The Eyes Have it!
Lines, sagging, puffiness, dark circles. The eyes – one of the trickiest areas of the face to work with. The skin around the eyes is the thinnest, most sensitive area of the face, and the first place to reveal signs of aging. Eye skin lacks the abundance of oil glands and collagen present on the rest of the face. Unfortunately, this also means that the skin of the eye area has difficulty holding moisture. Besides the lips, the skin around the eyes relies on the moisture that we supply it.
So, what should you do? Since the skin in the eye area has a tendency toward multiple issues, the approach to care is multifaceted.
For aging skin:
Never pull, tug or rub the skin around the eyes. Instead, pat or press gently with fingers.
Use treatments specifically designed to support moisture for this delicate skin.
Avoid harsh cleansers, acids, over exfoliation and retinol.
Keep the eye skin protected with mineral SPF.
Dark Circles:
Good sleep is critical for healthy eye skin!
Avoid overindulging in alcohol, sweets, and other immune-taxing foods.
Use cool compresses for irritated eyes from allergies, lack of sleep etc.
Very gently gua sha from inner corner to outer corner over oiled skin.
In some cases, depending on a person's heritage, the skin around the eyes will naturally, inherently have darker pigment. We will see this in some people with naturally darker skin (East Indian, Middle Eastern) descents, for example, will sometimes have deeper pigment around the eyes. This is similar to freckles in those with Irish or Scottish bloodlines. They are fixed, inherent traits.
Puffiness:
Again, restful sleep is important to reduce fluid retention in the eye area.
Like dark circles, overindulgence will contribute to puffiness along with food that is overly saturated with salt.
Moisturizers that are too rich and not designed for the eye area can cause too much moisture retention and puffiness
Managing allergies
Certain cosmetics and fragrance can cause irritation and puffiness
De puff the area with very gentle, circular massage over well oiled skin
Use chilled gua sha or mushroom stone massage tools to sooth the area
YES, cool green tea bags will draw excess moisture away
Most importantly, use treatments and moisturizers designed specifically for the eye area. These products are typically designed with the multifaceted approach to help with all of the above mentioned issues as well as moisture retention. NEVER use harsh products, acids Retin-A or other retinoids around the eyes on a regular basis. It will thin the skin further leading to more issues.