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dry red sore itchy bumpy under eye skin

Last year I suddenly developed dry skin on the left eyelid and was prescibed hydrocortisone.  Unfortunately it spreaded to the right eyelid the to the bottom of both eyes.  The hydrocrtisone did not work, instead peeled away a little skin.  I continued wearing make up (mac) as my dark circles are very bad.
I went to see an optician who thought it was bletharitis, but I don't think it was.  And I had an allergy test (machine tested me on 3000 products).  I was told that I was allergic to lanolin (sheep wool fat),dust, basil and squid.  I was also told that my boots sensitive mascara did not agree with me.  I am not aware of ever having used lanolin.  I stopped wearing eye make up and only used vaseline around the eyes.
Approx. 2 months later it suddenly vanished, not sure how?  I had put up with the problem for 11 months, gradually becoming worse.
And now after 2 months of it having gone away, it has returned again. This time it happened much quicker, starting on the right lower eye, then moved to the left.  The right under eye is very red, sore and dry.  It feels so rough to touch.  I have not worn make up today and have only applied vaseline and aqeous cream.

I haven't changed any toileteries or make up in the last 2 months.  I am not sure what it could be?  I don't think it is eczema, but believe it could be an allergic reaction to something.  I can't seem to work out what it could be?  Could it be an allergic reaction to something i am using around the eye or a food product?  Please help me.

Thanks
Jezabella
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Avatar universal
I am having the same issue. Dr continues to say it's allergies. I stopped during wine because another blog said alcohol causes it. Then it flared up again. Red cuts on my eyelid creases, continuously watering eye and very itchy. This time it's my right and last time it was my left. I removed down from bed and that did not help. Changed my mascara because I had previous reactions to mascara. Then I see some mentioned MAC cosmetics. I use a MAC concealer and shadows. Lately I started using a shadow that I had stopped using for a while and my eyes were good. I am going to try discontinuing the MAC shadows and concealer. I suspect now it must be the concealer! Il will report back! Thanks for all the great inf. So nice to know I'm not insane as the dr's think!!!!
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Avatar universal
Hello! I have the exact same problem, still ongoing. Mine is around the mouth and under the right eye. What I use to help my lips is Aquaphor, a drugstore cream. And under the eye I use hydrocortisone cream, not perscription though. I went to the doctor and found out I have anemia and iron dephiciancy. Maybe that could be your problem? Another thing i tried was presnidone, a oral steroid that you take once a day. It worked but only for a temporary time. Also benedryl helps some. So sorry your going through this and I hope I could help!
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Avatar universal
I have this problem as well, my eyes get really red and itchy, sometimes even swollen. They often get quite dry and I was prescribed hydrocortisone which was really strong. My doctor told me to stop using it under my eyes because it was strong and would start peeling my skin under my eyes soon. This also spreads to my cheeks sometimes.  I have also been prescribed epiderm and diprobase which  don't really help. I don't know what the condition is called and what causes it, so it's quite a pain because I don't want to make it worse by wearing creams or makeup-but I'm not even sure if this causes it.
Please comment if you have a cure!!!!!
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Avatar universal
It's humidity buy a humidifier dry air quality is causing this issue trust me I went to visit my son had this issue puffy eyes red bumps dry skin while I was there it went away first day back home woke up next day it had started again try my solution seems to work
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Avatar universal
I came on to this forum looking for answers like all of you. I had been using Tretinoin cream with Retin A for about a year without any real side effects except some dry skin here and there. Then something happened. I slowly started to notice that my skin under my eyes was getting really dry. Not flaky, just extremely dry with almost like a tight film on it. One weekend I had been working late, I had been out in the sun a lot of the day and I probably had not drank enough water. I literally woke up one morning with super obvious wrinkles. It seemed like I aged 30 years overnight. So I used lots of moisturizer. Lots. One that had been given to me by my dermatologist. Coconut oil. Aloe vera. It helped a little. But then my right eye had some kind of reaction. Nothing with my actual eye, just the skin underneath. It slowly started to swell and get red and got a rash. I actually think I used too much moisturizer. It was so red and puffy I told people I got hit by a soccer ball and my son's practice. Then when my left eye started doing the same thing, I told people I was having a reaction to sunscreen. Dumb I know, but it was way easier to say than I was embarrassed by my wrinkles and was using too much moisturizer.

Sooooooo...to make a long story short, nothing was helping. Nothing. It stopped using the Tretinoin cream and kept trying different moisturizers. I was on round the clock benadryl which helped with the swelling. It was red for about a week. That is when I started looking for answers and stumbled on this site. And someone mentioned Lysine topical ointment. So I tried it. Along with a little colloidal silver salve for the rash. I started taking the pills as well, 500mg 3x a day. Within a few hours I could see a difference. It has been 3 days and it is almost completely gone. Wrinkles are still slightly visible but I can live with it! Someone told me today my cheek was still a bit puffy but the difference is unbelievable.

