The Best Makeup Tips for Sensitive Eyes
Sensitive eyes that constantly water, burn or itch can be unpleasant. Here are the best tips and tricks!
Frequent burning, itching or tears can be an indication of sensitive eyes. But what are the causes and what do you have to pay attention to when applying makeup and care? We clarify!
Sensitive eyes: Symptoms
Sensitive eyes can manifest themselves in various symptoms. These are the most common complaints:
- Burning and itching
- Dry eyes or feeling of sand grain
- Increased tear fluid or excessive tearing
- Changing visual acuity
- Glued eyelids after waking up
- Feeling of pressure in the eye
- Reddened conjunctiva of the eye
A further symptom is an increased, painful sensitivity to light, also known as photophobia. The term photophobia means “fear of light”. People who suffer from photophobia react irritably to the smallest light stimuli, regardless of whether it is daylight, sunshine or artificial light.
The brightness is hard to bear for the photophobia sufferers, they retreat and seek subdued light or shadow. Those who wear sunglasses even when the sky is cloudy or indoors may suffer from photophobia.
Sensitive eyes: Causes
The causes of burning, itching or watery eyes are manifold. Among the most common are:
- Climate conditions such as too hot, cold or dry (heating) air or UV radiation
- Overloading of the optic nerve, for example during long screen work or too long reading
- Injuries or inflammation of the eyelid, cornea or conjunctiva of the eye
- Foreign body in the eye
- Wearing contact lenses
- Wrong care and make-up products
- Allergies for example to house dust, animal hair, food or pollen
- Taking medication such as the contraceptive pill, anti-allergics, beta-blockers, psychotropic drugs or sleeping pills as well as the regular use of eye drops
- Malnutrition (vitamin A deficiency)
- Certain diseases such as diabetes or rheumatism
If the complaints occur for a longer period of time or in connection with further complaints or pain, an ophthalmologist should definitely be consulted. He / she can determine the cause of the symptoms and initiate the correct treatment.
The right care
Not only the eyes themselves, but also the surrounding skin is particularly sensitive: at 0.5 mm, the area around the eyes is almost four times thinner than the rest of the facial skin. Therefore, it needs special care:
- The eye area is characterized by hardly any subcutaneous fatty tissue and few sebaceous and sweat glands, which protect it from drying out. Creams and serums with hyaluronan or thermal water penetrate deep into the skin and bind the moisture there.
- Perfume-free make-up removers gently remove mascara etc. without irritating the sensitive area, such as micelle water from Bioderma and Avène.
- For irritated and reddened eyes, lotions or tonics with bisabolol, chamomile or panthenol provide rapid relief. After cleansing, soak two absorbent cotton pads with the product and apply as a soothing and relaxing eye compress for ten minutes.
- Eye drops with the active ingredient eyebright calm redness and stabilize the vessels. Dry eyes need eye drops that moisten the cornea and replace the body’s own tear fluid. Eye drops with hyaluronic acid are good. Artificial tears also help in cases of reduced tear fluid. It is best to consult your ophthalmologist beforehand!
- If symptoms such as burning or dryness occur, give the optic nerve a break. To do this, close your eyes and rub your palms. Place your warm hands gently on the eye area and relax briefly. Open your eyes again and let your gaze wander from left over the center to right. Then move the pupils from top to bottom. Finally close the eyes again.
The right makeup
Who does not know this: No sooner are the eyelashes mascaraed than the eye begins to water. So that you don’t have to do without mascara etc., here are a few tips:
- Choose mascara and eyeshadow that do not contain fragrances but use mild active ingredients. La Roche Posay offers make-up products especially for the sensitive eye area.
- Bacteria accumulate in brushes and sponges, which can lead to inflammation of the conjunctiva or cornea. Regular cleaning is a must!
- Use eye drops half an hour before the mascara. Otherwise the eye will be irritated.
- Do not use Kajal pencil on the inner eyelid in case of inflammation. It is better to draw an eyelid line on the upper or lower lash line.
- Replace the powder eye shadow with a cream eye shadow. The reason: crumbs can catch the eye and cause itching or irritation.
- Do not use mascara with fiber hairs. They can get into the eye and irritate the cornea.