How to Care for Dry Skin Around Your Eyes

Dry skin around your eyes can be uncomfortable, not to mention unsightly. That’s why we reached out to an expert for tips on how to combat dry eyelids and under-eyes. Read on for skin care ingredients you should look out for and what lifestyle habits to nix to keep the skin around your eye contour looking and feeling its best.

We all know that dry skin is a common side effect of winter’s brutally cold temps, and the thin, delicate skin around our eyes are a prime target. While sub-zero temperatures and harsh winds are only one potential reason behind dry skin around the eyes, it’s important to know how to keep the skin around your peepers well-hydrated year-round. For tips, we turned to plastic surgeon, SkinCeuticals ambassador, and Skincare.com consultant Dr. Peter Schmid. Below, Dr. Schmid lays out the proper steps you need to take—including habits you should avoid—to ensure the skin around your eyes is soft, hydrated, and youthful-looking.

WHAT CAUSES DRY SKIN AROUND THE EYES?

Dry skin is one of the most common skin conditions out there. Although it’s not typically serious, extremely dry skin can be plain uncomfortable. It can strike at any age, and nobody is exempt from experiencing dry skin from time to time. We know that weather has a lot to do with the way our skin looks and feels on a daily basis. Living in cold areas with low humidity can certainly have an impact. Just think about how skin feels when it’s exposed to extreme, dry cold dead-on: you can practically feel it losing moisture then and there (although dry heat can dry out your skin just as easily). Age, too, can be the reason behind the skin around the eyes drying out. As time trucks on, our skin naturally loses moisture and becomes thinner, upping our chances of experiencing dry skin.

DRY SKIN AROUND THE EYES: EXPERT CARE TIPS

When asked about his top tips for warding off dry skin around the eyes, Dr. Schmid said, “A consistent regimen of antioxidants and emollients will improve tone and texture of the periocular skin while diminishing [the look of] fine lines.” An anti-aging regimen backed by stellar products is a good approach in getting the results you’re looking for, too. “My personal favorite anti-aging eye regimen, which will also help reduce under eye puffiness and dark circles, is SkinCeuticals AOX+ Eye Gel followed by SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Eye Complex,” Dr. Schmid says. In the morning, Dr. Schmid also recommends following up with a broad-spectrum sunscreen formulated specifically for the delicate eye area, like the SkinCeuticals Physical Eye UV Defense which offers a tinted formula and SPF 50 protection.

INGREDIENTS THAT CAN HELP DRY SKIN AROUND THE EYES 

When it comes to caring for dry skin around the eyes, the ingredients that make up the formulas can make a world of difference. Dr. Schmid recommends looking for these ingredients within products to help ensure your eye contour is looking and feeling its best: vitamin C (to prevent damage from free radicals and pollution), proxylane (to help increase hydration and reduce the look of fine lines and crepiness), and flavonoids, peptides, and caffeine (to help firm the look of skin and reduce the appearance of puffiness and dark circles). There’s also one other ingredient used in the battle against dry skin that may not be as well-known, although it’s just as useful. Ceramides.

“Ceramides are a family of waxy lipids that bind the cells that make up the superficial layer of skin called the stratum corneum,” says Dr. Schmid. Their position on the outermost layer of the skin makes them crucial in maintaining and reinforcing the skin’s moisture barrier, the barrier that packs hydration into your skin and keeps it from getting, well, dry. Dr. Schmid tells us that there are nine unique ceramides that perform plumping and hydrating duties for the skin. One thing to note is that the body’s natural production of ceramides also goes down as you age, another reason why our skin dries out as we get older.

THINGS TO AVOID IF YOU HAVE DRY SKIN AROUND THE EYES

Once you have the dry skin around your eyes under control, the last thing you want to do is make matters worse. The right skin care regimen can make all the difference, but not if your lifestyle habits aren’t in line. Here’s what you should avoid: 

Long, hot showers: Keep showers on the shorter side with lukewarm water only. Water that’s practically scalding can wreak havoc on your skin and strip it of its natural oils, leaving it open to drying out.  

