*3 Year Old with Rash Around Her EYES*

Updated on February 12, 2010
R.D. asks from Richmond, VA
22 answers

okay i dont if i've addressed this before, but my 3 year old is DEFINATELY my rashy kid! its always something! she went to the pediatrician 3 weeks ago for a check up, and she had just began to develop this rash AROUND her eyes. the doc said it was just some kind of outdoor/indoor allergy (not a food allergy)... so it starts getting a bit worse, so i called the doc back and she told me to give her 1 tsp of kids otc allergy meds daily... well THREE WEEKS LATER its not any better. it doesnt bother her, its not contagious, it doesnt itch or hurt or burn, isnt irritated by soap and water, i havent changed anything in her diet, or used different soaps or detergents or ANYTHING... DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT THIS COULD BE!? shes not sick, doesnt have a fever, its NOT pink eye, and its not IN her eye, she looks like a little racoon with pink circles instead of black. it just looks terrible! please let me know if you have ever heard or seen of such a thing! THANKS LADIES! ~R.

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So What Happened?

THREE YEARS LATER, we have an answer. my daughter has allergies... some food, some environmental... some of the foods shes allergic to she loves and has been eating every day, like peanuts (well, peanut butter) and LETTUCE! we have salad with almost every dinner! now that we know what causes it and we know how to manage it, everything is under control :)

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S.C.

answers from Norfolk on

Take her to a dermatologist. Being that is around her eyes you don't want to try anything that may damage that delicate tissue. Good luck.

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J.T.

answers from Washington DC on

I would take her to a pediatric allergy specialist. When I was growing up there were kids in my neighborhood with milk allergies and that is what their eyes looked like.

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J.B.

answers from Washington DC on

I also have a "rashy" kid and have found that drops in humidity have an effect on her skin - sometimes around the eyes, too. We have found that keeping cool mist humidifiers running helps tremendously. We have also gotten the okay from our doctor and opthamalogist to use Eucerin lotion (the calming creme - not the itch-relief lotion which has menthol in it) around the eyes very sparingly. This always helps my daughter, but I would get the okay from your doctor first. Good luck!

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E.F.

answers from Washington DC on

I would suggest you to replace air filter and change soap & shampoo.. Wash bedding sheets in hot water.. Please don't let your pets sleep on her bed if you have any pets. If you have pet, it would be good idea for her to wash her hands after petting the pet. If these changes don't help, you might consider to take your daughter to allergist to take allergy tests.

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K.H.

answers from Washington DC on

My granddaughter had this too and the pediatrician said it was from allergies. We used 1% hydrocortizone cream just a little bit and it disappeared and hasn't been back since.

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A.D.

answers from Washington DC on

sounds to me like she is in physical contact with something and then touches her eyes. try using different detergents, clean her toys with a different cleaner. That may be the cause of the rashes. It also could be a tree, or grass outside that she comes into contact with that causes the rash. Look into pine and cedar to start.

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A.S.

answers from Washington DC on

I would see a dermatologist and/or allergist. It seems like milk/dairy allergy to me. I would investigate further.

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S.R.

answers from Washington DC on

I think I would check with a dermatologist.

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B.B.

answers from Washington DC on

I don't know what it is, but I have two red-heads, and my son especially seems to have a new weird rash every Spring or Fall. Last year he developed exactly that sort of rash, except it was all over his back in a very definate pattern. His pediatrician told me what it was called (I forget), but it wasn't caused by anything but a rash and I used an over-the-counter THICK moisturizing cream (Cetaphil) every day for about a month and it went away. He gets rashes under his arms, his back, his face, his hips...and they eventually go away with a good moisturizer. Good luck!

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E.V.

answers from Roanoke on

It sounds a bit like my son's eczema, but he was 7 mos old and it was all over him and spread to his face/eyes. His eyes were swollen and looked like he'd been hit in both eyes! Red, not bruised though. The dr. suggested using unscented detergents, Cetaphil soap/lotion or Aveeno for eczema. She even prescribed a steroid cream, but none of that worked. The miracle came from a lotion called Renew and is made by a company called Melaleuca (which is the scientific name for Tea Tree). The lotion was amazing for us. if you find out that is what your daughter has, and nothing the Dr. suggest helps, let me know and I will tell you how to get Renew!

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D.H.

answers from Washington DC on

R. I have a 5 yr old who was having the same problem for months. I applied a thin layer of Eucerin Aquaphor during the day along with a tiny bit of hydrocortizone at night after she falls asleep. Cleared it right up.

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N.M.

answers from Washington DC on

I'm glad I found out your answer, just in case for my daughter. Being new in the medical field I'm interested in everything regarding health. Take care. + N. m.

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L.S.

answers from Washington DC on

Get some Arbonne Baby Care lotion and wash and I promise it will clear it up! Email me direct for before and after pics...it really does work without using rx meds. My husband has excema on his face and uses this in his skincare routine....clear face for 3 years. It made a believer out of him!!

