade away and the skin feels smoother. But this is only temporary. As soon as the water evaporates or is carried away by the blood stream, the dry, wrinkled skin returns. No matter how hard you try people will never be able to permanently cure dry, wrinkled skin with any commercial body lotion or body care products. Besides the water, most lotions have an oil of some type. This oil is almost always a highly refined vegetable oil devoid of all natural protective antioxidants. One product in our food supply and in body care products that leads to a great deal of free radicals is oxidized vegetable oils.

Read the rest of the article here: http://www.coconut-connections.com/skin_care.htm

Adapted from Bruce Fife's book The Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil.

Fri Jan 20, 2012 3:46 pm

Ryan G wrote:

Skin care is very important. Eczema symptoms are more prone to people who are unhygienic.

This is a very uneducated opinion Ryan. Eczema is triggered by a number of factors - none of which are related to being unhygienic. I am ocd-clean and suffer from eczema due to stress.

I have found the only way mine disappears is a combination of leaving the skin completely alone whilst using diprobase cream. This is really annoying though because I can't help but wear mascara every day, which then needs cleaning off every night. So it's like a vicious circle. Disaster! I'm really struggling to get rid of it at the moment, after a year of being eczema free.

Mon Feb 13, 2012 4:27 pm

Ever since eczema flared up on my eyelids and severely around my mouth (and on lips) I've been obsessed with reading about cures online. It's causing me so much stress, which creates a vicious cycle since stress makes eczema worse. I have had very mild controllable eczema on my lips for a few years now and I would just use vaseline daily and cortisone cream when it became flaky (about once a week) Then when it spread to my upper lip I bought an expensive cream by Rilastil which was a miracle-completely cured!

However, over the holidays I got sunburnt surfing in Costa Rica and since then my eyes have been red, puffy and itchy (watery eyes, flaking lids, looks like somebody punched me!) and all around my mouth especially my upper lip is red, becomes scaly, super itchy and little tiny cuts have developed on the corners of my mouth.

It's ruined my self-esteem, embarrasses me, and gets in the way of any daily task since I spend so much time a)reading about eczema on the internet and b) moisturizing endlessly

Things I've tried so far:
1) Pure Aloe vera gel multiple times a day: I know it helps by adding moisture to skin, but it always stings the parts where my skin is broken
2) Aveeno Eczema cream: It feels nice, and doesn't sting but the problem isn't gone
3) Petroleum Jelly : soothes but doesn't help it go away
4) Just bought Arnica Cream by Jurlique 2 days ago by recommendation. I don't know about this...it's thick but it also stings my open wounds.
5)The Rilastil cream: maybe my skin got used to it because It's not healing like it did the first time I used it. I still use it because it doesn't sting at all.
6) I bought a humidifier...can't hurt.
7) I just took off my nailpolish after reading someone post about it seeping into our blood.

I want to see a dermatologist but since the visit costs money, I want to go in with a list of suggestions for him/her to give their opinion on. I'm planning to go this week so I've been reading this thread and collecting other people's prescriptions ie: Tobradex, methylprednisolone. I'll update ....

free skin care · Mon Feb 13, 2012 5:02 pm

Hi Jennifer! Don't get disheartened and try not to stress, it is possible to be eczema-free if you understand the condition and be your own detective. I currently have just two tiny spots near my ears that I do nothing to. Very Happy

Have you actually had eczema professionally diagnosed or have you self diagnosed? Around the mouth it *may* be perioral dermatitis for which the treatment is different to regular eczema (atopic dermatitis) or around the eyes it *may* be contact dermatitis. A corticosteroid cream can actually worsen perioral dermatitis. Do be aware it is very common for more than one skin condition to co-exist, so you may end up with more than one diagnosis.

Something I highly recommend is to cut ALL sulphate surfactants out of your routine - do not even let bubbles touch your face. Sulphates are in shampoo, shower gel, foaming face wash, exfoliating scrubs, toothpaste, mouthwash, hand wash ... you need to read them all. There have also been reports of fluoride in toothpaste being a problem in some forms of dermatitis so makes sense to avoid that too. Try to avoid other known irritants such as anything that stings, alkaline soaps, fragrance, astringents such as alcohol and witch hazel, chemical sunscreens, acids and parabens. Be aware that once the skin barrier is damaged ANYTHING can irritate even products you used fine before or use elsewhere on your face with no problem.

Please do not over-moisturise or over-wet the area such as repeatedly applying a gel, this can do more harm than good by leaching the skin's natural moisturising factors. I can't find a full ingredients list for your Rilastil as looks to be quite a range. But I noted one contains a simple humectant plus ceramides so this is just repairing the skin barrier. You may find CeraVe cream more effective since it contains other lipids the skin needs, and is cheaper too! However just cutting out the nasties I listed could make enough of a difference your Rilastil works again.

