Eyelid Rashes not Easy to Solve

Many women who develop an itchy, painful irritation of the eyelid assume makeup is the culprit. But often, it's the nail polish they're wearing.

"People who have eyelid dermatitis assume it's due to something they put on their eye," said Dr. Rajani Katta, assistant professor of dermatology at Baylor College of Medicine. "Most of the time, it's something that accidentally comes in contact with the eyelid."

Nail polish is a frequent source of eyelid dermatitis, a skin rash described as red, scaly and itchy.

"If we have a woman come in with a rash on her eyelids, one of the first things we ask is, `Do you wear nail polish?'" said Dr. Katta. "Even just a tiny speck of wet nail polish can cause a problem."

The eyelid is a common place for rashes to develop, because the skin is so sensitive in that area, she said. "You can touch things with your hands and it doesn't bother them. The skin of your hands is thick and not that sensitive," Dr. Katta said. "But if you accidentally touch your eyelid, a rash can develop."

Cosmetics for the eyes can cause irritation, even if a patient has used the same product for a long time. "You can develop an allergy at any time, and sometimes companies even change product ingredients without advertising that fact," Dr. Katta said.

Contact lens solutions and eyedrops that make their way onto the eyelids also can cause skin irritation.

Finding the exact cause of eyelid dermatitis often involves some detective work, and for patients, the sooner the better.

"Eyelid dermatitis can be extremely difficult to solve because it can be caused by a lot of different things," Dr. Katta said. "It's miserable for patients, usually very itchy, and sometimes painful."

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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