Harsh soaps and cleansers: Avoid cleansing your face with a bar soap intended for hand use only, as it can lead to irritation on dry skin. Instead, reach for a gentle face wash formulated with mild, hydrating ingredients. If you happen to have skin that’s more sensitive than most, check out a couple of products and steps you that can help keep dry eye skin and other irritations at bay.

Allergens: Certain irritating substances may cause the skin on and around your eyelids to become dry. These allergens can include detergents, dust particles, chlorine, fragrances, and more. 

Exfoliation: Believe it or not, there’s such a thing as too much exfoliation. Exfoliating too much can actually dry the skin out further. Try keeping exfoliation of the area around your eyes to a minimum in order to avoid any further dryness.  

Harsh climates: If you do happen to live in an arid area, too much exposure to the harsh climate can enhance dryness around the eyes. When going outdoors, try to keep your skin as covered as possible with thick scarves and gloves, and even some UV-protective shades.

Stress: Along with all the other inconveniences stress throws at us, aggravating your dry skin is yet another one. Stress can typically cause or worsen any condition—skin or otherwise—a person may already have. To calm down and reduce stress levels, treat yourself to a little mental health day, draw up a warm bath, or cuddle up with your favorite book.

PRODUCTS FOR DRY SKIN AROUND THE EYES

If you find the skin around your eyes to fall under the “dry” category, don’t worry—there are plenty of products out there to bring a little hydration back to the area. Here’s a closer look at the SkinCeuticals products recommended by Dr. Schmid earlier in this article. Read on to see what it is that makes them the perfect products that’ll help relieve dry skin around your eyes!

SKINCEUTICALS AOX+ EYE GEL

Have the double downer of both dry eyes and obvious signs of fatigue? Then give SkinCeuticals AOX+ Eye Gel a try. This gel contains both antioxidant ferulic acid and caffeine to keep the skin around your eyes looking bright and alert while also aiding against signs of skin aging. The SkinCeuticals AOX+ Eye Gel also contains pure vitamin C to help protect that delicate skin around the eye from environmental damage caused by UV-induced free radicals.   

SkinCeuticals AOX+ EYE GEL, $95 MSRP    

SKINCEUTICALS A.G.E. EYE COMPLEX FOR DARK CIRCLES

The SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Eye Complex cream is formulated with synergistic peptides and flavonoids to help improve creping around the eyes, and to alleviate signs of puffiness or dark circles. The creators of the product also added optical diffusers into the formula in order to boost up the radiance of tired, dull-looking eyes. Plus, the SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Eye Complex cream contains blueberry extract, so prepare yourself for a quick dosage of moisture and refreshment. But remember, like Dr. Schmid recommended, be sure to apply some broad-spectrum sunscreen during the day. Which brings us to…

SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Eye Complex, $98 MSRP

SKINCEUTICALS PHYSICAL EYE UV DEFENSE SPF 50

You know what this product contains? Your eyelids’ new best friends—ceramides! That’s right—the SkinCeuticals Physical Eye UV defense incorporates ceramides into its formula and can help keep skin nourished and hydrated. This product also features Zinc oxide, a microfine sunscreen filter that protects skin from harmful UVA and UVB rays. The SkinCeuticals Physical Eye UV Defense SPF 50 is so gentle it can be used from your brows, over your eyes, right to your cheek bone, nourishing skin along the way. This makes it the perfect sunscreen for any skin type, from the sensitive to the super resilient, a great fit in any guy or gal’s skin care routine. Simply squeeze a tiny amount on to your fingertips, dab it around the eye areas (lids included) as well as the rest of your face, and you’re good to go!

SkinCeuticals Physical Eye UV Defense SPF 50, $30 MSRP

Is dry skin an issue you’re facing that goes beyond the area around your eyes? Help improve the look and feel of dry, irritated skin by educating yourself on ways to achieve moisturized body and facial skin this winter.