How to Get Rid of Dry, Flaky Skin Around Your Eyes

We can make quick interpersonal connections and form first impressions just from looking into each other’s eyes. It’s an important feature we shouldn’t overlook (pun intended). And whether it’s lashes, lids, irises or that area under the eyes, we want it all to appear alert and refreshed. Part of the challenge we face as we age is how to work against gravity and maintain a look that’s as light and full of life as possible. So we augment our lashes and line our eyes and add drops to clear away any redness. But what’s the best approach to address that area around our eyes that gets dry and flaky?

One word that captures the dry skin around the eye situation all too well is crepey. You know, that kind of texture that’s great for streamers but not so ideal for the skin on your face? Unfortunately, that’s sometimes just what happens with age, and we have to make due with what we’re dealt. Time takes its toll, weather has its way with us, and our skin can suffer the consequences.
Sometimes we may be unknowingly contributing to the situation by taking showers that are too hot, or not having enough humidity in our environment. Perhaps you are being overly abrasive while washing your face. There are also medical conditions that contribute to dry skin on eyelids, such as dermatitis or blepharitis. With contact dermatitis, the cause of dryness could be an irritantant like a fragrance or some ingredient in a sunscreen that your skin just doesn’t disagree with. Blepharitis is brought on by other skin conditions like rosacea or caused by bacteria, and shows up as scaly skin on the eyelid in addition to redness and irritation. If you suffer from a more severe case of dryness and irritation on any part of your skin, you should see a dermatologist.

Most people have a more moderate form of flakiness around the eyes, which doesn’t necessitate a trip to the doctor. It’s a dryness that’s caused by age or cold weather and doesn’t warrant medical attention. Luckily, in those cases, we aren’t left without options. There are several things we can do to combat dry and listless under-eye skin. Some treatments even address other skin and overall health issues, so it’s really a win-win.

Below are just a few ideas (9 to be exact) on how to get rid of dry, flaky skin around your eyes.

See Related: EyeRenue Complex™ Anti Aging Eye Cream

1. Have an AHA! moment

With Alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA) you can have a literal AHA moment. This group of animal-derived or plant-derived acids help exfoliate your skin. And as you may know, when dead skin cells are broken down it allows for new skin to be revealed. Encouraging this skin cell regeneration helps bring out the best and brightens your complexion. It also helps shed the dry and flaky skin around your eyes in a safe and gentle way. This, of course, smooths out the area as well.

Viviane Woodards Hyaluronic Cellular Recovery AHA Serum stimulates cell renewal in just this way and improves the overall texture of your skin. It also contains hyaluronic acid, which plumps up the skin by binding moisture to it. By optimizing hydration, those fine lines and wrinkles start to fade to the background so your natural beauty can take front and center. Simply use this serum after cleansing and toning your skin. As you apply, give a little extra love to the area around your eyes, and mouth. Then moisturize as you usually do. After a few weeks of doing this, your face will feel more firm and you’ll take another look in the mirror and say aha!

See Related: Natural Exfoliator Skinodyssey™ with Glycolic Acid

2. Get more sleep

Hitting the hay is one surefire way to improve the appearance around your eye area. Sleep can help with circulation and your body’s ability to repair itself. The skin around the eyes is thinner than other areas of the face, which makes it more vulnerable to dark circles, dryness, and irritation. Getting a bit more sleep may reduce some of these unwanted issues, and make you look more alert and refreshed as well.

When it’s time to wake up, we often regret our choice to continue scrolling, or watch just one more episode, or whatever it was we felt compelled to do at such an ungodly hour the night before. If this sounds familiar, and sleeping is something you really want to do more of, there are ways you can shift that bedtime a bit. Move your last meal time a tad earlier, turn off devices an hour before you drift off, read a book or magazine made of actual paper again. If you’re looking for other ideas, check out this previous post and read tip #25 which is all about your beauty sleep.

3. Keep cooly cool

Just like Riff says in the song “Cool” from West Side Story, don’t get hot cause man you got some high times ahead. Get cool. In other words, watch it on the hot showers, long showers, and over-scrubbing, daddy-o. In fact, while a nice hot shower can be a relaxing treat now and then, you don’t want to make it too hot too often. Or if you occasionally do, then you should try to balance it out and cool off. Try a cool compress over your eyes after a warm shower, or really any time.

A cold compress can reduce swelling and inflammation on the skin by temporarily restricting blood flow, but you don’t want to apply ice directly under your eyes. Simply run a clean washcloth under cold water, wring it out, and place over your eyes. There are also other ready-made compresses that you can place in the refrigerator or freezer for a few moments, and don’t forget how cool and refreshing a couple cucumbers can feel. Leave a cool compress over your eyes for five to ten minutes to feel fast relief. Then follow up with your favorite eye cream or gel. Whatever you do, just play it cool. Real cool. *snaps and side steps away.*

4. Take your time, dew it right

One seemingly obvious way to combat dryness is with water. However, simply splashing water on your face and hoping that dry skin disappears will leave you rather disappointed. Unless combined with other ingredients, it will evaporate and probably take some natural oils and moisturizers along with it. So one work around is to add moisture to your environment. You can do this with a humidifier, or by moving somewhere that has high humidity. One of those options is just slightly more affordable, right?

