A complete guide to caring for the skin around your eyes
There’s more than meets the eye (area) when it comes to eye creams. Heavily influenced by the extra expense, with a close contender of requiring extra effort, most people tend to overlook the importance of this one essential step.
The skin under the eyes is unlike the skin on the face and body. This area naturally lacks the abundance of oil glands that work to keep skin moisturized. Under eyes also don’t have nearly as much collagen, to begin with, and since the skin in this area is significantly thinner, collagen inevitably degrades faster.
Caring for the skin around your eyes is more than just purchasing a five-star product. Truly, treatment and prevention go far beyond even the perfect product for your specific concerns. Here are tips on how to care for the skin around your eyes.
1. Know which consistency to look for
The eye cream you choose should be tailored to address your specific skin concern. The skin surrounding the eye area that is chronically dry and crepey will benefit greatly from a rich, creamy consistency. If the skin is adequately hydrated but puffy on occasion, a lighter eye serum or water-based gel cream is your best option.
2. Be intentional about the ingredients you choose
What works best for one, maybe the worst choice for another. Assess and understand your individual needs, starting with the right consistency, and move on to choosing a product with the most effective ingredients for your concerns.
Dark Circles: Caffeine (in the form of coffee, green tea, or white tea) or Vitamin K to increase circulation; Vitamin C to brighten.
Puffiness: Caffeine (in the form of coffee, green tea, or white tea), Cool Tip Technology, and refrigerating your eye cream to constrict blood vessels.
Fine Lines and Wrinkles: Retinol stimulates the metabolism of skin cells, encourages collagen production, and resurfaces the skin’s texture for a smoother, more even appearance; Antioxidants fight against environmental stressors.
Redness and Irritation: Fragrance-free, non-comedogenic, hypoallergenic products are a must. Consult with a dermatologist before trying out new products to determine what your skin can/cannot handle.
3. Understand that your facial moisturizer is underqualified
Your moisturizer is formulated for the thicker, more absorbent skin on your face. It doesn’t have the proper composition to replenish the eye area in the way that eye cream does. With that, your moisturizer may contain high doses of active ingredients that are much too harsh for the eye area. These actives, such as Retinol and Vitamin C, could be very beneficial when applied to the area depending on your skincare goals, just in the less concentrated amounts found in eye creams.
4. Prioritize getting between 6-8 hours of sleep per night
Blood vessels dilate from lack of sleep, directly resulting in dark circles and puffiness. And if you don’t reach R.E.M sleep, your body misses the opportunity to decrease its cortisol levels. Cortisol, the stress hormone, will powerfully damage collagen, ultimately forming fine lines and wrinkles.
5. Consider making healthier dietary choices
Water retention is a huge contributor to undereye and overall facial puffiness. You can significantly reduce this by cutting down on sodium, limiting alcohol consumption, and drinking plenty of water to flush out any retaining water. Low levels of iron can also contribute to dark circles around the eyes, so getting your levels checked may be a good idea if you check all other boxes.
6. Prioritize sun protection every single day
Applying a quality SPF every single day will fight off the UVA rays that penetrate deep into the skin and destroy collagen. Notably, most of us are exposed to blue light every single day for prolonged periods of time from our phones, computers, and televisions, which is researched to be just as damaging as the sun’s rays.
7. Consider fillers and injectables
Botox is both corrective and preventative, reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles while preventing new ones from forming, all while producing natural results that last for months. This may be the best first step you can take if your fine lines are deeply set into your skin, but for long-term maintenance, you should implement the rest of the guidelines above. Do understand that wrinkles don’t have to be present to start your Botox journey, as low units of Botox could keep them from ever emerging beyond the surface level.
Consult with one of our nurses at LaserAway to determine if Botox is right for you!
