Because the skin around your eyes is delicate, it’s especially important to treat it with care. If you’re experiencing dryness around the eyes, dry eyelids or dry patches under your eyes, just applying more of your regular facial moisturizer might not do the trick. However, don’t lose hope as simple lifestyle changes or the right skin care formulas could make a difference for you! Follow along as we break down 7 ways to banish dryness around your eyes for good, including:

• Drinking more water
• Avoiding hot showers
• Using a gentle eye makeup remover
• Protecting the eye area with sunscreen
• Trying a hydrating, moisturizing eye cream
• Using a medicated balm
• Visiting your dermatologist for guidance

1. Stay Hydrated From the Inside Out

“The skin around your eyes is actually thinner than skin elsewhere on your body,” says board-certified dermatologist and LovelySkin CEO, Dr. Joel Schlessinger. “This makes it more vulnerable to becoming dried out and irritated if your body as a whole is dehydrated.”

The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine recommends 11.5 cups of water a day for women and 15.5 cups for men for adequate hydration.

2. Cool It With Hot Showers

Are you wondering, “why are my eyelids dry?” Washing your face with hot water might be the culprit!

“I always recommend washing with lukewarm water,” Dr. Schlesinger says. “Hot water can actually cause dryness because it strips away your skin’s natural oils. This can lead to redness, itchy, irritated skin.” When in doubt, dial down the temp when you’re ready to hop in the shower or bath.

3. Remove Eye Makeup Gently

If you wear eye makeup often, it’s possible that the process of removing it could be one of the factors causing dryness around your eyes or dry patches under your eyes. Harsh cleansers can be irritating to the delicate skin around your eyes, so try using alcohol-free options such as Avene Gentle Eye Makeup Remover, a hydrating gel formula, or Eminence Organics Herbal Eye Makeup Remover, which contains calming botanicals to soothe skin while removing makeup.

5. Protect Your Eyes From the Sun’s Damaging Rays

You’ve heard this here before: the sun’s UV rays can damage skin, leading to premature aging and skin cancer, so it’s important to protect your skin by wearing sunscreen every day. To avoid dry patches around your eyes caused from sunburn, it’s good practice to wear sunglasses with full-spectrum UV protection and invest in a sunblock that’s specifically formulated for the area around your eyes.

One option is SkinCeuticals Physical Eye UV Defense Tinted Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50, a sheer tinted sunscreen created to protect the delicate eye area and provide a smooth base for makeup. It offers SPF 50 with two mineral sunscreens, microfine titanium and zinc oxides, as well as ceramides to help nourish skin.

For anti-aging benefits and sun protection, check out PCA Skin Sheer Tint Eye Triple Complex Broad Spectrum SPF 30. This tinted eye cream provides sheer coverage for under eyes, provides protection against sun damage using zinc oxide and also contains peptides to help lessen the appearance of crow’s feet and fine lines.

5. Hydrate and Moisturize With an Eye Cream

Soothe dryness around the eyes by dabbing on an eye cream enriched with hydrating and moisturizing ingredients. La Roche-Posay Toleriane Ultra Eye Cream is safe to use on dry eyelids as well as the undereye area, with ingredients like glycerin for hydration, shea butter to help lock in moisture and niacinamide to soothe redness.

We also recommend Obagi Clinical Kinetin+ Hydrating Eye Cream, which helps fortify the skin using ceramides and improve the appearance of sun damage with kinetin, a plant growth factor. In a four-week study, 90% of users reported that the appearance of their overall eye area improved.

6. Use a Medicated Balm

If you have red, dry patches under or around your eyes, a medicated corticosteroid balm, such as FixMySkin 1% Hydrocortisone Healing Body Balm could potentially ease inflammation and help your skin get on the mend.

“FixMySkin Healing Balms can be used on tender eyelids and works so well to heal dryness, flakiness and other skin irritations,” Dr. Schlessinger says. “It’s great for if you have a waxing gone wrong where skin is torn, and so many other issues.”

7. Visit Your Dermatologist

If you’re not noticing an improvement in the dryness around your eyes or dry patches under your eyes with topical products or these lifestyle changes, it may be time to make an appointment to see a board-certified dermatologist. They can examine your skin and help pinpoint what could be triggering the dryness around your eyes to begin with and recommend a prescription treatment if necessary.

If you’re in the market for a hydrating serum, read The Five Best Hydrating Serums for Dr. Schlessinger’s recommendations before you go shopping