Lastly do be sure that you consistently meet or exceed all your government's recommendations for healthy eating - sugar/ white refined carbs, healthy fats especially oily fish etc.

Wed Feb 22, 2012 6:24 pm

I thought I'd post an update for everyone (present and future sufferers) instead of leaving you feeling hopeless.

First thank you to the poster who replied with very helpful advice. Although I didn't use any of it, I'm sure others will.

*What I didn't do before: The simple, easy step of going to the dermatologist. I assumed they would just prescribe me a strong cortisone cream, which as everyone states is not good for the skin longterm. So I wanted to heal myself from within. And not be dependent on the cream.

*What the dermatologist recommended: She gave me samples of Locoid (Hydrocortisone Butyrate) cream and advised me to apply it 3 times a day to my eyelids, upper lip and directly on my lips. My first reaction was "Huh?? isn't that bad?" But she explained the goal here was to reduce the inflammation and redness, since my skin condition became severe after a sunburn a month ago. The sunburn must have stressed my skin out a lot and caused solar dermatitis. I self-diagnosed myself with eczema, which I believe my skin is just "prone" to eczema since I've had it mildly on my lips for a couple years. But I am so happy that it took the cream 2 days to clear up my entire face. Zero eczema and my lips are slightly dry but nothing as bad as before (I'm not even itchy) It's been 1 week. I'm not applying it anymore.

Result: I don't care if the cream thins out my skin, my skin will heal eventually. The fact that I have normal skin, I feel beautiful, I can wear makeup and it doesn't irritate me, my self-esteem is back and my productivity is high makes me feel like an idiot for avoiding the cortisone treatment in the first place.

By the way, this was the top dermatology centre in Beverly Hills so I have lots of faith in their professionalism.

I hope that all sufferers can find resolution like I have.

Mon Apr 02, 2012 5:55 pm

I have been struggling with eyelid eczema since I was in high school (I am now 40). It really wasn't bad until the last few years when it's begun flaring up. It really is killing my self esteem...on top of getting old and becoming overweight, it's now taken my looks. Even when it is not flaring up, the delicate skin around my eyes looks MUCH older now because of all the deep wrinkles it has created. Everybody would comment on how pretty my eyes looked (I love to play with makeup) and now they just look awful and make me want to cry. I have been using cortisone on my eyes (I know, a big NO NO), but I don't know what else to do. I use a fairly expensive eye cream (have used it for years even when I wasn't having issues), called Skyn. I use Neutrogena to wash my face. I don't use cheap drugstore makeup, only more expense lines like Urban Decay, Benefit, Stilla and MAC. I believe at the moment that stress is playing a huge part (I really hate my job that I have been at for almost 10 years). I felt like I was alone in suffering with this, but I am glad to see I am not alone. I have had eczema on my feet since I was a kid, then it sprang up on my hands in my early 30's (making my hands look like those of a 60 year old). I don't have money for all that non-allergen stuff...and I know there is no quick-fix, but I would just like to find something that will help even a little so I don't look like someone punched me in both of my eyes.

free skin care · Tue Apr 03, 2012 1:30 am

Twilightmominohio Welcome and no you are not alone. Wink

I have atopic eczema and contact dermatitis but currently almost clear.

Firstly and most importantly check all your foaming products (shampoo, shower gel, face wash, exfoliator, hand soap, toothpaste, etc) looking for sulphate surfactants. These have names like sodium lauryl sulphate, ammonium laureth sulphate, sodium dodecyl sulphate. Eliminate these from your life because they are powerful irritants proven to damage healthy skin at concentrations as low as 1% (shampoo is ~20%!). Wear gloves when washing the dishes because they are in dish soap. For myself shampoo bubbles running down my arm flares my atopic eczema. You do not need expensive products: Google for a sulphate-free shampoo base or shower gel base, unbranded is fine. If you find a gentle formula this can be used on the face and hands as well.

Secondly overhaul your eating: switch to an anti-inflammatory, low glycaemic index diet The most important aspects are your oily fish intake, cutting out all sugars and refined white carbohydrates. This is proven to reduce the inflammation associated with all forms of dermatitis, and also can help you manage stress and your weight. Also for stress be sure to do regular physical activity, equivalent of 10,0000 steps per day every day either outdoors or in a group or both. If you are well enough to do more intense exercise especially weight or strength training this will particularly help you manage your weight too, but no matter if you cannot.

Expensive make up is just as likely to contain allergens and irritants as cheap drugstore makeup, for example fragrance and parabens. Just because you have used something for years means nothing, you can become sensitised to a product at any time and this is actually more common than being sensitive to a new product. IMO cut back on everything you use anywhere near the eye area and give your skin the chance to fully repair, even in the deeper layers. This may take a couple of months.

