TLDR; sry this is so long! Anyone diagnosed with both seb derm and milder eczema have issues with symptoms appearing on eyelid and right below bottom lash line? I'm struggling hard and waiting to get in with my derm to discuss it.

Hey, everyone. My journey with a dermatologist began in 2021, and started simply because I had raging hormonal acne following the birth of my first (only) child.

I've been taking prescription spironolactone since then. My hormonal acne has cleared up. I didn't opt to start birth control pills, because I'd just had a hormonal IUD inserted. Anyway!

I've had a bit of dandruff that got progressively worse since, like, middle school. I'm 34 now. She gave me a shampoo for that, which works great for me. About six months into my treatment for acne and dandruff, I started to show signs of seb derm in my eyebrows and ears. Tried betamethasone for that. It worked for a little while.

As my acne cleared and breakouts halted, I was left with PIE from the old breakouts. I'm really pale so they're noticable. I have always had very sensitive skin, so I couldn't try a lot of products for lessening the appearance of that. At the same time, I started noticing areas on both cheeks that were red , despite not having PIE in those spots, and often warm to the touch. My ears and eyebrows got way worse, so we switched to triamcinolone 0.025%. I cut out alcohol. It was helping more than the betamethasone. I also started figuring out what cleanser, toner, and moisturizers I could use that did their jobs didn't clog my pores or make my skin more reactive.

Then I started getting really itchy spots on the back of my neck, top of my shoulders, back of my wrists, and near my collarbone. They weren't super flaky or weeping like my eyebrows and ears were. But they were definitely rough and very red. I started using the triamcinolone on those until I could see my derm again. Completely stopped taking my beloved hot showers, instead opting for lukewarm at best. Started being more careful with conditioner when washing my hair, etc.

The next time I got to see my derm, I finally was able to show her the new areas of concern I'd been dealing with for ~5 months, and she decided to diagnose as eczema. I got a higher concentration triamcinolone prescription.

What my biggest issue is, currently, is that about 4 weeks ago I woke up with my eyelids and directly under my eyes (where my lovely genetic dark circles are 🙄) inflamed, red, and very very dry. Nothing I do is making it better. I'm just wondering if it's the eczema or seb derm? I know I'll find out, but my appointment is a month out. I have allergies too, but my eyeballs also feel dryer than normal. Because the affected areas are so close to my eyes, it's not like I can slap one of my ointments on it. I've been very carefully applying some aquaphor before bed because it doesn't tend to "travel" much, but it's not really helping.

Now I'm seeing some flakes under one eye, near the corner. It just looks awful. It's embarrassing. I'm keeping the areas clean. I have micellar water. I'm only using Vanicream cleanser and Simple brand hydrating toner. I use Neutrogena hydro boost water gel moisturizer during the day and Clinique moisture surge intense 72H at night, but I'm not putting those that close to my eyes. Sometimes I do use elf holy hydration eye cream just to have some moisture there, which I will lock in with aquaphor if I'm just sitting at home with my daughter all day. My insurance doesn't include optometry, so I'm hoping this is something my derm can handle.

I don't know. I'm just freaking sick to death of skin issues, man. Does anyone have experience with flares in that area? Any tips or advice?