eczema on my eyelids- help

[KWL51]

no where else but really dry itchy eyelids.
I've not changed anythign and no more stressed than normal. I have no idea what to do about it or how to soothe it.
I have now gone without makeup for three days to see if that helps, but no improvemewnt and i look awful.
Help please.

Just a thought, how old is your make-up?

I have had this a couple of times, and worked out it was caused by old mascara/eyeshadow or dirty make-up brushes. I used an under-eye concealer that I had forgotten about, and within a day the skin around my eyes was red and inflamed. Make-up (particularly wet stuff like mascara) develops a build-up of bacteria after a while, which can irritate delicate skin.

not sure if you're entirely spot on bettybathroom. it is THE most common thing a gp sees. and the thing a dermatologist spends their life working on. maybe youve had a bad experience so you think everyone's the same. Not always the best plan - just because one person talks nonsense on mumsnet for example doesnt mean I think everyone does.
Or maybe you have discovered something no one else in the world knows, but are reluctant to share it?

I had flaky skin on my eyelids and was told by pharmacist to take anti-histimine pills for a few days (just the normal ones you would get over the counter for hayfever). It worked.

My daughter has this. We use frequent applications of eight hour cream, which really helps.

Hi, when I have this I use sudocream and it seems to work pretty quickly in clearing it up. Not sure whether you are supposed to put it in your eye lids but so far I've not experienced any probs!

I get this from cosmetics (I became allergic to Dior and Maybelline last year - brown eyeliner pencils triggered it) but also from strong whiffs of perfume.

Hydrocortisone helps, and I had to ditch a bunch of my favorite makeup products, also concealers and foundations.

DD1 had that (sun allergy in fact) and the pead. advised benpanthen ointment for a week 1st and if not working then you have to go again have a prescription of something else than hydrocortisone (but same effect but special for application around the eyes).

If I get it, 8 h cream by elizabeth harden works well (but it is usually just dry skin not eczema)

My friend uses nettle soap from Highland Fresh and says it settles her eczema. She doesn't have a relly bad case but it flares up when we take the DCs swimming and she says it really works.

I would say always go to GP first. Your eyes are very precious. If they prescribe hydrocortisone and you can get it over the counter cheaper, you can always ask the pharmacist for the same thing and buy it.

been using 0.5% hydrocortisone on my around my son's eyes very sparingly and on prescription. does the job. don't think you can get hydrocortisone without prescription. I've tried in Boots etc but not had any luck without specifying that it was for my son who is 22 months.

*not had any luck EVEN when not specifying it was for my son - doh! Too early

I get this too, usually at this time of year and I find Lanisoh cream is the only thing that helps (I put it on at night - too gloopy for the day time). Also seriously up your intake of water - extra hydration works a treat. I have never used Lanisoh as nipple cream but it's brilliant for all sorts of things!

My mum had the same problem and used hydrocortisone for it. It did clear up, but really thinned the, already thin skin on her eyelids. This meant that any more eczema outbreaks caused her skin to crack and bleed and were much worse.
I used to get patches of eczema quite often and found that eating more oily fish made a big difference. Fish oil supplements sound like a good plan.
Hope it gets better soon.

I'm pretty sure all my make up is less than 6 months old as I use it everyday. But will wash my brushes and buy new sponge applicators today.
The chemist referred me to the gp so will wait and see what he says. I'm not keen on using the hydrocortisone tbh.

We've got a new tube of diprobase that I use on my sons eczema so might give that a go tonight as long as it doesn't sting. I'm due for an eyebrow wax but don't want to go until this is sorted.

MOst creams or even steroids will sting- your skin is broken and inflamed.

I have had eczema come and go throughout my life and ALL steroid creams sting on application- you just have to grit your teeth for 10 mins and get through it.

It might just go away by itself, but you won't do yourself any harm by using a tiny smear of hydrocortisone for 2-3 days.

Leave off the eye make up meanwhile or use something hyperallergenic if you have to. When I had bad facial eczema I could only use Clinique.