IMO prioritise your skin health over your cosmetics. An excellent moisturiser for eczematous skin is CeraVe Cream, or Eucerin (choose one with ceramides as well as urea), Weleda skin food OR baby calendula face/ body cream, a more natural DIY option is shea-aloe butter which you whip yourself from aloe vera gel and unrefined West African shea butter. All these contain the specific lipids which are proven to help repair the skins barrier function and none are overly expensive.

Using cortisone regularly is not the answer, but it is not a 'NO NO' either. It is a perfectly valid way of reducing chronic inflammation in order that your skin barrier has the chance to repair. I would be extremely surprised if the above does not make a substantial difference to your skin health, providing you are diligent especially with the sulphate surfactants. If this makes no difference IMO you have been misdiagnosed.

Please let me know if I can help any further, and also how you get on.

Sun Apr 08, 2012 12:35 pm

Thanks Firefox...Ive been using sulfate free shampoo & condition for a about a year, but I will definately check out the ingredients on the other products as you suggested. I never thought that what I eat could affect my skin, but that makes sense...I will work on getting my diet changed per your suggestions! Very Happy

free skin care · Sun Apr 08, 2012 9:26 pm

Let me know if I can help any more, Twilightmom, if it is a few weeks in the future feel free to PM me that you have posted on this thread. Best of luck!

free skin care · Sun Apr 08, 2012 9:54 pm

There are several "triggers" that you can do your best to avoid.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/eczema-pictures/eczema-triggers-to-avoid-0310.aspx#/slide-1

http://www.eczemaguide.ca/eczema_care/triggers_to_avoid.html

http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Eczema-Triggers-and-Irritants.htm

http://www.protopic.com/living-with-the-itch/avoiding-triggers/

http://henrystumm.hubpages.com/hub/Find_Out_to_Help_Your_Eczema_What_Triggers_Itchy_Skin

http://www.eczema.org.au/info/facts.html

Tue May 01, 2012 5:20 am

Firefox7275 - just wanted to reinforce your post about surfactants. After two years of suffering with this on my eyelids, and going through endless different creams, I seem to have finally pinpointed the problem as being an allergy to Cocamidopropyl Betaine - a surfactant which is present in most shampoos, shower gels, soaps - anything which foams! It's taken me a while, but I think I have now eliminated it from the products I am using and my eyelids are clearing up nicely.

Apparently an allergy to this ingredient typically presents itself as eyelid dermatitis, so if you suffer with skin problems on your eyelids, it's definitely worth a try to eliminate this as a potential allergen.

Products I love for soothing my eyelids are Liz Earle's Cleanse & Polish, and Aveeno cream - both of which I couldn't be without!

Mon May 14, 2012 1:38 am

Hi, I'm new to the forum and ive just started getting eczema on my eyelids. Itchy and puffy and red not very nice. Going to buy some aveeno cream later to see if it helps as its easy to get hold of......what one is best for eyelids?

Thank you Smile

Tue May 15, 2012 10:49 am

I also suffer from this condition, its awful my eyes become so sore they close with swelling. The yesterday while clearing some drawers I found a sample of Elemis recovery Gel with in hours they were so much better and today they are completely well. I have quite a bit of scarring but now I will use this every day, I don't know why I didn't try it before. Elemis is normally really good for samples so you can try before you buy.
This is the link
http://www.elemis.com/skincare/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=15

Fri May 18, 2012 8:14 am

Rubyrubes wrote:

Hi, I'm new to the forum and ive just started getting eczema on my eyelids. Itchy and puffy and red not very nice. Going to buy some aveeno cream later to see if it helps as its easy to get hold of......what one is best for eyelids?

Thank you Smile

Hi Rubyrubes

I find the Aveeno actual eye cream stings if I put it on my eczema, I like the Aveeno body moisturiser which I find very soothing.

However, I've recently discovered something which I would recommend even more highly - Mario Badescu Control Cream. This has completely cleared up my flaking skin in a matter of days. It's highly recommended elsewhere on this forum for eyelid eczema but I have to admit I was a little sceptical. As someone who has suffered with this for nearly 2 years, I wish I'd tried this cream from the start. It cost me £13.95 from BeautyBay online - amazing stuff.

free skin care · Fri May 18, 2012 10:05 am

as a child i had eyelid eczema. The doctor had prescribed me some topical medication cream and it went away. However, when i put on some creamy based eyeshadows, the eczema returns. There may be some sort of ingredient in certain eyeshadows that is aggravating the eyelid causing eczema to worsen maybe...

Sat Jun 09, 2012 11:23 am

I am anxious to try some of the remedies I have just read about for my eyelid eczema. I have a fairly mild case but it is very annoying and unsightly. I do not wear a lot of make-up but I feel I cannot go to work without mascara and eyeliner. Does anyone have any suggestions for brands that don't add to the problem? What about face make-up? I used to use MAC but switched and it got worse. Are there any other brands that anyone has find don't contribute to the problem.

