dry red sore itchy bumpy under eye skin

[jezabella]

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

[Enchant]

I had a very similar problem- it just seemed to spring up over night! Red dry itchy skin all around my eyes, but particularly over the eye just beneath my eyebrows. Caneston cream helped a little but did not seem to "heal" it, just relieved the symptoms. I tried vaseline too but found that made it more itchy! Tried lots of eczema creams to no effect also. First couple of times i went to the doctor about it, he just said moisturise and was reluctant to give me anything for it. However he prescribed lotriderm cream for my finger which had a similar patch of red skin- I think it is similar to anti fungal but also contains stronger ingredients and anti bacterial (so you have to be really careful using on the face). I used that for about 2 weeks and it cleared up- important thing i think though is to keep using it for a few days after it clears to ensure it is properly treated. There is a caneston with H45 available over the counter which i believe is very similar to the prescribed one i used- I used this for about 6 months and it did help a lot- just did not seem strong enough to get rid of it properly. It may be worth a try though for some people- we are all going to react slightly differently to each treatment.

I think mine spread from my fingers to my face. My boyfriend goes to the gym a lot and picked up a fungal infection on his hand from the equipment, spread it to my hand through contact and I somehow spread it onto my face. Whatever it is i think it is fairly resistant as I compulsively use anti bacterial hand gels!  I took me nearly 2 years to get it under control, but i have not hand a proper flare up for a few months now. Every now and then it comes back for a day- normally if i have had too much to drink the night before! I do suffer from quite severe eczema normally however, so it may be why i struggled to get rid of it for so long- I have incredibly sensitive skin!

If it is very painful, try using calendula cream. It is not going to heal it, but it is very soothing. I found I could not use many things as they all stung too much, calendula however was one of the few that helped.

I was recommended to use aqueous cream by some- however there has been studies lately that suggest it should not be used as a moisturiser (only as a shower wash alternative). In any case, it did not help me at the time so i stopped using it.  

Hope this might help someone suffering with the same thing!

[Clairei]

I'm just posting on here because I had the same problem for a few months and hopefully might help other ppl. I started with a sore bit under my left eye that felt like a cut, this moved to itchy skin which got worse to the point where all skin on my eyelid and under my eye was so itchy it was unbearable and the eye swelled up like a prizefighter. The skin became so sore and red, it looked exactly like I'd had laser resurfacing, and was scaly and flaky and felt like sandpaper. Every time it seemed to get better it would relapse and blow up again and the skin was red raw and developed terrible crows feet under the left eye. I did everything, changed makeup, detergent, took off nail varnish etc., nothing worked. In particular, virtually EVERYTHING I put on burned including Sudocrem. Then the other eye started itching and got sore patches, nightmare! I also had some similar patches of skin between 2 fingers, so I assumed it was a bacterial thing (I have no history of eczema or sensitive skin).

What I did: I started taking extra strong garlic tablets to fight the infection internally. I cleaned the eyes thoroughly every night (using baby shampoo) and put on a thin layer of Dettol antibacterial moisturising cream - I swear by it especially for spots, it's available at the chemist or supermarket. Then I put on a layer of Bio Oil and finally Vaseline to keep it all soothed and moisturised. The Bio Oil worked wonders for the dry skin and in particular the dry flakes. This all helped a lot, however what's really moved things on is using my friend's home made ointment made of beeswax, shea butter and coconut oil. My eyes do try to itch a tiny bit still but the skin is 99% normal and the crows feet have virtually gone (yay!) so don't panic if you have them too, it's just the dryness and swelling. I'm also using all my old makeup again. I really think this is an infection, especially as mine started between my fingers and the Dettol seems to have fought it off. If you have real problems with flaky skin, do get some Bio Oil because it was fantastic - especially in the morning when I had flakes everywhere and important meetings to go to! x

[4sector]

I have been googling my red itchy spots online, mine start out red an a bit raised then change to dry raised itchy spots only on my right eye. I to enjoy my spirits n carbs ;) for the love of life I hope it has nothing to do with either. I have found info regarding facial yeast infections caused from face scrubbing and or new soaps. I ma going to try the remedies such as; yogurt and cider vinegar. My spots are both near the top of my eye n right underneath in the corners, no discharge or infection in the eye. I will post if the yogurt or cider vinegar works. -  

[Suze39]

I had the same problem with the red, dry, scaly patches under my eyes. I tried new make-up, no make-up, new contact lenses, no contact lenses. When I used hydrocortisone, it came back when I stopped using the cream. Tea tree oil burned like a son of a gun and cleared it up for a few months, but it came back. A dermatologist said it was atopic dermatits. Then I noticed many of my skin care products, as well as my shampoo and conditioner had wheat protein in them. I am not allergic to wheat (I eat it with no problem), but since I've started using products without the wheat protein, I have not had a problem.

[kikiki96]

I've suffered with an under eye skin rash condition for over 7 years. What I would get is a vertical "slash like" rash that starts out from under the outer corner of my eye and descends down onto my cheekbone. It looks like I got in a bad fight with a big cat but it's just bumpy irritated rash that eventually flakes and scabs. No luck with lotions and medications. But the one thing that did help it significantly was YOGURT.. I take all natural plain yogurt (NOT fat free) and every night after a shower, I'd apply a good spoonful to my face like a mask. It is instantly cooling, better than aloe and other things because its been refrigerated. I leave it on for like 10 mins then wash off. You can instantly see the redness go away. I do this twice a day, sometimes more just because it feels so good on my skin and calms it. I've done it to a rash on my leg and it works too. If your condition is something where a mask can be applied, try all natural plain yogurt!

[Taz1305]

I sometimes get itchy dry ski on my eyelids and under my eyes, a mild hydrocortisone helps relieve temporarily. I also suffer from dermatitis, eczema and recently weird dry rough patches all over my body. The one thing I've found that got rid of it was a homeopathic tonic made up by a naturopath friend if mine. I don't know what's in it and it tastes nasty but after taking 24ml a day for about 3-4 weeks my eczema was gone as were the dry patches and even no more hayfever! After stopping the tonic I have had dermatitis come back a bit so may need some more but apparently it can cure it. it treats you through your gut as opposed to topically which can just suppress the symptoms. I would definitely recommend a naturopath!