If you live in a dry or arid climate a humidifier will release a much-needed amount of moisture in the air. In addition to helping with particularly dry areas on your skin, humidifiers can help alleviate symptoms caused by the common cold or flu. They may also make breathing easier for people with asthma and allergies, though it’s especially critical to clean it often so there’s no growth of bacteria or other allergens.

And just to underscore the importance of cleaning your humidifier, here’s a video of one guy having way too much fun telling you how to do it:

5. Prevent moisture loss

Now that you’ve found a couple ways to put moisture back in your skin, you want to be sure to keep it there. Transepidermal water loss, or TEWL, is defined as the amount of water that evaporates from the skin to the surrounding environment and has to do with the water vapor pressure on both sides of the skin barrier. Any given person’s TEWL has to do with the humidity (or lack thereof) in the environment, their age, and amount of lipids (fats, such as ceramides) and other moisturizing factors in their skin.

While humectants are ingredients that draw in the moisture and emollients are those that soften and smooth it, occlusives have a heavier consistency and form a barrier on top of the skin, which helps to reduce transepidermal water loss (and less TEWL is COOL).

Common occlusive agents found in skincare include beeswax, olive oil (among others), lanolin, and petrolatum. Occlusives have a heavier consistency and work well to trap in the moisture and counter the causes and symptoms of dry skin.

6. To firm and protect

There’s another skincare product that packs a punch when it comes to protecting and strengthening. The Viviane Woodard E Lastifirm Serum smoothes the surface of the skin with its Aloe vera extract, fights against oxidative damage with pine bark extract, and firms with the film-forming properties of hydrolyzed wheat protein.

Aloe vera pulls double duty (if not triple) and protects against sun damage as it hydrates and heals. And as if that weren’t enough, having hyaluronic acid brings in moisture to help plump up the skin and improve its appearance by minimizing the look of fine lines on the very surface, as was mentioned above. It all amounts to a more youthful look and addresses dryness directly.

7. Stop the Itchy and Scratchy

I know it seems like irritated and itchy skin is really looking for a scratch, but what it needs is moisture. However if there’s an issue that’s ongoing or severe, you may need medication, so be sure to see a dermatologist. For most itches and irritations, though, we can attend to it by changing some habits and adding more moisture.

Many of us have realized as of late how we touch our face all too often, and maybe we’ve already started to create better habits by not rubbing our eyes and the like. Now the next step is applying moisturizer, especially to the driest areas. That should keep things calm and cool. A cold compress can also help, if you still have a persistent itch. Now slap away that hand that was about to scratch that itch, and go cool off.

8. A few things to avoid

It can be hard to change up our routine, and sometimes we don’t even know we have habits that could be causing harm. Take, for example, fabric softeners. If you’ve always used them, you have no reason to suspect them of adding to an irritation or triggering an allergy. For many people, fabric softeners and certain kinds of laundry detergent don’t help with that whole dry skin situation. In fact, they can downright cause it. The best idea is to take out one thing at a time so you can see how it affects the overall condition.

Soaps and certain fragrances can also aggravate allergies. It’s best to avoid fragrances altogether, and choose cleansing products that are gentle and recommended for dry and delicate skin.

Wearing wool or other fabrics that are itchy can be the cause of some skin issues. Or, if you have clothes that are too tight or make you sweat for extended periods, it might cause a flare-up of an allergy that makes your whole body feel dry and itchy. You can let common sense guide you through this one, and keep to clothes that are comfortable and breathable. In winter months, make sure you moisturize after wearing scarves or other fabrics that might be rubbing against your face.

9. Smooth Operator

If you’re looking for the perfect cream to calm that dry or irritated skin, one that saturates it with moisture and helps it heal, then you needn’t look any further than Viviane Woodard’s Intensive Hydration Complex. This water-based formula contains humectants like glycerin that draw moisture in, and emollients like sesame oil, which has fatty acids that protect the skin by trappin in the moisture with a protective film.

Since this complex contains Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A), it encourages the skin cell regeneration process through gentle chemical exfoliation, which results in a refreshed and rejuvenated appearance. There are also antioxidants to guard against environmental damage, as well as phospholipids, which are structural components providing flexibility in skin cells. You don’t necessarily need to know the details to see how these ingredients all combine to make your skin more soft and smooth. You can apply it after your regular cleansing routine, or for a major moisture boost, spray on some Intensive Hydration Mist and then massage the cream onto your neck and face in a gentle, upward motion. It’s great for dry skin, and will help you say farewell to those flakes.

Keep Reading: What is the best facial cleanser for dry skin?

 

For over 60 years, Viviane Woodard has represented “The Purity of Skincare”. We are the leading beauty brand for water-based skin care products and promote the importance of good skin hydration. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest for skin care tips, product discounts and more