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Puffy, red eyes making you itch and making others ask what’s up?
Since our eyelid skin is so thin, allergies to products applied in this area are common—eye creams, eye shadows, and mascaras can leave you looking like you just went a few rounds in a boxing match! I’ve had patients walk in my office with this frequently and it’s called Allergic Dermatitis.
And YES, it can get worse as we get older. Our tolerance for certain triggers as we age goes down, down, down..
FIRST THINGS FIRST – If you do start to feel irritated around the eyes, flush your eyes with water or normal saline (if you have it) for a good 5 minutes two or three times, then wait and see if you feel better. If you don’t improve overnight, see your eye doctor ASAP! You may need a steroid cream or drop to alleviate the redness and itching.
What could be causing it?
Fragrances and preservatives like formaldehyde, parabens, and thimerosal. Even trace amounts allowed by the FDA can irritate!
Cosmetics and lotions are fine if they’re “organic” right?
Not necessarily. One example is an organic brand that is mineral based: as mineral makeups have become more popular, I’ve seen more cases of eczematous rashes due to its shimmery mica or silica, the main ingredients in mineral eyeshadows.
Is it the COLOR?
Ever find that a certain color shadow or liner irritates? This is actually an allergy to the DYE that is found in purple/reddish eyeshadows. It can be found under the names Crimson Red, Crimson Lake, Cochineal, Natural Red #40, C.I. 75470, or E120, but most will list it as Carmine. It can make you look and feel like you have pink eye! (conjunctivitis) Look out for these dye names to avoid them! If this is an issue for you, try natural products like Eve Organics, Juice Beauty or basically any cosmetics sold at Whole Foods.
Shimmers?
Large pieces of glitter in eyeshadows are never a good idea! Unless you are one of the few lucky ones, most women end up feeling like sand is in their eyes and not very festive! It can take a week or more for eyes to look normal again! My advice: look for cream or matte shadows; avoid anything that says “sparkle.”
So what about removing that eye makeup at the end of the day?
I’ve seen patients who develop reactions to the makeup removal products! My favorite method of removing eye makeup is good old-fashioned Baby Shampoo! It’s gentle, it’s effective, cheap and if it gets into your eyes it won’t sting. I’m well aware that there are literally hundreds of products out there for this purpose, but I am partial to this method and have never had a patient complain of irritation using baby shampoo.
Eye makeup should be fun and it should enhance our look, not detract from it! Keep your “eye” out for what could be causing an allergic reaction today!
