Eye cream/moisturizer

[JessicaCA]

I'm a 44-year-old female and I live in the upper midwest, where we have harsh winters. I was just diagnosed with MGD a few weeks ago and just started a trial and error to see what works regiment under doctor supervision.

I have really dry skin in the winter to begin with and now that I'm scrubbing my eyes and using eye drops, the skin around my eyes are flaking and make me look 20 years older.

I've been using a Paula's Choice moisturizer on my eyes and it seems to help sometimes, problem is, I can't tell anymore what is irritating them or what isn't. It's so hard to pinpoint the aggressors because my eyes pretty much hate the world right now.

I HAVE to moisturize the skin around my eyes and eyelid or I'm going to go insane. Do any of you have a good recommendation that won't exacerbate the problem? Also, the moisturizer I'm currently using has petroleum (petrolatum) in it. Is that dry eye "friendly"? I keep reading different things about -- don't use this oil, but use this oil, don't use this ingredient, yet others say that ingredient is fine. It's so confusing.

Along with recommendations, I want to post the ingredients of the moisturizer I'm currently using around my eyes and ask community member's advice on these ingredients. While I know everyone is different, other people's experience can help sometimes.

I have good days using this and bad days, but bad days outweigh the good these days. (This product is also dye and fragrance free.):

Key Ingredients: vitamin E, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, petrolatum, linoleic acid, ceramide 3, phospholipid, cholesterol, tocopherol, squalane, vitamin C, gamma linolenic acid (GLA), jojoba oil, niacinamide, hydrolyzed wheat protein, sodium hyaluronate, glycerin

Product Ingredients:
Water, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil (emollient plant oil), Ethylhexyl Stearate (thickener), Butylene Glycol (slip agent), Glycerin (skin-identical ingredient), Petrolatum (emollient), Cetearyl Alcohol, Dipentaerythrityl Hexacaprylate/ Hexacaprate, Tridecyl Trimellitate (all thickeners), Sodium Hyaluronate, Ceramide 3, Cholesterol (skin-identical ingredients),Tocopherol (Vitamin E/antioxidant) Squalane (emollient), Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (stabilized Vitamin C/antioxidant), Dimethicone (silicone slip agent), Niacinamide (Vitamin B3/cell-communicating ingredient) Polysorbate 60 (thickener), Hydrolyzed Jojoba Protein, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, , Hydrogenated Lecithin, Whey Protein (all water-binding agents), Tridecyl Stearate, Neopentyl Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate (thickeners), Phenyl Trimethicone (silicone slip agent), Myristyl Myristate (thickener), Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Phospholipids, Decarboxy Carnosine HCI (cell-communicating ingredients), Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodum Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer (film-forming/water-binding agents),Cetearyl Glucoside, Cetyl Alcohol, Polyglyceryl-3 Beeswax (all thickeners/emollients), Triethanolamine (pH-adjustor), Disodium EDTA (chelating agent), Benzoic Acid, Chlorphensin, Sorbic Acid, Phenoxyethanol (preservatives).

Thoughts? Recommendations?

[Mawsky]

I've been using Burt's bees eye cream for sensitive eyes, at night I put vasoline under my eyes....don't know if this is right or wrong?? But the skin around my eyes was getting so bad, flakey wrinkled I had to do something, seems most nighttime moisturizers irritated. So hard to know what to do.
Christine

[PotatoCakes]

I've been using Tu'el Eye Plus Lotion with luck. I avoid retinol products because they have been found to be problematic for dry eyes and I try to avoid pots for eye cream because every time you stick your finger in the pot, or open it, you are increasing the risk for bacteria to get into the product. Tu'el is retinol-free and is in pump, not a pot.

[LaDiva]

I have the same problem, and use my EFA vitamins around my eyes. It contains black current seed oil, macadamia nut oil and kukui nut oil. I used vaseline for years, and it worked well too.