Makeup

How to treat Eye Skin – The Ultimate Guide

May 9, 2021 /

Taking care of the skin around your eyes can be very tricky. There are many brands out there claiming how their eye cream can perform wonders, but people still don’t see any results from these products.

Let’s look into the different eye issues people have and how you can treat them with different skincare actives and medical procedures.

Types of Eye Issues:

  1. Dark circles
  2. Eye bags
  3. Wrinkles
  • Dark circles: dark circles are caused by
    • Structural shadowing
    • Aging-related thinning
    • Hyperpigmentation
    • Allergies
    • Anemia
    • Sleep deprivations
    • Sleeping and alcohol
  • Eyes bags: eye bags are caused by
    • Fluid retention
    • Allergies
    • Loss of skin elasticity
    • Sagging excess fat
    • Muscle movement
    • Genetics
  • Wrinkles: wrinkles are caused by
    • Dynamic movement
    • Aging-related thinning such as dynamic wrinkles and static wrinkles
    • Dehydration.

How can you treat these skin issues?

For Dark circles:

Retinol or Vitamin A: Retinol can act as a really good antioxidant and can help with hyperpigmentation. It also helps to increase cell turnover and stimulate collagen production.

Caffeine: Caffeine can improve the blood flow in the dermal layers of the skin, improving skin clarity, hence it’s used as an eye cream. Many eye creams will be having 1-3% of added caffeine. It is best combined with vitamin K, retinol, and argan oil to form the key ingredients of eye creams.

Niacinamide or Vitamin B: Niacinamide can be suitable for sensitive skin because of its anti-inflammatory effect and its ability to treat hyperpigmentation.

Ascorbic acid or Vitamin C: Vitamin C can help to protect the skin from sun damage and free radicals.

Alpha arbutin: This is another ingredient that is an antioxidant and a tyrosinase inhibitor. It is a derivative of hydroquinone. Arbutin can be irritating to sensitive skin.

Other depigmenting ingredients are kojic acid and hydroquinone. These actives can reduce hyperpigmentation due to melanin deposition.

For Eye bag:

Green tea: Green is another antioxidant that can reduce dark circles under the eyes. The caffeine found in green tea acts as a vasoconstrictor, modulating blood flow under the eyes.

Caffeine: Caffeine can also improve the blood flow of the skin and reduce inflammation and puffiness.

Peptides: Peptides are short amino acid chains and are building blocks of protein. They are essential for building the skin.

Retinol and Vitamin C: These actives can also used for baggy eyes and are main actives when it comes to anti-aging.

These ingredients can reduce puffiness to a certain degree.

For wrinkles:

  • Retinol and Vitamin C
  • Peptides
  • Moisturizers

This ingredient can plump up the skin and reduce superficial wrinkles.

Now what all of these ingredients can’t do is facial fat loss, aging-related bone loss, allergy induced pigmentation.

What are some other ways you can take care of the skin around the skin?

  1. Get enough sleep
  2. Do not rub your eyes
  3. Stop smoking and drinking
  4. Eat healthily
  5. Wear your sunscreen
  6. Using a cold compress to reduce inflammation
  7. Reduce salt intake
  8. treating your allergies

Medical treatment and procedures:

1. Laser treatments: Lasers can remove hyperpigmentation, increase collagen production and tighten the skin.

2. Using Botox and filler injectables: Botox can reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Fillers are mainly used to add and restore volume. There are HA fillers that are used for this.

3. Blepharoplasty: This is a surgery that is used to remove the excess skin or fat around the eye.

4. Microdermabrasion is also done by dermatologists for treating dark circles.

5. Chemical peels: AHA, lactic acid or 1-2% tretinoin peels can help.

Some mistakes to avoid when using your eye cream:

  1. Not knowing what type of eye issue you have: There are many eye creams that are formulated for different eye issues, so it’s better to use an eye cream that will suit your skin.

2. Not layering it properly: One important thing to remember is to apply products based on thickness. If your eye cream is heavier than the moisturizer, it should go on the top. If the eye cream is lighter it should go under your moisturizer.

3. Applying on dry skin: Make sure to apply the eye cream on damp skin as it helps to lock in that moisture and hydrate the skin.

4. Applying the product harshly: The eyes around the skin are very delicate, so it’s very important to be gentle on the skin when applying your product. Blend the product out with your ring finger by using gentle patting and tapping motions.

Another tip is using your eye cream both in the morning and night just like your moisturizer.

Frequently asked questions:

How to apply my eye cream?

1. Take a small amount (pea size) of the eye cream with your ring finger and gently tap the product along the orbital bone (under the eyes) of your eyes. The reason we use our ring finger is that it’s much gentler than the other fingers.

Can i use the product on my eyelids as well?

Applying the product too close to your eyes can lead to irritation and burns. It also depends on the eye cream your using and the instructions on how to use that product.

Can I use my eye cream as a moisturizer?

Yes, you can use your eye cream as a moisturizer mainly because it is formulated for the delicate part of your eyes. It will be lighter, gentler, and non-irritating than other moisturizers. So using it as a face moisturizer will actually benefit you if you don’t like thick moisturizers.

Are eye creams supposed to burn or irritate my skin?

There are a few reasons as to why your eye cream might irritate or burn your skin:

  • When you introduce a new product into your skincare routine.
  • The ingredients in that product might be irritating your skin.
  • If your skin barrier is damaged, the product might burn your skin.
  • You might have allergies.

Note: Remember to conduct a patch test before using the product.

How can you avoid irritation from these eye creams?

  • Make sure to use low concentrations of the product.
  • Apply the product 2 times a week or 3 if you’re able to tolerate it.
  • If you have sensitive skin like rosacea, it’s better to avoid eye creams.
  • Don’t apply the product too close to the eyes.

Eye creams are mainly formulated for the eyes because the skin around the eyes is very delicate and thin. The ingredients in those products are also used in low formulations, so it’s unlikely that you can get irritation from those products.

Do eye creams cause Milia?

No, not all eye creams can cause milia simply because they are very lightweight and get absorbed into the skin very quickly.

Milia can also form when moisturizers are too heavy for the skin to handle or when they are used on the damaged skin barrier.

The most common way a person can get milia is by the way they remove their eye makeup. Milia can occur as the skin repairs itself from the microscopic tears, which are caused by daily scrubs, wiping eye makeup away with a towel, and trying to remove water-resistant mascara without using a proper mascara remover.

Genetics, smoking, sun damage, and old age can also lead to milia. An old person with dry skin using eye creams can get milia.

Can eye creams cause dry eyes?

Eye creams containing ingredients such as retinol and retinoids can dry the skin around the eyes. You should also make sure to moisturize your eyes after using retinol to minimize irritation. If you have sensitive or dehydrated skin it’s better to avoid strong skincare actives such as retinol, retinoids, and vitamin C and opt for ingredients such as niacinamide, caffeine, hyaluronic acid, peptides, and green tea. All of these ingredients are safe and each of these ingredients can solve different eye issues.