I swore I would come back on here and tell my story because I wouldn't have heard about Lysine otherwise and I hope it might help some other people!
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Thank you so much. I want actually lying in bed awake from the stinging pain under my eyes last night because it hurt to close my eyes. I was so worried I would never find anything to help. Too self conscious to not cover with makeup for work it was stinging even more - then I bought some lysine capsules from the pharmacy. Within hours the swelling had reduced and stinging had stopped. I am honestly amazed and so grateful to you and your post!! I feel like I have some hope again! Thank you so much! Will stick with it and cross my fingers. Will try to find the ointment too, although seems not very common here in Australia.
Avatar universal
NOT so! With the "MOTHER" means the original vinegar making bacteria is still alive and in there! The vinegar is not filtered or pasteurized to remove it. Really!
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Avatar universal
Thank you ladies for making me not feel so alone. I developed the same eye problem just two days ago. Without makeup on I look like an old woman. I am 53 and have always had great skin!
I am going to try some of the ideas shared. Will post when I have some results.
Thank you all!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I too have been dealing with this issue but it only happens when I wear makeup.  The only thing I had changed was mascara, so I threw it out & change, well it is still happening each time I wear makeup, it is like it burns my skin under my eyes, I have tried lots of creams nothing really works to keep it from happening again...I also look really old when this happens, it swells with welts& once they go down I look so old & wrinkled.  I have no idea what to do.  I think I will try the oil of oregano & see if it helps.  Good luck to us all
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Avatar universal
Deedee, I'm wondering if you found any relief. Reading your post, you describe ME and my issues, exactly. Did you find anything that worked for you?
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Avatar universal
The "Mother" is a marketing name that Bragg's uses on their apple cider vinegar (as in "the Mother of all vinegars").
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Avatar universal
Coming back with a short update.  I haven't been totally consistent with the manuka honey at night, so maybe that's why the inflammation came back with a vengeance this morning.  I am going to try the ACV and go out and get shea butter tomorrow and see how that works.  Thanks, glycerin137, for your post!
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Avatar universal
After two nights of using manuka honey on the skin under my eyes and on the sides of my eyes (with gauze over them) and a couple of times during those two days, my eyes are pretty much cleared up of any redness and bumps. :)
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Avatar universal
Hi, everyone.  I've had the same eye problems you all have been having.  Mine has been off and on for the past 4 months.  After reading the posts about manuka honey, I went out to Whole Foods earlier today and will try that tonight.  Thanks so much for this forum and to see I'm not the only one who has this problem.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
as a person that's suffers from eczema for last 10 years, I'm happy to share a product that's worked wonders for me! for the last few months (been using it religiously for 2 months)  I have been using this cream called Dermikelp and it helps with the dry, itchy skin but also takes the redness away :) nice thing about this product it has no cortizone so there is no nasty side effects, hope this will help others like it has helped me
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi all, I really feel for all of you. I have had a similar problem for most of 2 years now. From looking perfectly healthy to suddenly waking up this problem around my eyes. Dark, itchy and wrinkly. over the next couple of weeks I looked 10 years older. People around me asked if I was ok or if I had some kind of disease, or why I looked so tired. I have always been a social drinker & smoker. After a few drinks the problem seemed to get worse. Everytime I had whiskey, or wine the next morning was a nightmare. Waking up to see my face in the mirror was catastrophic. I have been to see 5 specialists, from conventional doctors to homeopaths. Most of them mentioned that I had kidney issues, linked to my liver, hence the result after drinking alcohol. But I was not satisfied with their findings. I was told to see what is called a "bodyologist". They run test on your system through a computer which then spits out a list of how your system and organs are doing...

Well, in a nutshell what was found was that I had an excessive amount of "mould" in my system. Yes mould!!  A couple of years ago, we had a flood in our bedroom whereby the floors got wet and damaged, which was when mould started growing under the floor boards. This is extremely toxic and the level of mould in my body was very high. This explained why whenever I had alcohol my eyes became puffy, red, dark, wrinkly & itchy. Alcohol contains mould as it is all fermented to a degree.

I have been on a pro-biotic for 2 months now, and my eyes have cleared completely.  This is a kind of detox which clears my system of all the toxins caused by the mould. I am just back form holiday and I have had a huge amount of alcohol with no effect whatsoever.

I can safely say that I am cured of this dreaded problem, and sincerely hope that this will help anyone of you, as I know what you are going through.

Incidently, I am  a 47 year old male, living in South Africa.

