Skin Condition: Eye Concerns

Eyes are often our favorite facial feature. But as we get older, it seems like a new imperfection pops up around the eyes every time we blink. Thankfully, there are many ways to put a lid on eye aging.

What causes eye woes?
When it comes to our eyes, there are three main concerns: wrinkles, dark circles and puffiness. Why so many?  “The skin around the eye is the thinnest skin on your body,” says New York-area dermatologist Dr. Jeanine Downie, “so it’s the most susceptible to sun damage and aging.” 

Because the eye area is so delicate, it forms and shows wrinkles faster than other parts of the face. The most common type of eye wrinkles are called crow’s feet, which start at the outer corners and spread towards your temples in the shape of a bird’s claw. These are caused both by the expressions we make (creasing) and good-old time.

Dark circles have a few culprits. One is shadowing. Depending on the placement of your eyes, your other features can cast a shadow around the eye area. Another reason is thinning skin, which can make the capillary network (aka blood vessels) more visible. Sluggish microcirculation can also cause dark circles.

As for puffiness, that happens when circulation slows down, too. “Imagine a thin water hose with water flowing through unobstructed,” says cosmetic chemist Ni’Kita Wilson. “If you squeeze the hose, then the water flows through slower and begins to swell from pressure. This is a very simplistic but visual idea of how bags begin to form.”

How to treat eye concerns:
Although different things cause them, there are tons of treatments that target all eye concerns. Caffeine helps get circulation going, which helps both with dark circles and puffiness.  You can also soothing antihistamines to reduce baggage and light-reflecting pigments to camouflage discoloration. 

As with any type of wrinkle, building collagen can help smooth out crow’s feet. “Using an eye cream that increases collagen synthesis also increases the thickness of the skin, making it harder to see blood vessels,” says Wilson.  

There are also simple measures you can take to prevent eye concerns from occurring. “Always apply a hypo-allergenic sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher) up to your lower eyelid every day and avoid rubbing your eyes. Instead, tissue-off your makeup with an oil-free remover,” suggests Dr. Downie. “I also tell people to wear sunglasses as often as possible to keep the eye area protected.”

Proven Products for Eyes
Our team of chemists check the claims of every product we sell, making sure its ingredients do what they say. The below products contain ingredients that are proven to treat and prevent eye woes.

Eye Serums:
Shea Terra Argan & Green Coffee Around Eye Serum
What: This eye serum fights wrinkles, sagging and discoloration with fine line-fighting squalene and green coffee bean oil, which provides potent antioxidants and java-like caffeine levels to stimulate circulation and clear up dark under eye circles

  

Kahina Giving Beauty Eye Serum
What: This lightweight treatment serum utilizes botanical extracts to de-puff, diminish dark circles, smooth fine lines and improve elasticity and radiance around the eyes.

 

  

Snowberry Smoothing Eye Serum
What: This serum employs the bag-busting powers of peptides and an extract from the bark of the South American canon wood tree to keep the eye area firm and youthful.

 

 

Recipe for Men Under Eye Gel
What: This caffeine-packed eye gel minimizes puffiness and the appearance of dark circles.

 

 

 

Eye Creams:
Kahina Giving Beauty Eye Cream
What: A blend of botanical extracts helps firm and strengthen the eye area while antioxidant-rich Argan oil and white and green tea extracts fight free radicals that contribute to cellular damage and aging.

 

  

Kelly Teegarden Organics Vitality Rose & Cucumber Eye Cream
What: This uncomplicated eye cream boosts micro-circulation around the eyes and reduces puffiness with natural extracts of licorice, shitake and cucumber. 

  

 

LiftLab Lift & Firm Eye Cream
What: An eye cream formulated to visibly firm the delicate eye area and reduce the appearance of fine lines and deep wrinkles, while also minimizing the look of dark circles and puffiness.

 

   

Clark’s Botanicals Anti-Puff Eye Cream
What: Harnessing the natural powers of vitamins, this eye cream targets the delicate eye area’s most common woes.

 

  

Om Aroma & Co. Extrait de Caviar Organic Eye Cream
What: This lightweight eye cream reduces puffiness, fine lines and dark circles with botanical extracts and caviar extracts.

  

 

First Aid Beauty 5 in 1 Eye Cream
What: A rich eye cream that targets the most common signs of aging around eye area: wrinkles, dullness, discoloration, dehydration and daily damage.

  

 

Other Eye Treatments:

Recipe for Men Under Eye Patches
What: These patches reduce under-eye puffiness and dark circles with a proprietary Transdermal Cosmetic Delivery™ technology that allows active ingredients—such as high grade marine collagen and algae extracts—to penetrate and hydrate the skin. 

  

First Aid Beauty Detox Eye Roller
What: A rollerball eye treatment that alleviates under-eye puffiness and dark circles.

 

 

 

Branche Beauty Sleep Crème Belle De Nuit Eye Masque
What: The underside of the mask is woven from un-bleached, non-dyed silk, which helps minimize skin creasing while you sleep.

  

 

VMV Hypoallergenics Skin the Buff Concealer No More Blues
What: This color-correcting concealer for camouflaging dark undereye circles hydrates skin with virgin coconut oil and helps repair environmental damage and protect skin against inflammation.