10 Oct How To Treat Under Eye Puffiness, Dark Circles: Dermatologist & Makeup Tips To Look Less Tired, More Wide Awake
With the right tips, tricks and treatments turning back the clock can be as easy as opening your makeup bag, or a visit to your dermatologist for the latest skincare treatment – and it all starts with your eyes. They say the eyes have it, but is the skin around your eyes revealing something more, like your age? Most people at some point start to age, (it’s inevitable) and unfortunately, for some, it comes sooner than hoped. Crow’s feet, dark circles and under eye puffiness show up to let us know we are not getting any younger. We deal with stress, environmental factors such as sun exposure and pollutants; even our lifestyle and diet can contribute to poor skin as we age. Read on to find out ways to keeping the skin around your eyes looking younger, whether it be a trip to the dermatologist or perfecting the right makeup techniques.
“More than any other facial feature, your eyes reveal the most about how you feel,” says Dr. Gregory Nikolaidis, a board certified dermatologist in Austin. “My patients complain of puffy, swollen eyes all the time. We have the thinnest skin around our eyes, so it’s the area that’s most influenced by the in-and-out flow of fluids,” notes Dr. Nikolaidis. “A salty diet or excessive crying can also cause morning-after puffiness. According to Dr. Nikolaidis, the reason is osmosis: water always travels from areas in the body where there’s low salt concentration to tissues where there’s more salt.
Causes of Puffiness Around Your Eyes
Most people find that there’s more than one cause for their puffy or tired looking eyes. Here are some of the most common:
Aging — According to Dr. Nikolaidis, “As you get older, the skin and muscles around your eyes begin to weaken, making it easier for the fatty tissue beneath the skin to redistribute and for the skin to sag.”
Allergies — Itchy, swollen eyes are a common allergic reaction.
Fluid retention — Hormonal shifts, lack of sleep or even just eating salty foods can cause you to retain fluid, leading to puffy eyes.
Heredity — “If your parents had puffiness under their eyes, you may be more prone to developing the same condition,” says Dr. Nikolaidis.
Dr. Nikolaidis recommends SkinMedica TNS Eye Repair ($95.00) as a great product option for patients looking to reduce puffiness around their eyes and hydrate the fragile skin. With a combination of growth factors, peptides and antioxidants, it also provides great antioxidant protection. “iS Clinical Eye Complex is also ideal for smoothing and hydrating the fragile skin around the eye,” says Dr. Nikolaidis. “Prone to dryness, the iS Clinical Eye Complex is infused with peptides and proteins.”
What better way to make eyes look more youthful than with a luxury spa experience? The HydraFacial™ is a very effective treatment for clearing up surface skin issues, as it removes dead skin cells and extracts impurities while bathing new skin with cleansing, hydrating solutions. This leaves the area around the eyes supple and soft.
Don’t Let Brows Age You
If you’ve never given much thought to your arches beyond the occasional tweezing, now is probably a good time to start. “Like your skin and hair, your brows can start to show their age,” says eyebrow guru and founder of Billion Dollar Brows, Natalie Plain. “They can thin out, become coarse and unruly, or turn gray. And just as a new hairstyle can trim away the years, a well-groomed, well-defined brow can lend your face a years-younger look.”
3 Steps to Beautiful Brows Kit ($85.00)
For those who are looking for a more permanent solution, surgery may be the way to go. “A brow lift procedure is another option to rejuvenate the appearance of the eyes,” says Dr. Richard Chaffoo, a triple board certified plastic surgeon in San Diego.“By lifting the eyebrows, the eyes achieve a lightening effect. The brows are less likely to cast a shadow on the eye and in turn brighten their appearance. Also, through a brow lifting procedure, some of the extra skin in the upper eyelids can be pull[ed] upwards and away from the eyes. This can further achieve enhancement of the eye aesthetics as well.”
Easy Eye Makeup Tricks to Look Younger Instantly
There are many ways to slow down the aging process such as wearing sunscreen religiously, eating lots of veggies, drinking a ton of water, using effective skincare products and sticking to a beauty daily regiment. But the hard truth is we will age. So, if you’re like most women who don’t want to dish out tons of cash getting cosmetic surgery, your next best option is to fake it. How? With great makeup, of course.
However, if you’re not careful with your application, makeup can actually make you look even older. Makeup artist and beauty director of Anisa International, Shana King says “You’ve got to make sure you have the right products and know-how so your makeup works for you and not against you.”
According to Shana, always use an eye cream first. “No eye makeup or concealer will go on the eye area effectively if they are not properly moisturized. So find a cream within your budget and make sure to use it daily.” Another tip: Make sure you do not choose concealer that is too light or too dark. “The best shade for the under eye area is one shade lighter than your skin tone. Only apply to the inner corner of the eye and make sure to blend,” advises Shana. Rule of thumb: Concealer should always conceal and not draw attention to your eyes. Make sure to blend with a concealer brush to reduce any streakiness.
When choosing the right eyeshadow, select natural colors that blend in with your skin and hair tones to create youthful looking eyes. “The more dramatic the look, the more attention it will draw. Opt for shades that have a less shimmer as they tend to draw attention to fine lines and wrinkles.”
Dark Circles, Crow’s Feet… Oh My!
Dermatologists agree on the importance of protecting the delicate area around the eye. The goal to having younger, more vibrant looking eyes is diminishing the appearance of deep lines; lightening dark circles and repairing the damage time has left behind. Houston board certified dermatologist Dr. Paul Friedman reveals the latest beauty treatments to combat aging eyes.
Dr. Friedman recommends the Pulsed Dye Laser for dark circles that are caused by broken blood vessels. For dark circles caused by excess pigment, Dr. Friedman recommends the Fraxel Laser for his patients. “I utilize botulinium toxins to relax muscle movement, fillers to restore volume loss, and laser peels such as the Fraxel Laser for resurfacing the skin and stimulating collagen. We also use radiofrequency and ultrasound devices such as Ultherapy and Thermage for skin tightening in this area,” says Dr. Friedman.
Your Eyelashes Can Make You Look Old
We know wrinkles and dark circles can make you look old, but there are other, more surprising ways your appearance can age you… like your eyelashes. “We associate full, thick eyelashes with youth,” says Dr. Rebecca Baxt, a board certified dermatologist with offices in New Jersey and New York City. “Long, thick lashes give you an instant eye-lift without surgery.” Dr. Baxt has seen great results on her patients after using Latisse, the FDA-approved lash grower. “It’s safe and helps grow lashes longer, lusher and fuller so you don’t even need mascara.”
What do you lovely ladies think of these how-to-get-younger-looking-eyes tips? Which techniques/treatments would you try? Let us know by commenting below, which will automatically be posted to our Community Forum (click here to check it out!) where you can find other beauty related discussions! Don’t forget to also submit a photo to our Photo Of The Day (click here!) feature, where a new photo will be picked daily. Your photo just might be selected, so get going!
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Cindi
Posted at 19:16h, 18 OctoberI work on my “aging” eyebrows a lot, lately…
They are unruly, light and do not do anything
to accent my eyes!
Many thanks, Cindi
Stacey
Posted at 16:57h, 02 JanuaryDark circles are the major problem faced by many women of all ages. Especially the aging is the main factor for this problem, good eye make up products are mere essential.. good list of products. thanks for sharing.