Eye Skincare

 Eye Skincare: Are wrinkles and spots around the eyes giving away your true age?

 Fine lines around the eyes often show up in your 20s combined with dark circles due to a lack of sleep and poor nutrition. This is particularly common for new mothers who face little sleep for the first few months after bringing home a baby. The good news is that skincare scientists have made headway in tackling this perennial problem.

 

Eye Aging: the first sign of aging

Fine lines, bags and under-eye dark circles appear as early as your mid-20s. They can age you as much as ten years. Here’s the latest information on how to fight back.

 

A delicate matter: “The skin around the eyes is the thinnest area on the body, making darkness or discoloration increasingly noticeable,” says Dr. Lisa Kellett. (The thin skin found below the eye is one-tenth the thickness of the skin on the palms.)

“The thinner the skin around the eye, the more prominent dark circles and bags appear.” This means you must be very gentle when applying any product around the eye area. Pat gently using the pad of your finger.

 

What causes dark circles and bags? “Many factors can lead to dark circles, including fatigue, stress, age, dehydration, poor circulation, inflammation and heredity traits,” explains Dr. Tom Mammone, Executive Director of Skin Physiology and Pharmacology, Clinique Worldwide. “Although sun damage does cause dark spots on the face, it’s surprisingly not a leading culprit for dark under-eye circles.”

 

Current eye anti-aging formulas: Today’s anti-aging eye formulas are what chemists called hybrid creams: they contain a number of ingredients that target different aspects of skin aging such as sagging, circulation, melanin production, etc. Most contain caffeine, retinol, alpha hydroxy acids, vitamin C, and peptides. These work to stimulate collagen production and firm skin.

Key ingredients: Vitamin K is a popular ingredient as it has been proven to strengthen capillary walls, a key to reducing dark circles. Green Tea Extract is another go-to option. It soothes and calms irritation and protects against oxidative damage while Whey Protein promotes the skin’s natural collagen production.

 

Latest Advances: Clinique has just launched one of the most promising anti-aging eye creams that targets the accumulation of melanin in the epidermal and dermal levels of the skin. Mammone says recent studies have shown Mulberry root to be a very powerful extract that contains oxyresveratrol that has been shown to slow down melanin accumulation. The ingredient works to slow down melanin accumulation and visibly lighten the eye area over time.

Clarins’ former Director of Research, Lionel di Benetti, taps powerful plant extracts including Pueraria Lobata, rose petal and shea butter to instantly depuff and decongest eyes. But he says consistency is key. “You have to remember to use the product every single day for best results. The formulas are created based on daily use.”

 

Don’t rub: No matter how irritated your eyes might be, resist the urge to rub. “Rubbing leads to inflammation that can result in puffiness and dark circles due to an accumulation of fluids in the lymphatic of the skin,” warns Dr. Mammone.

 

Effective Anti-Aging Eye Formulas:

Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector This lightweight, oil-free formula instantly reinvigorates fatigued eyes while promoting the skin’s natural collagen production.

Chanel Sublimage Ultimate Regeneration Eye Cream This luxurious cream harnesses the power of the Vanilla Planifolia plant to target crow’s feet, dark circles, puffiness, wrinkles and loss of firmness.

Lancôme Genifique Yeux Light-Pearl Eye-Illuminating Youth Activating Concentrate Helps to open the eye, fade dark circles, decongest eye bags leaving brighter, younger looking eyes.

Estée Lauder Advanced Time Zone Eye Cream Incorporates cutting-edge wrinkle re-plumping technology.

Clarins Super Restorative Total Eye Concentrate This cream-gel instantly smoothes and lifts the skin around the eyes, while diminishing puffiness.

Elizabeth Arden Prevage Anti-Aging & Intensive Repair Eye Serum. Containing idebenome, one of the most powerful antioxidants on the market, this product protects & corrects.