Characteristics of Healthy, Youthful Eyes
The eyes have always been associated with youth, beauty, and health. The appearance of the skin around the eyes was found to be a major factor in a person’s perceived age. What makes someone perceive eyes as youthful and healthy?
Young eyes are defined by having tight, smooth, healthy-colored skin that snaps back quickly when pinched. The fat pads that are located under the eyes help to support the area, making the appearance of bags, dark circles, or loose skin less visible. As time passes, the skin around your eyes will change and cause you to look older.
Why the Skin Around Your Eyes Is the First Place That Shows Age
Why do I have wrinkles around my eyes? The skin around your eyes is thinner and more delicate than other areas of your face, which is why it’s the first area to show signs of aging. This region of the face is where a lifetime of facial expressions are shown. The skin around our eyes is very expressive and shows every emotion we feel, whether we are laughing, crying, or angry.
In your 20s, your skin is firm and elastic, similar to a rubber band. It is able to quickly snap back into place after being stretched or pulled multiple times. As you get older, the lines around your eyes become more pronounced from all the repetitious movements. We recommend that you have a skin care routine that at least includes taking care of the skin around your eyes. Your eye skin will age unless you take care of it.
Ey skin aging can be delayed, treated, and prevented by taking a more proactive approach and learning about the causes. We will address the causes of sagging skin around the eyes below, as well as how to tighten it through natural skin-tightening remedies, lifestyle changes, surgical under-eye wrinkle treatment, and other skin care solutions.
The Causes of Eye Skin Aging
Time
As time goes on, the skin around your eyes will become less firm and tight as the collagen and elastin fibers that hold it in place break down. The result is sagging, loose skin. This process typically begins in a person’s 30s and continues throughout their life. The signs of aging are more pronounced when someone has engaged in habits that speed up the aging process on a daily basis. These include making facial expressions, being exposed to the sun and pollution, having a poor diet, not getting enough sleep, and being stressed.
Estrogen Decline
A woman’s skin ages more quickly when her estrogen levels go down during menopause, which is usually between the ages of 40 and 55. The International Journal of Women’s Dermatology has found that estrogen helps the skin to keep moisture, and when estrogen is low, the skin becomes less elastic and more vulnerable to drying, wrinkles, and thinning. It’s also slower to heal from wounds.
Ethnicity and Genetics
Your genes can affect your skin type and how vulnerable you are to wrinkles under your eyes. Some people have a genetic predisposition to having skin that ages more quickly. Certain ethnicities have skin types that are better protected against sun exposure because they have high melanin content, which means they age more slowly.
Environmental Exposure
Your skin takes a lot of abuse from the environment. According to Frontiers in Pharmacology, sun radiation, smoke, air pollution, and even some cosmetic products can cause the aging process to speed up.
Smoking and Other Unhealthy Lifestyle Habits
The Mayo Clinic has researched that nicotine and other chemicals in cigarettes can lead to premature aging and wrinkles. This occurs when blood vessels constrict, impeding the flow of oxygenated blood to your skin cells.
A peer-reviewed scientific journal, Nutrients, reports that not only can high-fat diets cause oxidative stress that yields inflammation, but they can also age the skin at a more rapid rate. When you’re stressed, the proteins in your skin change, which makes it less elastic. You can still make changes even if you have already started participating in these unhealthy habits.
3 Do’s and Don’ts for Tending to the Skin Around Your Eyes
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Do Commit to Treating Your Eye Skin
“But they’re important because the skin around your eyes is very thin and can show the first signs of aging.” Green says that people forget to use eye creams and they are important because they can help with early signs of aging. To moisturize your skin effectively, you need a product that can penetrate the outer layer to reach the cells that need hydration.
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Don’t Rely on Your Regular Facial Moisturizer to Get the Job Done
Patients frequently inquire of Dr. Fine if it is permissible to apply their regular moisturizer to their eyes, to which she usually replies in the negative. According to Fine, you should use an eye cream that is designed specifically for the skin on your eyelids. The active ingredients in face serums and moisturizers, such as retinoids, may be too strong a concentration for under-eye skin.
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Do Opt for Actives When Choosing an Eye Cream
A more interesting alternative to a bland moisturizer for a delicate area is necessary. An eye cream that contains retinol is a good option, says Dr. Green. An eye cream that contains retinol is different from a typical facial cream with retinol. This retinol product will have a lower concentration of retinol and be more emollient in order to reduce the risk for irritation. The hyaluronic acid will help boost hydration.
Tips for Addressing Common Eye-Area Skin Problems
Many people have concerns about the skin around their eyes. Here are some of the most common concerns that dermatologists hear, along with suggestions for addressing them.
Dark Circles
Although a lack of sleep is often the cause of dark circles, sometimes getting eight hours of sleep per night is not enough to get rid of them. This is because dark circles can be genetic, says Fine. She suggests finding a topical product that contains either caffeine or vitamin K to help lighten dark circles.
