Eczema Eyelids Exhaust Me!

by Debbie K.
(Pittsburgh, PA)

I am 54 years old and I have been dealing with eczema on my eyelids on and off for about 3 years now, and have been trying to figure out the cause. I have made many changes which seem to help, but every morning when I get up, they stare me in the face, swollen, red, dry and itchy. I switched to baby washes and lotions, use organic shampoo from Trader Joe's, Purex laundry soap, got rid of my favorite feather pillows, hypoallergenic mascara, etc. No more perfume, smelly lotions, fabric softeners, etc. I have been to a dermatologist, my eye doctor, and my general doctor. All have given me products to try, steroids, it clears up, but soon returns. The inside of my ear canal is extremely dry and flaky as well, and very uncomfortable. Menopause, maybe, who knows.

I research often, but it exhausting and depressing. Trying to figure out what I am allergic to drives me bonkers!! Is it something in the house, something I eat, dust, pollen, mites, kitchen cleaners, hair products, makeup, the environment, stress, etc. Trying to figure it out seems to be impossible. Spring is here now, will it get worse, time will tell.

One thing that has helped with the dryness and flaking is Vitamin E ointment. I carry a tube like lipstick with me and use it throughout the day to keep it from being so dry. And so I will continue to research, read everything I can to try to clear this up or at least keep it more under control. The fact that is drives me bonkers probably doesn't help, huh??