If you’ve seen this post about my dermatologist appointment and resulting skin changes, you’ll know that the final straw before seeing Dr Justine Kluk was the spread of my perioral dermatitis. I’ve always had issues with my eyes due to ocular rosacea (you can read more about that HERE) but the changes became unbearable.
I’m used to the constant irritation and dryness caused by ocular rosacea and I thought that years of living with rosacea had given me a tolerance and patience when it came to misbehaving skin. But as the sebhorreic dermatitis spread from my hairline and eyebrows, the skin around my eyes became scaly, bright pink, intensely itchy, and began to crack open I felt completely helpless. With my rosacea, no matter how bad my skin is, I can always fall back on make up to give me some confidence. So I really struggled when I couldn’t wear any eye make up. It made me feel incredibly self-conscious and I have renewed sympathy for those who suffer with these symptoms on a more permanent basis.
I wanted to share the products that helped me not to lose my mind or scratch out my eyes while I was waiting for my appointment, and then waiting for the prescribed cream to do its job. Obviously I wasn’t using each of these products on top of each other, but each one helped and didn’t aggravate even the highly irritated skin so I’ve included them all to give you some choices.
Bioderma Atoderm SOS Spray* (gifted) – The first product I wanted to share is the one that soothed the awful itch as this seemed to be the most overwhelming aspect for me. There were nights when I cried in frustration because I couldn’t sleep. During the day I would sit at my desk unable to focus on work. It was awful. Bioderma are great for sensitive skin and this spray was originally sent to me by a kindly PR who thought it might help with the itching from a rosacea flare up (which it does!). The whole Atoderm range is designed to help atopic and very dry skin – friends with psoriasis and eczema swear by it and I can see why. The spray is very fine (so you don’t end up completely soaked and could apply it at work/on a plane/on the tube), it immediately calms the itch and doesn’t leave any stickiness or visible product on the skin. I have linked the travel-sized version but there’s also a 200ml version if you would love the deliciously soothing feeling all over your body. You can read about the ingredients and how it works HERE.
La Roche-Posay Toleriane Ultra Contour Yeux* (gifted) – I have been a long-term fan of the whole Toleriane range and this eye cream is great. It has a similar texture to the Toleriane Ultra moisturiser that I love, so I think if you get on with that you’ll love this. It contains neurosensine (an anti-inflammatory compound) and niacinamide (also known as vitamin B3 – this is naturally found in the skin and does many things but is included here to help to restore the skin barrier and reduce discomfort).
TIP: when applying any products around the eye area, remember to use the tip of your ring fingers and lightly tap the product onto the skin. Never drag or pull on the skin (especially if your skin is dry or already irritated!)
Avene Refreshing Eye Contour Care – Avene are another heavy-hitter in the sensitive skincare arena and their products have filled my shelves for many years. This is a fairly basic eye cream and is a little thicker in formula than the above (without feeling at all heavy on the delicate eye area).
La Roche-Posay HyaluB5 Eyes – This eye cream is primarily aimed at those who would like to counteract signs of ageing, but I included it because it’s also very soothing and calming on the skin and I did use it to help rehydrate the dry skin around my eyes. It contains vitamin B5 (which absorbs moisture and helps skin healing) and hyaluronic acid (to help with both surface and deeper hydration). I have been using the serum from this range for about 17 months and am in love with it, so this range gets a huge thumbs up from me.
Thankfully my perioral dermatitis is now under control (thank you Dr Justine Kluk!) but I am really grateful for all of the products above for keeping me sane beforehand. I hope they help you too.
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Lex
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