Turn Around, Bright Eyes…
All the big questions in life
(about the skin around your eye area at least!)
answered here…
1) Do I need to use an eye cream?
A good exfoliating product, a good serum or two, a good moisturizer (and maybe a good facial oil if your skin is on the dry side) and good sun protection (of course!) can get you pretty far in keeping your entire complexion in good shape, and this includes your eye area.
HOWEVER! A good quality eye cream can offer a few important extras, such as helping to relieve dark circles, helping to relieve puffiness, helping to prevent the “crepiness” that appears under our eyes as we age, helping to prevent “crow’s feet”, and helping to keep the skin around our entire eye area more smooth and firm. A good eye cream should be able offer multiple benefits without causing any clogging or irritation to your eye area.
Prevention is key in most all aspects of keeping our skin looking good, and this true for our eye area too, but don’t despair if you’ve never used an eye cream before and you are already seeing aging in your eye area. We can also diminish existing wrinkles, dark circles, etc.,, with good skin care too, so it is truly never too late to start using a good eye cream (and following a good skin care regimen).
2) How can I get rid of dark, under eye circles?
There can be many causes for dark circles, and the cause will dictate the cure. Here are some common culprits…
Hyperpigmentation. This is when our skin has darkened pigment (the over-production of melanin has created spots or patches of darkened color on our skin). Some of us are prone to this in our under-eye area, and time outdoors in the sun makes it worse.
The solution? Using skin care products specifically formulated to lighten hyperpigmentation. (Smartly formulated products with fruit acids, retinol, vitamin C, niacinamide {form of vitamin B3} , licorice root extract., etc., work to balance out areas of excessive pigment. This serum and this eye cream will do just that.)
Also, good sun protection is a MUST when healing hyperpigmentation, and sunglasses are ESSENTIAL too.
Once you’ve got your skin care/sun protection routine down, give it time to work. Hyperpigmentation takes weeks at least, and sometimes months, to noticeably lighten.
If skin care products and good sun protection alone don’t lighten your hyperpigmentation enough, laser treatments, IPL (intense pulsed light) treatments, or chemical peel treatments can provide more dramatic results if needed. (No matter if you opt for a hyperpigmentation lightening treatment or not, using good skin care products that prevent and heal hyperpigmentation along with good sun protection are a must in order to create and maintain good results.)
3) How Do I Get Rid of the Other Kind of Dark Circles…
I’m talking about that under-eye darkness that shows up on those of us with thin under-eye skin, or with a lack of sleep, or with environmental allergies, or with smoking or too much alcohol or too much coffee, or due to a lack-luster diet, or with some of us it is just something we are genetically prone too. This type of dark under eye circle looks sort of like a bruise or a shadow.
The solution! Using a good eye cream that is specifically meant help with these types of dark circles every AM and every PM. It will have ingredients like caffeine, tetraacetylphytosphingosine (derivative of the lipid phytosphingosine, ideal for the treatment of dark circles), peptides, carotene, vitamin K (such as from pomegranate sterols) etc,., and will also have good hydrators (like hyaluronic acid), and fatty acids (like from sea buckthorn). This eye cream and this eye cream are replete with these.
Also necessary! Nightly, replenishing sleep and good nutrition daily (such as plentiful amounts of iron and vitamin-rich dark leafy greens, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, elderberries, and vitamin K rich avocadoes, pomegranates, blueberries, soybeans, pine nuts, cashews, olive oil…). Also important is drinking enough water daily so you stay hydrated.
In some cases, regular exercise and/or receiving manual lymphatic drainage (a short session or a full session) can help.
If seasonal allergies give you under-eye shadows,, sometimes even a gentle, natural, antihistamine can make a positive difference (such as this and this). In other cases, allergy treatment/specific medication/ supplements will be needed to bring relief. (Check in with your naturopathic doctor, acupuncturist, allergist, or regular primary care physician if this is you.)
Smoking and too much alcohol and coffee will always leave you prone to dark circles, even with a good eye cream. (Although your eye area will still be better off with a good eye cream than without.)
While its true that certain types of genetically occurring dark circles cannot be remedied with any topical cream (yet!), the over-all integrity of your skin can be much improved with a good, regularly followed skin care regimen, and these benefits are a help no matter what.
4) Puffy Eyes…Why?!?
Waking up with puffy under eyes? Lets look at some common causes…
*Not enough sleep;
*Eating too close to bedtime;
*Eating high sodium foods;
*Eating foods you don’t digest well or are sensitive too;
*Allergies.
What to do?
If seasonal allergies get you down, sometimes even a gentle, natural, antihistamine can make a positive difference (such as this and this). In other cases, allergy treatment/specific medication/ supplements will be needed to bring relief. (Check in with your naturopathic doctor, acupuncturist, allergist, or regular primary care physician if this is you.)
Other allergies can cause puffy eyes too, so make sure you are not having an allergic reaction or sensitivity to anything that you come into regular contact with (such as your laundry detergent, shower products, skin care products, house cleaning products, etc.,).
The sleep thing, the food thing, I know. I know you know. We all know! All we can do is our best. Getting to bed on time, keeping high sodium foods in check, not eating a lot of food too close to bedtime, doing all the things we know of that help.
Cold eye compresses (cold wash cloth or eye pads, chilled, caffeinated tea bags, cold eye packs, cold cucumber slices, etc.,) can help to reduce puffiness in a pinch.
In some cases, regular exercise and/or receiving manual lymphatic drainage (a short session or a full session) can help.
And, we can add in a good eye cream to give us some reliable support. (This one and this one can help with puffy under eyes.) Eye creams always work best when applied every AM and every PM.
When puffy under eyes become chronic, and significant, and turn into permanent bags that never cease, and a good skin care regimen and good diet and good nightly sleep and all the things we know of to do have not made a significant difference, a surgical lower eyelid lift (blepharoplasty) is one of the only ways to permanently (nearly) and completely (mostly) get rid of under eye bags. (Filler injections can hide bags a bit, and laser treatments can improve the texture of the collagen under your eyes, which can make improvements, although these treatments will need to be repeated periodically.) No matter if you do treatments or not, a good skin care regimen will help keep your skin in the best shape over-all in every situation.
5) Smooth and Firm, Please! Keeping the Whole Eye Area in Good Shape…
The condition of our collagen and elastin has a huge impact on how smooth and firm our eye area remains. An eye cream overflowing with support (like antioxidants, fatty acids, active skin rejuvenators such as peptides and stem cells, hydrators, moisturizers, and healthy nourishment) can help to reduce and prevent lines and wrinkles as well as help our collagen and elastin stay stronger and healthier for longer. This serum, and this serum, and one of these eye creams, are all up for the job! (This eye cream even keeps your upper eye lid more firm, too.)
Consistency is key here! A good skin care regimen followed every AM and PM is the guiding light to go by.
“A good eye cream is really important when you are traveling, busy and stressed-that’s when the dark puffy circles can get you.”
“I scream, you scream, we all scream for eye cream!”
Blog written by Marna Herrington with Rich Earth Organic Skin Care Studio
Blog copy editing and polishing provided by Karen-Eileen Gordon (MsGordonLovesWriting@gmail.com)
This blog is not intended to take the place of in-person consultations with qualified skin care and health care practitioners. This blog is for the purpose of education and fun only.
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