A hairstylist who suffered painful red and swollen eyes last Christmas, which meant she ended up apologising “all the time” for her appearance, discovered her skin flare-ups were hormonal and caused by perimenopause after four months spent searching for a cure.

Megan Hanneken, 43, was shocked when a red rash appeared around her eyes – but when various skincare products did not soothe her irritated skin, she began to search online for answers.

Embarrassed by the sore red rings around her eyes, Megan would “feel the need to apologise” for her appearance when she bumped into people she knew.

After more than four months of pain and multiple trips to the doctor, Megan discovered that other women were sharing their own experiences online, some dealing with blepharitis, which is a common eye condition that makes your eyelids red, swollen, irritated, and itchy.

Women who are perimenopausal can experience blepharitis due to hormonal changes causing dry eyes.

Megan said she would apologise ‘all the time’ for her appearance (Collect/PA Real Life)

Ordering a high street product that they recommended, Megan said her skin “immediately” felt better and it started to look better within days.

Megan, who lives in Michigan, USA, with her husband, Avery, 49, a painter, and their three children, told PA Real Life: “It was really affecting me when it started last Christmas because I couldn’t find a solution.

“I found myself apologising to people I saw and it took four months before I found something that worked.

“I’m willing to share my story and the pictures of myself because what if it helps somebody else find a solution? I know what it’s like to be looking for answers and it’s just a relief to know what I can use now to treat my skin.”

Megan first started to experience sore eyes at Christmas time last year, as the skin around her eyes became red and swollen and the mother-of-three started trying different treatment creams to soothe her irritated skin.

Megan spent four months searching for a solution (Collect/PA Real Life)

She said: “My eyes would go back and forth between being swollen, being dry, itchy to being flaky and it was around Christmas time so I was home a lot, so I stopped using all my make-up.

“I started trying to use all sorts of different moisturisers because it just felt like my skin was just like so dry and that just made it worse.

“I assumed that it was an allergic reaction to something but none of my products have changed, I use a hypoallergenic facewash and pretty clean make-up. None of my laundry detergents had changed either.”

At a loss for a solution, Megan began an elimination diet as she worried her skin was being caused by something she had eaten. But after giving up alcohol, gluten, eggs and tomatoes, she was still none the wiser as to what was causing her skin problems.

Megan said: “I was suddenly very aware of my vanity and my appearance. It affects me, especially as a hairstylist, because people come to me and give me money to make them look good. I felt like I looked horrible and I’m stood behind a chair in front of a mirror all day.

Megan discovered her skin flare ups were hormonal and caused by perimenopause (Collect/PA Real Life)

“I was apologising all the time for my appearance and when I was out for coffee or bumping into someone in public, I felt the need to explain and tell them about my situation.

“I’d say, ‘I’m so sorry, I promise I’m not sick, it’s a skin condition’. It definitely affected me mentally.”

At a loss, Megan started researching online and in April, she found information about menopausal blepharitis, discovering she was having similar experiences.

She said: “I’d had no idea that this could be connected to perimenopause. When I found other women’s testimonials about it, I started crying. I was like, ‘that is exactly what I am experiencing’.”

Megan first experienced swollen eyes last Christmas (Collect/PA Real Life)

Finding out that other women were using Hydrosil Dry Eye Gel, Megan ordered a bottle of the skincare product to try.

After more than four months of painful flare-ups, Megan’s skin started to clear within days.

She added: “I was so relieved, I finally felt like I had found an answer. My skin looked better within a couple of days and it was almost back to normal within a week.”

Now, Megan uses the product every day as well as the company’s under-eye concealer.

She said: “We’re coming on winter here and the air is drier so I’m using it a couple times a day but it hasn’t flared up like it would before.

Megan said her symptoms are much milder now which has helped her to regain her confidence (Collect/PA Real Life)

“It’s infuriating because dermatologists told me it could be eczema or other things but I had no idea it could be perimenopause.”

While Megan still experiences the occasional flare up, she said her symptoms are much milder now which has helped her to regain her confidence.

“My husband has noticed the difference in my confidence and he is just so thankful that I found something because he could see that it was wearing on me. He doesn’t question at all every time I put in another order because I will not be without it. It’s the only thing I have found that my eyes will tolerate.

“It’s not a silver bullet, I still experience flare ups but that’s hormonal, that’s just how it’s going to be until my hormones level out. But it is absolutely the only thing I have found that has given me any relief at all. Just knowing what the problem is and the source of it is very mentally calming.”