If you are tired of those annoying dark circles, persistent fine lines & wrinkles, hollow under-eyes that make you look tired, or any other issue that has to do with the skin around your eyes, then fear not! You are in the right place to learn the best anti-ageing treatment options and tips for achieving a brighter and more youthful appearance.
Skincare can be tricky, especially when it comes to the eye area, owing to its thin, dry, and sensitive nature. Eyes take up prime real estate on your face, so it is only fitting that you give them the care and attention they need to stay young. In this article, we will explore some of the best treatment options and general tips to take care of the skin around your eyes and slow down the visible signs of ageing.
What Causes These Periorbital Skin Problems?
Before moving on to the treatment options and general tips for eye skincare, let’s take a look at the culprits behind these frustrating skin concerns. It is important to understand that there are many reasons out of our control that could potentially be the villain responsible for these problems. Always keep in mind that we are all in this together, and remember to set realistic goals. It is easier said than done, but try not to compare yourselves to hyper-edited images of celebrities or society’s fleeting and absurd beauty standards.
● Firstly, no one can escape the natural process of ageing, which entails the loss of collagen and elastin in our skin. You can think of these as the building blocks of skin, responsible for their elasticity, firmness, and smoothness. These changes may manifest as wrinkles, fine lines, crepey skin, crow’s feet, or undereyes.
● Genetics can also play a role in determining the appearance of your eyes and the skin around them. This includes attributes such as the colour, tone, or texture of your periorbital skin, the speed at which ageing signs become visible on the skin, hollowness underneath the eyes, etc. This makes some of us more susceptible to these skin conditions compared to others.
● Lastly, there is no magical cure that can completely eliminate your fine lines, wrinkles, or crow’s feet. These are the natural consequences of you using your eyes as they are meant to be used, like blinking, squinting, smiling, or laughing.
However, all that being said, there are several treatment options available and general tips you can follow to keep your eyes looking and feeling young. These can help reduce the appearance of your skin concerns, depending on what the underlying causes are. Without further ado, let’s get into it!
1. Eye Serums or Creams
If issues with hydration, slowing skin cell turnover, or decreased collagen and elastin production are the root of your eye skin concerns, topical treatments may be your best friend. Opt for eye serums or creams suited for your skin type that contain the right combination of active ingredients (such as hyaluronic acid, ceramides, peptides, retinol, vitamin C, etc.) that target your specific skin concerns. You can also consult a dermatologist who can recommend the right products for you, such as the best eye serum for wrinkles
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2. Sun Protection
Harmful sun exposure and free radical damage are frequent perpetrators of under-eye hyperpigmentation. Regular application of sunscreen has been ingrained in our minds, but the skin around the eyes often gets neglected. Protecting your eyes from sun rays by using a broad-spectrum sun-protectant eye cream or sunscreen (at least SPF 30) and using protective sunglasses can be highly effective in preventing skin issues caused by sun damage.
3. Balanced Diet & Water Intake
The benefits of consuming healthy and nutritious foods with balanced macros (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) and maintaining adequate daily water intake are endless. You can think of it as skincare from within, where the hydration, vitamins, and minerals obtained from what you consume on a daily basis are used to nourish your skin from the inside out. Being consistent with your dietary habits will slow down the ageing process in the long run.
4. Regular Exercise & Sleep
Along with being mindful of what you consume, you should also make sure to meet the requirements of your body in terms of physical activity and high-quality rest. Incorporating regular exercise into your daily routine will not only make you physically stronger but also healthier in several other aspects, including healthier skin. Getting enough high-quality sleep every day (adults are recommended to get 7-9 hours of sleep daily) allows your body to use its internal healing and repair mechanisms, which rejuvenate your skin from within. Sleeping with your head slightly elevated can also help avoid fluid retention and subsequent puffiness. If the issue persists, consulting a doctor will be helpful to figure out the underlying cause and how to get rid of eye bags effectively.
5. Quit Smoking & Reduce Alcohol Consumption
This comes as no surprise; besides the various major health-related repercussions of habits like smoking nicotine and consuming alcohol, the adverse effects also extend to the health of your skin. At the same time, these habits also speed up the process of ageing, exacerbating its outwardly visible signs. Not taking part in these habits will have a significant and clearly visible impact on your health, including your skin.
6. Laser Treatments
Laser treatments can be a good option to reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and discolouration without requiring invasive procedures or significant downtime. There are two types of laser resurfacing treatments. Ablative laser resurfacing removes a layer of skin using the laser rays, revealing the younger, healthier skin underneath. On the other hand, non-ablative laser resurfacing works by penetrating the skin and triggering the body’s collagen production, thus reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles without removing the top layer of skin.
7. Injections / Microneedling
Injecting muscle relaxants like Botox into the skin is another non-invasive option that can help reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and crow’s feet. Movements like smiling and squinting frequently cause these skin issues. The injected muscle relaxants soften the appearance of lines and wrinkles by, you guessed it, relaxing the muscles that work during these movements. Another option is microneedling, where a device that has several needles on its tip is used to penetrate the skin at a shallow depth. This causes the body to respond by producing more collagen to repair these tiny wounds, resulting in firmer and smoother skin.
8. Tear Trough Fillers
Topical treatments cannot treat hollowness under the eyes that results from ageing, genetics, or loss of fat beneath the eyes. In these scenarios, you can opt for tear-trough fillers. These are typically hyaluronic acid-based fillers that are injected into the hollow areas. Hyaluronic acid, which is a humectant (i.e., it attracts and retains moisture), plumps up the skin by boosting hydration in the area. The results are temporary and will need regular sessions to sustain them.
9. Eyelid Lift Surgery
Eyelid lift surgery, called blepharoplasty, is a surgical option that can resolve excessively puffy eyes by removing excess fat and/or skin from the eyelids. There are three types of blepharoplasty: upper eyelid, lower eyelid, and both. Very small incisions are made in the eyelid or the creases of the eyelid to remove the fat and excess skin, resulting in smooth and youthful-looking skin. Blepharoplasty results can last for a very long time, with upper blepharoplasty results lasting for 5–10 years on average and lower blepharoplasty results often lasting for decades or even permanently.
10. Concealer
While all the aforementioned treatment options and tips can help you achieve results via consistency, repeated cosmetic procedures, or even a single cosmetic procedure, we skipped one method that can instantly give you the results you are looking for. If you are pressed for time, you can’t go get a quick blepharoplasty done. In these situations, makeup can come to the rescue. Investing in a high-quality, high-coverage concealer can be an effective temporary solution to brighten the skin around your eyes. Pair this with the best eye serum for wrinkles you can get your hands on to achieve a smoother base for the foundation. This can be a handy solution to your skin issues.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are a variety of options to combat fine lines, wrinkles, crow’s feet, hollow under eyes, and other visible signs of ageing around your eyes. Lifestyle changes, topical skincare products, non-invasive treatments like laser resurfacing, non-surgical treatments like microneedling, and surgical procedures like blepharoplasty are all options you can choose from to tackle your concerns.
If you opt for a cosmetic procedure, make sure to get it done by a trained, well-experienced, and board-certified aesthetic practitioner, dermatologist, or plastic surgeon. Your safety should always be the highest priority. While these are all amazing options, be careful not to let societal pressure or beauty standards force you to do something you don’t want to do. Take your time, speak with your service provider, get all your doubts cleared and questions answered, and set realistic goals and expectations before making the decision to move forward with any procedure.
