The skin under our eyes is about 10x thinner than the skin on the rest of the face. It is delicate, can produce less oil, and is usually the first place to show visible signs of aging. These visible signs of aging include lines and wrinkles, discoloration, dark circles, puffiness, sagging skin, and under eye bags.
These signs of aging come from intrinsic factors, like genetics and natural aging, as well as external factors, like UV exposure, lack of sleep, dehydration, allergies, smoking, nutrition, and stress. With so many possible factors triggering multiple possible concerns, you can see why it can be so challenging to improve the appearance of the eye area. In fact, it takes a multi-dimensional approach.
Under Eye Skin Care Concerns
The visible signs of aging around the eye area are caused from structural and tissue changes. Sun exposure, aging, and other factors, like fat loss, can lead to a decrease in volume and a reduction of elasticity under the eyes. These changes also result in weakened tissues causing lines and wrinkles, aka ‘crow’s feet’, more visible dark circles, sagging skin, and under-eye bags.
The blood vessels around the eyes are also thin and delicate. These blood vessels can become ‘leaky’ and may seep hemoglobin under the thinner skin, making dark circles appear to worsen as we age.
Structural changes in the deeper layers of the skin can create “hollows” under the eyes that increase shadowing and the appearance of dark circles. Sun exposure can also lead to hyperpigmentation and more discoloration.
Bags and puffiness can be from sagging skin, shifting fat and fat deposit accumulations, or pooling lymph and other fluids. As we age, tissues and muscles around the eye area weaken causing loss in elasticity and volume. Under eye skin becomes less able to support these underlying fats and fluids as it loses tone and structure, causing sagging skin and bags to appear.
How to Prevent Under Eye Issues
Below are a few tips & tricks to help keep your under eye area looking youthful:
• UV exposure causes more damage to our skin than anything else. Don’t skip the SPF or other sun care!
• Cool down! Try keeping your eye care in the fridge or use a cool compress in the morning to help with puffiness.
• Drink up. Proper hydration inside and out goes a long way in improving the look of multiple eye concerns. Get those 9+ glasses of water in, and try tapping some of your hyaluronic-rich serums on slightly damp skin around the eye.
• Lymph can’t move itself through the body, and as a result, can accumulate in the eye area causing puffiness and bags. A delicate lymphatic drainage massage can be relaxing and depuffng.
• Lack of sleep and high stress create a negative synergy for the eye area. It's obvious to tell when someone is tired, so proper rest is crucial. A silk eye mask can no only block out light for solid sleep, but also protect the delicate eye skin.
Best Practices For Under Eye Skin Care
Because the skin is so thin and delicate, we want to approach under eye care with a light touch. It is important to avoid tugging, pulling, heavy product application, or harsh ingredients. Treat the area inside the orbital bone as its own special area. Basically, any skin that would be under your sunglasses gets extra gentle care.
Targeted eye care is better than your regular face moisturizer. Since the eye area is so delicate and susceptible to multiple concerns, it can make a huge difference to use a product that is formulated for those unique needs. Since the under eye skin is extremely thin, eye care formulations need to absorb properly without being heavy. The ingredients in eye care products are tested to ensure they are safe for the eye area.
Note: Always patch test new products around the eye area before first application to avoid potential irritation.
Types of Products & Ingredients to Use
From serums, to creams, and masks… There are a lot of choices when it comes to products formulated to care for the under eye area. Remember there are not only multiple concerns with the under eye, but many different causes so it is important to identify your specific under eye issue. Look for a texture and ingredients in your eye care products that will help improve the appearance of that concern. While eye care products cannot change the structure of the underlying physiology of the skin, it can work to improve the appearance of the skin.
Here are some of the ingredients that goPure used to target the concerns of the under-eye area:
• Caffeine helps to de-puff the look of tired eyes.
• Green tea and other antioxidants help to fight free radicals that damage the delicate eye area.
• Plant Stem Cells support collagen health and protect against free radicals.
• Eyebright, a rare plant, works to help skin appear tighter and refreshed.
• Cucumbers naturally soothe and target the look of tired, puffy eyes.
• Peptides are a foundational ingredient for collagen support and firming the look of the eye area and minimizing the appearance of lines and wrinkles.
• Hyaluronic Acid in its many forms plumps and hydrates the look of delicate eye skin.
The ingredients contained in our new Advanced Repair Eye Cream are what make it so effective:
• Haloxyl®: Works to visibly enlighten your eyes while reducing the look of dark under-eye circles.
• Syn-Coll®: Significantly improves the appearance of firmness, wrinkles, and skin elasticity.
• Eyeliss: This concentrated formula works to decrease the look of under-eye bags and puffiness.
• Shadownyl™: This potent sea vegetal extract helps to visibly brighten and illuminate the look of the under-eyes.
• Oleoactif®: Enriched with the protective molecules of the ayurvedic Indian tree Terminalia arjuna, this potent ingredient reduces the appearance of puffiness, crow’s feet, and fine lines.
The Advanced Repair Eye Cream features 5 specially formulated active ingredients, making it one of the most intensive, restorative formulas on the market. It hyper-targets concerns like the look of fine lines and wrinkles, crow’s feet, puffiness, dark circles, and firmness, while visibly illuminating the appearance of eyes and deeply moisturizing the delicate under-eye skin.
How to Properly Apply Under Eye Skin Care Products
You probably need less product than you think. Start with a ½ pea-sized amount of product and split that between both eyes. Dab the product softly along the under eye and then gently tap in from the inner under-eye outward. You may do a light sweeping massage up from the inner corner of the eye, around and outward along the top of the eye and brow bone, and around back inward under the eye, repeating this motion 5 times. Remember, do not pull or tug on the skin!