Treatment of eyelid dermatitis depends on the cause, but typically involves topical medications, such as steroid creams.
Oral medications, including steroids and antihistamines, may also be needed to clear up therash.
This article discusses eyelid dermatitis, including its symptoms, types, and causes.
Reproduced with permission from © DermNet New Zealand and © Raimo Suhonenwww.dermnetnz.org2023.
It also explains how eyelid dermatitis is diagnosed and treated.
Reproduced with permission from DermNet New Zealand and Raimo Suhonenwww.dermnetnz.org2023.
This condition is called keratoconus and it can lead to loss of vision.
However, scratching can lead to bleeding, which opens the door forinfection.
This can be dangerous when it involves your eyes.
Your eyelids may become red in places.
They may itch or sting.
Causes
Allergic contact dermatitis is triggered by an immune reaction in your body.
If you’re exposed to certain substances over and over, immune cells “remember” them.
When you come into contact with them again, your cells respond withinflammation.
If yourskin barrierdoesn’t work properly, too much of an allergen can seep into your body.
That makes it more likely you’ll have allergic contact dermatitis.
Your genetic background has a lot to do with how well your skin barrier works.
This form of eyelid dermatitis can be painful but is temporary.
Your symptoms should go away soon after you remove the irritant.
Irritant contact dermatitis can be triggered by many common substances.
Atopic dermatitis often runs in families.
Weather conditions, such as dry air or large temperature changes, can also trigger flare-ups.
Seborrheic dermatitis is often due to an overgrowth of Malassezia yeast.
This is especially true if your skin barrier isn’t protecting you as well as it should.
This condition is often triggered during times when there’s a lot of hormonal activity in your body.
Birth, puberty, and adulthood from ages 30-60 are peak periods.
You may need a specialist, such as a dermatologist or an allergist, to find the underlying cause.
Your healthcare provider will examine your eyes, ask questions about your symptoms, and take your medical history.
You may also need one or more skin tests to help diagnose allergic contact dermatitis.
They’ll be able to tell simply by looking closely at your skin.
They apply the patches to your arms or your back.
The patches stay in place for up to 48 hours.
After removing them, your allergist checks for signs of inflammation.
Within a few minutes, your skin may show signs of an allergic reaction or immune response.
When your body responds to an allergen, it producesimmunoglobulins, which are proteins that target specific allergens.
Using this test, an allergist can tell which substances are causing the reaction.
Unfortunately, that isnt always possible.
Eyelid dermatitis flare-ups are often treated with topical medications (applied directly to your skin).
Your healthcare provider might prescribe a steroid cream to decrease inflammation.
In severe cases, your doctor might also prescribe oral steroid medication.
They are safer for your eyelid skin than steroid creams.
But they can make your eyes sensitive to light.
In both cases, topical medications can ease symptoms and treat infections.
How well the treatment works depends partly on how soon you seek medical care.
They can also be the result of weather conditions or infection.
You might also need blood or skin allergy tests.
Frequently Asked Questions
The key is to identify the trigger.
Once you know the specific cause of your flare-up, you’re free to eliminate it if possible.
you’re able to then target treatments to your symptoms for faster relief.
It depends on what’s causing your symptoms.
Some causes, like atopic dermatitis and seborrheic dermatitis, are lifelong conditions.
There are effective treatments to clear up your symptoms, though.
And you may also be able to prevent new flare-ups.
you might use warm, wet compresses to cleanse your eyelids and cool compresses to ease discomfort.
you might wash your hands thoroughly with a gentle cleanser before touching your eyes.
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