____@____.com

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S.M.

answers from Washington DC on

I had eczema around my eyes and discovered it was because I had poor ventilation in my bathroom and hadn't noticed a small amount of mold growing behind my towels -- when I dried my face with the towels I was exposing my eyes. Putting a fan in the bathroom, washing the walls and towels more frequently, and stopping the practice of drying my face with a towel solved it. I recommend seeing an allergist to see what is causing her allergy. In the meantime, try to limit anything that contacts the skin around her eyes.

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A.P.

answers from Norfolk on

R.,

Every so often, when the seasons change, I get weird flaky skin on my eyelids. It is probably due to changes in humidity. It doesn't happen every year, just every so often. My eyelids get a bit itchy, the skin becomes very dry, if flakes off, then everything is fine. In the meantime it looks terrible. It doesn't really bother me, but if it happened to my daughter I'd be asking for a referral to a dermatologist, just in case it is something else.

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L.V.

answers from Washington DC on

It sounds to me like it could be an allergy to milk/dairy. Try taking it out of her diet for 2 weeks and see what happens. Creams may clear it up too, but the underlying cause may be allergy. Good luck!

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J.W.

answers from Norfolk on

Take her to the doctor and don't leave unitl they tell you what is wrong or at lest do everything in thier power to find out

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K.H.

answers from Richmond on

honestly, i think you should seriously consider taking the child to a different doctor. because it doesnt
sound like an allergy to me. now it may be that the child is rubbing her eyes after having been exposed
to an allergen and it is just affecting the area around her eyes because it is coming into contact with
another allergen around her eyes. that may be it. but definately take the child to a different doctor
K.

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K.S.

answers from Washington DC on

My daughter had the same thing around her eyes back in the summer. My doctor called it an allergic shiner and attributed to allergies. She has eczema as well. We did blood work on her and found that she's got food allergies & indoor/outdoor allergies. So, she sees an ENT and he put her on Zyrtec, Nasonex & Singulair and she gets daily allergy drops. The Singulair seemed to really help more - but we still keep her on the Zyrtec.

I also vacuum & dust her room weekly, and keep the clutter down in her room - as much as I can, considering toys - and keep them in plastic bins. It was also recommended that I wash her sheets in very hot water and a small amount of detergent (for the clothes too) to remove dust mites and cover her pillows and mattress with a special pad covering to eliminate dust mites.

Some other things to do is be sure to vacuum your furniture and dust just as often in other areas of your house,change the filter monthly, if you're in an old house (we are) have your ducts checked, invest in a HEPA filter for her room and when you clean around the house try to mix your own cleaners using water, vinegar, lemon, oil and dish soap combination instead of harsh chemical cleaners. If you don't want to do that, I use the natural cleaners and particulary like Melaleuca products (online store) - but you can also use Seventh Generation. If you prefer to use the chemicals, have your daughter (and you should too) use one of those masks that they use when you paint to cut the fumes down - also open the windows.

I know it seems like it's a lot, but I've been doing this for about 2 months now consistently and she doesn't have the rash around her eyes any more and her breathing is a lot better - she did have to have her adenoids removed back in December - but she does still get congested, but it isn't half as bad as before.

Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions.

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M.A.

answers from Washington DC on

Hi R.,

It's true that intially the impession would be a nonspecific allergic reaction, and it pobably is, but if after three weeks the rash is still there ,(looking worse?) it would be a good idea to get a second opinion, or even go back for a second consult with the pediatrician.

She may notice something new, she may not, or she may want to do additional tests depending on what else she may find. Rashes are not normal, something is causing that, and I see that you have pets...it may just be that simple, but at least you are taking the necessary precautions by going fo a second consult.

M.

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S.T.

answers from Washington DC on

Take her to an eye doctor, either an optometrist who specializes in children or a pediatric ophthalmologist preferrable. This is something medical...for those interested in how you'd be billed. Call for the appointment and tell them the symptoms, don't tell them you need your child to come in for a regular eye exam. You will get an appointment much quicker if you tell them the symptoms and that it is bothering your child...should be able to get in within a day or 2 at most.

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J.B.

answers from Washington DC on

Ask your doctor about periorbital cellulitis. My 4 year old got this this past summer. His was a terrible swelling around his eye and it ballooned up so quickly that we took him to the ER. They tested and poked him all night long and told me it was this periorbital cellulitis - an infection of the skin around his eye and he took antibiotics to get rid of it. They also said it was an allergic reaction to something he got into outside. He had been playing around some trees that I know I am allergic to, and I assume that's where it came from. He must have rubbed or scratched near his eye and the infection started that way. The thing is, if it gets IN the eye, it can cause sight damage. I hope your doctor has already ruled this out, but I think it would be worth asking. Good luck.

Updated

Ask your doctor about peri-orbital cellulitis. My son got this, but it was a serious inflamation around his eye and we ended up in the ER with mulitple tests including an MRI to make sure it didn't go IN his eye. Peri-orbital cellulitis is a skin infection with *unknown* cause... could be a little scratch that got infected or from rubbing their eyes... that sort of thing. If she's had this for weeks on end, this may not be what it is, but I would ask anyway... It might help to get a treatment. Good luck.

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