was this a reaction to the both retinol and eye mask

I put a under eye mask on that i have used many times, and no redness  occurred.  I used an eye cream with retinol x4 in it and never had a proplem.  I used the mask and the cream last night and my under eye area has been irritated all day, with redness and burning.  Will this get better and did I do damage????

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
From the symptoms it looks like irritant contact dermatitis. Irritant dermatitis, the most common type of contact dermatitis, involves inflammation resulting from contact with acids, alkaline materials such as soaps and detergents, cosmetics, or other chemicals.

Avoid using any lotions and creams over the face for the meantime. Wash your face with a mild cleanser with moisturizing properties like Cetaphil. Pat your face dry. Then apply a good hypoallergenic moisturizer over the area and see if this improves.If the symptoms still persist then you can apply mild steroid like dermacort.

If the irritation persists then please get it evaluated from a dermatologist. It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your dermatologist. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.