Cheers
Paski
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Avatar universal
OIL OF OREGANO worked for me.
It stings at first but them feels so much better.
This will kill the fungus
Try it and thank me later
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Avatar universal
OIL OF OREGANO worked for me.
It stings at first but them feels so much better.
This will kill the fungus
Try it and thank me later
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Would loe to see the photos if you could post them to me  ***@**** I really would be grateful. Thank you for your help.
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Avatar universal
I relate to this totally. I have sufferred with excema most of my life at different times. In the last 4 years (since my seperation from my husband), which might or might not hae something to do with it), I have sufferred badly withexcema type redness,swellings and itchy eyes.  It is so distressing as the swelling and lines sometimes almost reach my cheek under my left eye!! I have aged 15 years in the last five and after each breakout, when it clears I seem to be left with more lines and baggy skin from the swellings.  As a youngster my mother was given hydrocorisone creams to smoothe under my eyes, without any warning that these products majorally think the skin, especially in such deliate places, but for all that in my twenties and thirties I was free of lines and looked no different to anyone else my age.  Obviously this problem erodes confidence when I am at a period in my life when I need  more than ever to be able to get on with my life, but when this flares up it normally lasts weeks, and I have tried just everything.  To date after all these years I am no closer to know what the trigger is !  I like a glass of wine, particularly red, and have now read about the sulphites in wine and salt often affect under eye excema sufferrers, so for now I am completely off both.  Infact my diet for the last three weeks has been so so limited I felt I must hae lost lbs in weight. Unfortunately no such luck can you believe!?!  Please if anyone can throw any light on this subject that is literally ruining my life, my looks and inevitably my health I would be so so grateful. Fed Up..
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Avatar universal
Ditto on all of the above.
I had all of these symptoms 1 year ago and after looking at several posts at the time, someone had mentioned that they had problems with Olay products - which was what I was using. So, I immediately stopped using them, went back to Clinique and tried a variety of the suggestions that had been posted. What worked for me was a combination of the Aveeno eye cream followed by the Clinique 'RepairWear" eye cream, L'Occitaine shea butter facial moisturizer and then finally some vitamin E oil over the top. Sounds like alot I know, but I let each soak in before applying the other and it worked like a charm! I now have it back - started under my right eye and is starting to move to my left. Will try what I did last time and let you know if I have the same success. BTW, first time around I also went to the Dr. who had no idea what it was but told me to take Benadryl to see if it helped - it didn't. This is almost exactly a year from the first flare-up so I really am wondering if it's an alleric reation to something in the air...
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Check your vitamins and minerals that you take.  I had the red dry skales all around my eyes.  They were itchy.  They would come and go.  I haven't taken my vitamins in 2 weeks.  They are completely gone.  I am going to slowly bring back each vitamin and see which one was causing it.  I will let you know when I find out.
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Avatar universal
I think you are right about the fungal part.  Similar story here too...itchy rash , scalp....swollen eyes..etc. Went to several Doctors and they kept telling me that i was alergic to 'something'...exactly what they didnt know.  I finally sumbled across a doctor who said that he felt it was fungal.  He gave me a Kenalog shot to calm my reaction to it and then a month of Terbinafine tablets ( one a day  ...same thing as Lamisil).  I am on day 5 and this is my first day in about 7 months of no itching and my eyes actaully look normal!!!!  I know its still early, but this is the first time something appears to be working.  Since day one, doctors would give me Cortizone ointment, which does sooth and reduce swelling, but just temporarily.  My doctor said that the symptoms are alergic reactions to the fungus, and that if that is in fact what is going on he said it should be gone by the end of the 30 days.  So my earlier doctors were partially right with the alergic reaction part, just didnt know what was causing it.  I will keep you posted on the outcome.  I hope this may help anyone in the same situation...let your doctor know about this.
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Avatar universal
This thing just started for me.  I got a stye in my right eye that had to be operated on to remove the stye.  Months later, I get this red scaly skin just under my right eye.  Sometimes it gets to my left eye, but not as much.  Itches and burns.  The ophthamologist called it blepharitis and told me to soak it with warm compresses and use AzaSite.  It seemed to work, but as soon as I'm off it, the redness and scaly skin comes back.  Another ophthamologist in the group says to use Lotemax.  That works for awhile too, but as soon as I'm off it, the thing comes back.  The warm compresses seem to do the best thing.  No matter what I take, that seems to take care of it.  Now I'm trying Zaditor in hopes that it is some type of allergy.  I'm going to try taking some Zyrtec too.  I also get some mild flakes of skin of my face.  Does anyone else get that too?    
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Avatar universal
  Thanks for sharing your post. Actually my problem started a year ago in may when my area under my left eye started to itch and then became red and starting to peel. I also got discoloration on this spot. I used desonate the topical steroid cream and it all cleared. But it came back in this may right after a year. So I am not sure if it is seasonal or what? My skin regime is the same. Anyone any suggestions pls.....
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