I really can't believe there are so many of us with this problem.

Thu Jul 12, 2012 8:09 am

I googled 'eczema on eyelids' and found this site. I have been dealing with eczema on my eyelids and face for about 5 years now. I've been to allergists, dermatologists, and all kinds of doctors. They always gave me cortisone cream. It helped temporarily. I read this forum and immediately went to walmart and picked up unscented baby wash and aveeno eczema care lotion. It is now day three and my face is completely clear. I haven't seen it this clear in a while! Thank you so much for the advice, I am so happy! EVERYONE who is suffering should try that method. I keep the cream with me when I am going out for long periods of time and put it on anytime I feel a bit dry. I usually wash my face in the morning and before bed with the baby soap. I bought the aveeno unscented baby wash. Works amazing!

free skin care · Thu Jul 12, 2012 8:23 am

Welcome Jennymiskelly and Karen648! Very Happy

free skin care · Thu Jul 12, 2012 12:09 pm

Dear Firefox,

You give some very thorough responses.

I'm going to send you a PM this week. Could you please be on the lookout for it and later respond to it?

free skin care · Thu Jul 12, 2012 1:13 pm

Will do!

free skin care · Thu Jul 12, 2012 5:05 pm

I had this. I also had exzema on my hands and arms. Turns out I am allergic to glycerin. Glycerin is a VERY common ingredient in cosmetic and skin products - it is hard to get cosmetics without it. Just a thought.

Fri Sep 21, 2012 6:56 pm

Does anyone know whether it would make any sense that all of a sudden I would develop a reaction to mica or bismuth? I was reading the posts about it as I'm trying to find a fix for my eye excema which has been going on for several months (Dr gave Eladil....) and I'm getting married in less than a month! I've used Bare Escentuals for years with no problems, and when this started I washed my brushes several times to see if that would help. It didn't. It doesn't seem to make sense that it would all of a sudden be a problem...but wanted to see if anyone else had heard of or experienced this. The only change I had made was to start facials - basic ones - nothing fancy. And then I started to get this, so I stopped the facials. Thoughts??

Wed Dec 19, 2012 2:35 pm

I am So. Glad. that I found this site. I moved to a different city three months ago, and since then my eczema has flared worse than I can remember. (Although I did have it BAD as a child, my mom shared my pain with me :( and she tried to make it glamorous with frilly cotton gloves and whatnot. What a wonderful woman.) I've been to a few dermatologists in my time-- they're great for getting prescriptions for steroid creams. But the advice on this forum is much more helpful! A specific thanks to Firefox7275-- the forum won't let me star posts yet because I'm so new, but I want to 5-star all your advice :)

Sun Jan 13, 2013 3:24 pm

Bubblebob wrote:

Rubyrubes wrote:

Hi, I'm new to the forum and ive just started getting eczema on my eyelids. Itchy and puffy and red not very nice. Going to buy some aveeno cream later to see if it helps as its easy to get hold of......what one is best for eyelids?

Thank you Smile

Hi Rubyrubes

I find the Aveeno actual eye cream stings if I put it on my eczema, I like the Aveeno body moisturiser which I find very soothing.

However, I've recently discovered something which I would recommend even more highly - Mario Badescu Control Cream. This has completely cleared up my flaking skin in a matter of days. It's highly recommended elsewhere on this forum for eyelid eczema but I have to admit I was a little sceptical. As someone who has suffered with this for nearly 2 years, I wish I'd tried this cream from the start. It cost me £13.95 from BeautyBay online - amazing stuff.

Hi bubblebob.
Late to reply but just wanted to say thank you for recommending the Mario Badescu control cream, I am definitely going to order some as I'm still suffering with the eczema on my eyes. It's been on and off since last may but at Xmas it flared up and can't seem to get rid. I ordered some dry eye gel and seemed to help but never got rid, it can be ok one day then bad the next, just don't know what's causing it and what triggered it off at Xmas, it's so itchy right now Sad

I am going to order some of the control cream and will let you know how I get on, fingers crossed!
How are your eyes now, is that cream really a miracle worker?! Thanks x

free skin care · Wed Jan 16, 2013 12:31 pm

My itchy eyelids were caused by a fungal infection. I had used every skin care treatment mentioned (and then some, changed to a plastic lash curler, etc. I finally broke down and went to a derm who told me it was probably fungal and gave me a prescription. It was gone within two days' time and it hasn't bothered me since. It might be worth it to try some over the counter anti-fungals (being careful not to get them in your eyes). I had this problem for years off and on, and it was well worth the money at the drs. to have my lids smooth and not crusty and itchy anymore!

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