Winter Eyelid Care Tips: Three Ways to Protect your Eyelids this Winter
As you prepare for the often-unforgiving conditions winter can bring, you probably already know you need high-quality moisturizers and sunscreens for your skin. You might even have a few tubes of lip balm at the ready once the chilly winds of late fall and early winter begin to blow. But what about the most sensitive pieces of skin on the body: the eyelids? By caring for your eyelids, you’ll improve the overall look of that skin not only now, but in the future.
Dry and irritated eyelid skin can quickly become lined, puffy, flaky and red, contributing to discomfort and chronic signs of aging. Follow these 3 eyelid care tips to avoid high levels of swelling and irritation during the winter and beyond.
Avoid Chemicals
The single, most important thing you can do for your eyelids is to keep chemicals and irritants far away from them. The skin of the eyelid is extremely thin, meaning it is highly sensitive to any types of chemicals, make-up remover, nail polish remover, cleaning solutions and other typical facial or household products. While most people aren’t in the habit of intentionally applying chemicals to their eyelids, what they don’t realize is that residue from these types of products linger on the hands and fingers. Once you touch your eyelids, these chemicals can transfer to this sensitive patch of skin. Should you touch your eyelids after handling these products, it’s important to quickly wash the area.
Sun Protection
Eyelids are skin, too. They need sun protection even more than the rest of your body’s skin. Most sunscreens are not formulated for the eyelid, meaning they can burn the eyes when applied. At Janiga MDs, we recommend a titanium or zinc-based sunscreen specially formulated for eyelid skin. These creams and lotions are much less likely to burn the eyes. We also highly recommend wearing a good pair of sunglasses with strong UV protection.
Hydration, Hydration, Hydration
Moisturizing your eyelids helps combat dry skin while decreasing what’s called a “crepe” look. In short, the dryer the skin, the more linear and wrinkled the eyelids will look. If you don’t have sensitive skin, you might be able to use the same moisturizer on your eyelids as your face, but if you do, a moisturizer that’s free of preservatives, fragrances and irritants is the way to go.
Some people use anti-aging products on their eyelids, but a word of caution: these products typically include retonic or glycolic acids that can wreak absolute havoc on your eyelids. Always make sure that you’re using a special formulation that is specific to eyelid skin, especially if you’ve experienced sensitivity before. My favorite is SkinMedica TNS Eye Cream, which builds collagen, helps combat sun damage, improves the crepe look of the skin and is specially formulated for the sensitive eyelid skin.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns about eyelid care or skin protection in general this winter, don’t hesitate to schedule a consultation to help determine the best way to take care of your skin. We offer eyelid lift procedures for patients who are interested in improving the appearance of their eyelids.