Puffy Bags
According to the mayo clinic, if you wake up puffy it may be because fluid has accumulated under your eyes while you slept. If this is a common scenario for you, buy a jade roller and store it in your refrigerator. Choose an eye gel roller that is shaped like a ball so it can cover the smaller area around your eyes. In the morning, dip the roller into the eye gel and roll it across your eye bags gently, as suggested by Green. Although there is no scientific evidence that jade rollers can definitely reduce puffiness, some dermatologists recommend using them on the eye area when they are cold, as the cooling action may help reduce puffiness. If you have puffiness around your eyes, try putting a cold compress on the area. The cold temperature will help reduce blood flow and reduce the swelling.
Fine Lines and Wrinkles
Go for a retinol or a peptide-packed eye cream. Retinol and retinoid are both derivatives of vitamin A. They work by stimulating the turnover of skin cells and collagen production. Retinol is effective in improving the overall texture of the skin and in revitalizing wrinkles and reducing the appearance of fine lines, according to Green. Use a retinol-containing eye cream at night. As for the morning, she recommends an eye cream that “contains green tea, an antioxidant-packed ingredient that protects skin against the environmental stressors that contribute to aging.” According to a review published in February 2019 in the journal Nutrients, green tea polyphenols, which are antioxidant compounds, neutralize aging free radicals in the body, lessen the risk of sunburn, and decrease the activity of an enzyme that degrades collagen in your skin. This results in less UV damage and fewer wrinkles.
Redness and Irritation
Fine explains that due to the thin and sensitive nature of skin in this area, it can take longer to recover. If you are allergic to any of the ingredients in your makeup products, it will usually show up first in the form of irritation around the eyes. This can be either a mild or more extreme reaction. In this case, see your dermatologist. Acting quickly is the best way to treat a reaction, otherwise it could take a long time to go away, according to her.
Are Eye Creams or Eye Gels Better?
What is your main skin concern? If you have dry eyes, choose a cream rather than a gel. Creams have a lower water content, so they will hydrate your eyes better. Fine says that a gel alone will not be enough to moisturize. On the other hand, gel eye creams may be perfect for you if you have under-eye bags, adds Green. “I love eye gel. I keep mine refrigerated. When you apply it, it immediately eliminates any puffiness.
How to Apply Your Eye Cream or Gel Properly
Apply your eye cream or gel using the finger with the lightest touch, usually your pinkie. Pat your under-eye area gently until it is fully covered. This ensures that you won’t damage delicate skin by pulling on it as you would if you smeared it.
Dermatologic Procedures for Addressing Eye Concerns
Sometimes, an over-the-counter solution just won’t do the trick. Your dermatologist has more powerful solutions available if you’re fortunate. Here are some procedures and treatments to ask about.
For Under-Eye Darkness, Hyaluronic Acid Fillers Can Help
If you have the little groove near the tear trough, injecting a small amount of hyaluronic acid can help to fill it in. This procedure should be done by a skilled provider because the skin here is very thin. This treatment is effective for people in their twenties and thirties with dark circles, says Fine. When you fill in this space, it changes the way light reflects off the area, making eyes look lighter and brighter. The injections, which use a topical anesthetic, produce minimal pain and last 9 to 12 months.
Dr. Klare suggests that a different approach may be more effective for people in their forties and fifties. Fine explains that there are often bony changes and slipping of deep fat pads due to a loss of fat and collagen. If you look in the mirror, you will see significant bags under your eyes. Filler will not be able to fix the problem. This doctor suggests that fillers in the mid and lateral cheek can improve appearance.
Treatment Options for Aged Eyes
Although it may be too late to prevent the wrinkles under your eyes, it is still important to take measures to avoid further damage. There are both surgical and non-surgical ways to get rid of under-eye wrinkles if you are looking for a permanent solution.
Nonsurgical Treatment Options
Dermatologists often recommend dermal fillers as a way to help rejuvenate the skin around the eyes. Dermal fillers are hyaluronic acid injections used to plump up sagging or hollow eye skin. Some fillers also help to prevent wrinkles by stimulating the production of collagen and increasing the elasticity of the skin around the eyes.
Skin care professionals may recommend treatment with radiofrequency and other devices in order to improve the appearance of the skin. Radiofrequency energy waves are used to tighten the skin under the eyes by heating the deeper layers. This encourages cell turnover and elastin production, resulting in tighter, younger-looking skin. This treatment can have a very positive effect on the appearance of the area around the eyes, making it look firmer and more lifted. Laser resurfacing and chemical peels, which are treatments that remove the top layer of skin to reveal new skin, can also tighten eye skin, improve skin tone, and minimize the appearance of under-eye wrinkles and bags.
Most procedures that involve filling or treating devices require little to no time for recovery. Although eye treatments usually go smoothly, complications can still happen. Therefore, you should go to a provider who has experience treating eyes.
Cosmetic Eye Surgery
Cosmetic eyelid surgery is the most effective way to get rid of loose skin around the eyes.
Eyelid surgery can fix droopy, excessively loose, or excess skin on your upper eyelids, as well as address lower eyelid puffiness. There are three types of surgeons that can perform a blepharoplasty: plastic surgeons, facial plastic surgeons, and oculoplastic surgeons. When performed by a skilled and experienced surgeon, cosmetic eyelid surgery can provide dramatic results. It takes time to see the results of the surgery, and just like any other surgery, there are risks.
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