Your Eyelid's Role in Dry Eyes
Nov 13, 2019
Last week, a dry eye specialist from Edmond Oklahoma came to lecture to a group of eye doctors in Shreveport. Dr. Selina McGee is an international speaker in dry eye education.
I was able to interview and asked her to share her perspectives of dry eye disease with all of you. Here she gives us the top three tips she likes to give her patients in her own office.
Dr. Selina McGee
No. 1) Avoid toxic ingredients in your self-care products.
Dr. McGee spends a lot of time looking at ingredients in her patient's makeup and creams they put around their eyes. She has them bring them into the office, and then she reviews the ingredients with the patient. She does this to ensure their personal care routine is aligned with having the best health of their eyes.
As you know, I speak a lot about the toxic ingredients that we are putting in and around our eyes without knowing their dangers. If you would like more information on how to keep your makeup and skincare clean, check out the CLEAN makeup manual. This course will take you through a five-step process to refresh your makeup and beauty products to eliminate toxins from them.
It is an easy step for anyone to add to eliminate these toxins in their daily routine. You can download the list of toxins to avoid in your personal care products here. Finally, you can get your Clean Makeup Manual course by clicking the link here.
No. 2) Protect your eyelids
Dr. Selina McGee speaks to her patients about the need to wear sunscreen on our eyelids as well. As women, most of us wear sunscreen on our faces as part of our normal beauty routine.
We know the dangers of UV light causing advanced aging and cancer. However, most of us do not put sunscreen on our eyelids.
Did you know that cancer on the eyelids make up 10% of all of the skin cancers? This may be in part because we rarely protect the eyelid skin from UV rays. If we are wearing sunglasses then there is UV protection in our sunglasses. But what about sunlight coming in from the top or the side of the sunglasses. You would also need to wear a hat to protect yourself from more rays.
There are a few sunscreens that are safe to use on your eyelids. The one Dr. McGee recommends Epionce Daily Shield Tinted APF 50 Sunscreen. I also recommend Beautycounter Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 20 if you are wearing foundation, or Countersun Mineral Sunscreen Lotion with SPF 30 if you aren't wearing makeup.
No. 3) Uncover Co-Conspirators
Co-conspirators are diseases that can go along with dry eye disease and often make it worse. One of the most common of these diseases is acne rosacea.
Rosacea consists of fine blood vessels in the skin. We typically see these on cheeks and noses. Research shows us that 20% of rosacea actually starts on the eyelids.
Rosacea is often found first during an eye exam. While examining the eye, small blood vessels, called telangectasia, are found on the eyelid margins. This disorder is called ocular rosacea.
The problem with having these blood vessels so close to the eyes is that they often bring inflammation to the front surface. The inflammation then exacerbates the inflammatory cascade that we know causes dry eyes. Inflammation on the eyelids also causes the eyes to be red and irritated.
Many cosmetics and skin care products will also exacerbate this irritation. And, make the eyelids look more red. If you do not know whether or not you have rosacea you could ask yourself these questions:
- Do your cheeks get flushed when you exercise?
- Do your cheeks get flushed when you eat spicy foods?
- Do your cheeks get flushed when drinking alcohol?
Conclusion
One of the difficulties of treating dry eye disease is that the cause of the symptoms can come from many different sources. Dr. McGee reminds us that the eyelids are often the place to locate the irritation.
When battling dry eyes, it is important to include these three steps in your treatment plan. 1) Eliminate toxins in your makeup and skincare products. 2) Protect your eyelids from UV rays. 3) Look for additional inflammation and irritation on your face.
If you are bothered by red, irritated, dry, or watery eyes, it is important to have an eye exam. Your eye doctor will examine your eyes to find the root cause of your symptoms.
Please leave a comment below and let me know how you like to protect your eyes from the sun.