Sqiffybobs Maybe it's just my and countless other people's experience with GP's then - they can prescribe steriods and emolients but that's about it.

I told my GP about Aveeno 10 years ago, when I requested it on prescription for ds -they had never heard of it! I was advised by my GP against seeking a dietary cause for my son's eczema - they just wanted to prescribe more steriods - a prescription is such a quick & easy thing to write, but years of using steriods mean that I can no longer use the weaker creams - they don't work anymore - I didn't want that for him. I uncovered his food sensitivity, he now can control his skin condition by slightly modifying his diet, he's very lucky.

Countless other stories from eczema suffers will reveal success stories that did not come from doctors & hydrocortisone, they have discovered nothing new in years - I have yet to find my ideal solution, I currently use Argan oil and Aveeno keep my skin condition at an acceptable level, my search continues but will not involve the medical profession - unless I need some steriods.

I have had dry sensitive eyelids in the past & also eczema on them recently. For the former, I think I was reacting to an eyeshadow. I would suggest that you go without eye makeup for as much as is possible to see if that is the case. For the eczema, my dr prescribed me 0.5 % steroid & said it was OK to use sparingly. It cleared it up (my 4 year old DD had the same problem & it also worked for her). However, if it isn't your makeup, I would recommend seeing your dr & only using steroids under their supervision.

This is just another suggestion, but there is something called 'Simple Eye Ointment' (nothing to do with 'Simple' brand btw) that you buy over the counter from the pharmacist, which is v soothing for dry eyes. No steroid in it.

betty my apologies, am aware that not all Medics are perfect. DP ( a GP) had a v bad day at work on Friday. Wasn't really in the mood for another GP bashing thread, should probably have anticipated how it would go before I posted. BIL is also a hardworking dermatologist.....

OP, what sets it off for me is stress, the weather and eye make up. As my 3yo gets flare ups at the same time, I think it's mainly dry cold weather, unless he's been nicking my mascara. I've not been able to uncover any dietary causes, though have tried. As I said up thread, I use Diprobase, which doesn't sting me unlike any other emollients and creams - have tried loads including aveeno and clinique sets it off ! Think it is just a case of trial and error- hope you find something that works. I use it every day and keep some in my bag, I can usually avert a flare up by applying it as soon as my skin starts to feel a bit dry. the only time I've had bad inflammation in the past couple of years is when I've been distracted at work and started unconsciously rubbing my eyes.

Good luck

I thought I'd share some info I read on eczema a year ago when my 2yr old was going through a hard time with his. Products that contain sodium laurel sulphate (SLS) make the cycle of itching worse and that ingredient is in a lot of stuff including the epaderm cream we had been told by a dermatologist to use x2 a day on our son! In fact we found it was in practically everything other than Aveeno cream, so after previously trying it and discounting it we used it for a few days and have used it X2 day since with occasional use of steroid cream on the areas that are affected the most. It works. I'm going to look into fish oils now too. Oh and nail varnish contains formaldyede which can irritate your eyes if you touch them.
Good luck!

I get really sore and then dry and flaky skin on my eyelids and forehead. It drives me mad as it's very noticeable and I look like I'm wearing red eyeshadow a la Cyndi Lauper. Not a good look.

The only thing that really works is the hydrocortisone cream. I'm going to have a look at the Salcura range.

really sore and red

I used to get this quite frequently. GP described a mild steroid cream, which cleared it up but it kept coming back even tho I was using E45 to try to keep them moist. Then I spoke to a Boots pharmacist who recommended simple eye ointment. Now I use it if i start my eyelids feeling itchy and haven't had the eczema since. But you might well need a steroid first. Would go to GP tho, as others have said, just incase it's something else.

I get this and have been prescribed protopic, which is a steriod excema cream for the face. it's the only thing that has totally cleared it up although the following things helped a bit:

Plain Vaseline, smeared on before bed
Palmer's cocoa butter cream, they do it in a big stick like a lip balm but bigger, and it was quite soothing.

Most things will sting until it clears up, doesnt necessarily mean that they are a cause of the attack.