Seasonal Allergies and Dryness: Eyes

I suffer from some allergies and dryness due to seasonal changes. My eyes are the victims this year, some other years it's my skin, others it's my lips. From speaking with friends and co-workers this seems to be more common than I previously thought. Here are a few steps that I'm taking to help improve my symptoms.

What are my symptoms?

• Incessant weeping eye corners (especially my left eye)
• Stinging and burning
• Sensation there's sand in my eyes
• Swollen eyes
• Dark circles

Old cosmetics

• I've been going eye makeup free except for some Neutrogena mascara I just bought
• cleaned out my makeup bag to make sure that it's fresh and clean
• threw away all eyeliners and mascaras so only very recent eyeliner and mascara is included (1 month or less)
• wiped my eyeshadows with a wipe soaked in alcohol (these are sold near electronics and cameras in shops; by the way, use a fresh wipe per shadow, else you're spreading germies and colors!)

Cleanup

• soaked all my tweezers and cosmetic-dedicated pencil sharpeners in warm soapy water (dish detergent) then rinsed them and poured 91% alcohol over them, and let them air dry
• washed all my face and eye makeup brushes in warm soapy water (face wash)
• threw away my old eyelash curler and am looking to buy a replacement (I see you WalMart!)
• washing my eyeglasses with dish soap and warm water on a weekly basis, in-between wiping with alcohol wipes. Washing all my microfiber eyeglass wipes to make sure they're fresh

Gentle skincare
As my skin gets drier and more sensitive this season (as always) I'm focusing on:

• making sure I remove all makeup prior to going to bed
• Washing my pillow sham often
• exfoliating the dry flakes of skin using gentler products
• no primer, no special treatment moisturizers, just a simple easy moisturizer
• no special eye care except a gentle moisturizer
• scheduling professional skin care appointments
• using a dedicated face cloth to pat dry after washing

If my eye symptoms get worse, I'll schedule an appointment with an eye doctor to see if there is a micro-scratch or something that needs some steroidal eye drops or antibiotics (which I'll need a prescription for).

Keep in mind that some people think their sensitive eyes are natural and they apply a prescription and keep using their cosmetics as normal. Sometimes it's the cosmetics that aggravate a sensitive eye. It's a case of the egg or the chicken.

Make your decisions wisely,  tailored to your own needs. Keep your health and well being #1 over any fads or trends. And remember, you are beautiful because you are you. What society thinks of beauty is mostly airbrushed on a magazine page. Pie in the sky.

Additional resources and Info

• How often to replace your cosmetics
• Sensitive eye cosmetics suggestions (La Roche Posay, by Jezebel)
• Sensitive eye tips and tricks (by Bobbi Brown, by Paula's Choice)
• Tips for dry eye sufferers (Huffington Post)