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The eyes and skin around the eyes are the showpiece of our face, which, unfortunately, very often becomes red and irritated. Find out why the skin around the eyes is so sensitive and what are the possible causes of this problem.
The skin around the eyes – an area that requires special care
The skin around the eyes is four times thinner than the skin elsewhere on the face – less than 5mm thick. What’s more, it is devoid of sebaceous glands, which, by producing sebum, create a barrier on the skin against drying, microorganisms and harmful external factors. In addition, there is almost no fatty lining in the skin around the eyes, which has a protective function. [1]
The skin around the eyes is also where the first signs of aging appear. With age, the skin loses its elasticity and becomes even thinner due to the loss of collagen. This can further aggravate sun exposure, smoking, and other environmental factors. The supportive function of connective tissue also diminishes over time. The skin becomes even thinner and the blood vessels show through, which causes visible dark circles under the eyes. [2]
The most common causes of skin irritation around the eyes
Just as our eyes are very sensitive and require special protection, the skin around them is the most delicate area on our face. Due to its specific structure, irritation around the eyes is not uncommon. Sometimes even rubbing our eyes causes redness on our skin. The external factors negatively affecting the skin of the eyes include inadequate diet, insufficient sleep, night-time lifestyle and stimulants. The skin around the eyes can also be irritated by dry (both cold and hot) air and ultraviolet radiation. Conditions that cause irritation around the eyes can affect people of any age and include:
- Allergy
The most common cause of itching around the eyes is allergy. The skin around the eyes contains a very large number of mast cells – the cells responsible for the formation of allergic reactions. Eyelid skin irritation may be caused by e.g. pollen floating in the air – both those that cause typical allergic symptoms during the pollen season, and, for example, flower arrangements in vases in our homes. In this case, the skin changes are also accompanied by sneezing and a persistent runny nose.
- Atopic dermatitis
The cause of irritation around the eyes may also be atopic dermatitis – chronic recurrent dermatosis. Although atopic dermatitis is considered a childhood disease, it often affects adults as well. Adults, unlike children, often notice the most intense changes in the area of the eyes. [3] The eyelids may be swollen and the skin around the eyes may be dry, flaky and itchy.
- Contact dermatitis of the eyelids
One of the main causes of skin irritation around the eyes are various types of cosmetics. The allergenic causative agent can be directly applied to the skin or transferred to the eye area through the hands. It can be, for example, nail polish or latex. The delicate skin around the eyes can also be irritated by hair care products – these products are loaded with fragrances, foaming agents that dry out delicate skin to make it more porous, and strong preservatives. Among the most common allergens found in cosmetics are hydroxycytronellal, citronellol, eugenol, isoeugenol, lyral, alphahexylcinnamaldehyde and nickel. [4]
When itching and burning or inflammation of the eyelids occurs for the first time, cooling with moist compresses such as black tea may provide relief. Sometimes the cause is clear, for example, if eye cream is applied and the area around the eyes turns red immediately. In such cases, the following applies: remove any sensitizing substance residue from the skin immediately. If you are unsure what caused the reaction, you must observe and record, for example, what soaps or cosmetics have been used.
Proper care of the skin around the eyes
Due to its anatomical structure, the eye area must be treated in a special way. -The basis of skin care around the eyes should be careful and gentle make-up removal. Avoid cosmetics containing soap – it’s better to choose products that have been specially developed for the care of these areas. Such a cosmetic is Bioderma Atoderm Intensive Eye, a 3 in 1 product, which was created to reduce the number of care products for sensitive and irritated skin around the eyes. It can be used without any worries as a cleansing product for make-up removal, a make-up base and a day cream. Enoxolone contained in the composition soothes irritations, the LIPGENIUM ™ complex restores the natural protective barrier of the skin, and hyaluronic acid creates a non-occlusive moisturizing film, retaining water on the skin surface.