My last post was about managing eye irritation, such as a rash around the eyes. Today’s post continues this topic with a focus on how to choose products for irritated eyes – not just what to use, but more importantly, what to avoid.
When the eye area is irritated, the wrong products can make it worse and set you back in healing time.
Since eye irritation is already uncomfortable enough as it is, you want to avoid putting yourself in a situation where you now have to correct the damage caused by a wrong product PLUS the damage caused by the original irritation.
I recommend you read the last post first to get a quick understanding of eye irritation. The tips in that post are related to the product discussion below.
The simple answer to this – AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE.
It’s best to leave irritated skin around the eyes alone. Nearly everything will bother irritated eyes.
But the skin around the eyes tends to get dry, so leaving that area ‘naked’ while you’re healing can be uncomfortable too. A little bit of moisturizer can help.
Assuming you have a minor rash, meaning – it’s not serious or infectious (bacterial, viral, or fungal in origin), it’s okay to put something around the eyes as long as it doesn’t bother you.
If a product does bother you, don’t continue using it, even if its purpose is to help you. Discomfort such as itching, stinging, burning, or pain is always a sign to stop. If your skin becomes redder, drier, flakier, scaly, or hardened as a result, that’s also a sign to stop.
A doctor might suggest using an over-the-counter drugstore ointment like Aquaphor or petroleum jelly like Vaseline. Both products are occlusive, and the logic behind using an occlusive product is to protect the skin. These products are thick ointments that cover the skin, prevent moisture loss, and provide an environment that allows healing to proceed faster.
(If you’re groaning at the mention of either product or the thought of petrolatum, and you’re wondering why I’m not – read this post about mineral oil and petrolatum.)
When your skin is irritated, a thick occlusive ointment is great for barrier repair (and wound healing). Yes, it has its downsides of course. Yes, it doesn’t feel nice. Yes, it’s sticky. Yes, it’s shiny. And yes, it may clog up your pores.
Forget about all that. First things first. Heal thyself first!
Health comes before vanity. As I have said before in other posts, don’t worry about getting blemishes when you have a barrier problem (which is what you have whenever skin is irritated). You have a more important, more urgent task. A damaged barrier is the underlying cause of many skin problems. Fix the barrier first. You can always un-clog pores later.
If an ointment product like Aquaphor or Vaseline works (doesn’t irritate your skin) – that’s perfect. Your search is over. You can also try a bland emollient cream found in a drugstore, such as Vanicream and Cerave.
But let’s say these products irritate your skin or you just don’t want to use them. Now what?
THE IDEAL PRODUCTS FOR IRRITATED EYES
If you were born with sensitive skin, then you already know how challenging it is to choose products that don’t irritate your skin.
When you don’t have sensitive skin, choosing products for irritated eyes isn’t easy either. How do you know if something will be ok or make the skin worse? There’s no easy answer, which is why you should default to the least risky course.
The best products for irritated eyes are the simplest ones – basic moisturizers or eye creams. And within these two types of products, the texture (consistency) matters.
When choosing a moisturizer or eye cream, look for a cream texture and avoid gels, lotions or loose, airy creams. Try to find a thick cream with a more solid texture – one that doesn’t jiggle, slide, or move if you shake the container it’s in.
You want something that doesn’t seep into skin quickly or spread easily on its own (see the previous post for more about this concept). A thick cream will take more time to absorb. It may even “sit” on top of skin. That’s actually good in this case.
What you really want here is an occlusive layer of cream that reduces moisture loss (by providing that occlusive film over skin) but also feeds the skin with some lipids and provides some lubricating relief for the dryness.
But you don’t want something so thick that you have trouble smoothing it over the eyelids or below the eyes. Some moisturizers and face balms are so thick that the skin tugs from the friction of the cream being dragged across the skin.
If you have this kind of balm-y cream and nothing else, try rubbing it between your fingertips to soften it up first. Then press the balm into skin and hold.
CREAMY MOISTURIZER – BEST OPTION
1. GO BASIC
Now that we’re talking about creams, let’s focus on what kind. There are a gazillion types of moisturizers out there. Fortunately, your task is NOT to find the best anti-aging moisturizer among this gazillion (which is your normal challenge, right?).
Your task is to find the simplest and most boring cream you can find, which is actually not that easy either, given all the hyped-up marketing these days.
Choose the most basic moisturizing cream in your home. And if you don’t have one, go to the drugstore.
Look for VERY BASIC. As in, it has nothing of interest in it. It could be a cream that costs less than $10-15. Drugstore variety. Think Cerave, Cetaphil, Aveeno. The more simple, the better. The cheaper the better (because cheaper generally means no fancy ingredients were used).
2. NO ANTI-AGING PRODUCTS
DO NOT USE ANTI-AGING FACE CREAMS OR EYE CREAMS AROUND IRRITATED EYES. There are too many stimulating or aggressive ingredients in those products that perform an action in skin, such as stimulating collagen production.
Irritated skin doesn’t need further stimulation. It needs the opposite.
Moisturizers that are marketed as barrier repair creams, post-procedure creams, and balms may work. However, I have found this to be hit or miss. Some still irritated my skin. It boils down to what’s inside those creams and your own skin chemistry. Unfortunately, it is impossible to pinpoint what will be problematic and what won’t be for you. Everyone has different skin chemistry.
So the bad news is that finding this basic cream is a trial and error process. And because this is an individual process that only you can determine for yourself, don’t succumb to spending money on expensive products. And don’t try too many products at once. Try one product at a time.
If you’re at a loss for what to try first, and you don’t want a mass market drugstore product, consider barrier repair creams or balms in sensitive skin lines. One that I personally like on myself is Avene, which is more readily available in Europe, but you can order it online in the U.S.
3. ORGANIC DOESN’T MATTER
Organic or non-organic? Doesn’t really matter in my book. Organic may seem healthier or safer. But it doesn’t mean that it won’t have irritating ingredients. It also doesn’t solve the problem that plant-based ingredients pose to people who have sensitivities to specific plant compounds.
In other words, don’t pay a premium for organic products just because they’re organic. Likewise, don’t poo-poo non-organic drugstore products just because they’re cheap or you perceive them to be inferior in quality.
