Treating the Eyes
The skin around the eyes is much thinner than the rest of the face which is why using an eye cream is important. If a cream is too thick, it can cause the area to become puffy. We all have different concerns when it comes to the eyes so here’s a few tips on how to treat the three most common ones.
Lines and wrinkles
The Cause
The eye area is usually the first area to show lines and wrinkles. The two main reasons for this are that the epidermis is around 5 times thinner around the eyes than the face, meaning it is much more delicate and subject to damage. Secondly the eyes are subject to continuous muscle contractions (we blink around 20,000 times a day on average) causing expression lines.
Eye Cream
When choosing your eye product for lines and wrinkles, look for ingredients that work to boost collagen and elastin production within the skin. Note this is different to ingredients that contain collagen. It’s very difficult to create collagen in a molecule small enough to penetrate the skin. It’s the production of collagen and elastin that will help to reinforce the fibrous tissue and in turn plump out lines and wrinkles.
Tip
Lines and wrinkles can also be caused by dehydration (inside and out) so make sure you’re drinking enough water as well as using an eye cream that hydrates the skin.
Bags, puffiness and dark circles
The Cause
Bags, puffiness and dark circles are most commonly caused by poor circulation around the eye area. When we’re tired or stressed, sympathetic nerves are activated which constrict the blood vessels. This slows down blood circulation causing it to build up underneath the eyes and make the skin appear dark.
Eye Cream
Ingredients that stimulate micro-circulation are essential for helping to improve the problem long term such as Azarole bud or ingredients containing caffeine.
Light pigments or optical diffusers are also great to reduce the appearance of dark circles and bags as a short term fix. These ingredients reflect light away from the dark shadowy area making the skin around the eye appear brighter, healthier and more luminous.
Tip
Keep a spoon in the freezer with cling film wrapped around it. When your eye area flares up, take it out, unwrap the cling film and place the spoon on the eye area. This is great for when you wake up with puffy eyes.
Loose and Sagging Skin
Unfortunately our skin is constantly in a battle with gravity and as we age features start to sag. When the skin’s support structure becomes weak the eyelids start to sag causing crows feet and loss of definition of the features.
Eye Cream
Look for an eye cream works to rebuild the skin’s support structure in order to help lift and volumise the skin. Products that target the whole eye area including the eye lids (rather than just underneath) will also give you much more noticeable results.
Tip
When applying eye cream, avoid dragging the skin or rubbing in the product as this damaging the skin and causes further sagging. Apply with your ring finger by gently tapping the cream around the eye socket.
Give the eyes a boost
Any good eye cream should hydrate the area effectively as well a treating a specific concern. To give your eyes an extra boost, we’d recommend using an eye mask at home or book a course of professional treatments which usually use products with much higher active ingredients for more noticeable results.
All these products are instore.