Top 9 Treatments and Tips For Under Eyes
We will share our top 9 treatments and tips for antiageing treatments for the under eye area.
1. Skin Care Routine
At home care for under eyes is vital. Firstly is important to always remove your makeup before washing your face. We recommend a gentle removing pad or face towel to thoroughly remove all oil, dirt and any makeup from your eye area. Remaining gentle in this process will avoid removing important lipids and proteins that are of a skin barrier. If you would like to use wipes it is best to use alcohol-free to prevent any possible irritation to the delicate eye area. It is best to start off with an easy skin care routine that involves a gentle face wash, moisturizer and sunscreen. Sunscreen will help preserve your under eye skin quality.
Once you have mastered a basic skin routine, it is beneficial to incorporate other eye specific products. These include:
- Vitamin A-Like Serum
This serum works great to smooth over fine lines and wrinkles by promoting skin cell turnover. It may also help with tightening and thickening the skin around the eyes and reducing the appearance of dark circles. This serum is recommended to be first used once a week to reduce irritation to the applied area, and then up to three times a week when the skin has become familiar with it. Only products specifically created for the eye area should be used.
- Vitamin C Serum
This serum is great for stimulating collagen to improve the skin quality of the under eyes, as well as brightening this area as it is an antioxidant substance. Vitamin C is also great for fighting fine lines and wrinkles, and reducing the appearance of dark spots and hyperpigmentation. This can be used daily as part of your skin care regime. Only products specifically created for the eye area should be used
- Catfish Blurring Eye Cream
The name speaks for itself! This blurring eye cream will help your under eye skin appearance instantly and will improve your under eye skin quality with continuous usage. You will see your under eyes appearing more plumped, firm and reduced discolouration. Your fine lines will also be targeted with this brightening and smoothing formulation.
2. Non-Ablative Energy Based Device Skin Treatments
- Microneedling
The microneedling treatment is great for improving under eye darkness, fine lines and increasing the volume in that area. The deep fat pads under our eyes begin to drop down with age and that is when the dark circles and hollowness are evident. Microneedling acts as an injury to the area, also known as microwounds, which in return will stimulate collagen production and will continue to do so overtime, creating a more fresh appearance. - IPL Treatments – Forever Young BBL
This skin treatment is an anti-aging facial that will refresh and rejuvenate the under eyes with ongoing treatments (usually 3-5 treatments every 3-6 weeks). It’s great for smoothing out fine lines and removing small visible vessels in this area. The BBL will also improve the laxity in this area and the overall skin texture. It is highly recommended to be using sunscreen daily before presenting for this treatment to prevent any complications such as hyperpigmentation.
3. Ablative Energy Based Device Skin Treatments
Ablative lasers are a more invasive energy-based device treatment, used to improve the under eye area. They can be fractionated or full field resurfacing treatments.
Ablative lasers vaporise skin layers and new skin grows in its place. They are great for improving fine lines, wrinkles and skin texture.
4. Injectable Treatments
Skinboosters
Under Eye Skin Booster is a natural treatment for targeting fine wrinkles, darkness and skin texture, containing vitamins and minerals to rejuvenate the area. It is great for improving the skin elasticity and firmness to create a more youthful appearance. We recommend having 3 sessions of this treatment, 4 weeks apart, and after this has concluded once every 6 months to maintain results. It is ideal to have this treatment before tear trough filler as it will improve the quality of the skin of the under eye, giving better results with the filler.
Under Eye Filler
Under eye filler, also known as tear trough filler, is great for those with hollowness, dark circles and bags. The filler will plump up the area creating a more youthful and less tired appearance. The practitioner will assess whether the individual is the right candidate for the treatment and if so, will usually perform ongoing under eye filler within a couple of sessions to achieve the perfect results.
PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma)
Platelet Rich Plasma is a popular under eye treatment. The patient’s blood is taken and the PRP is reinjected. This is a very natural treatment which helps with wrinkles and texture.
5. Under Eye Threads
Small PDO threads may be used under the eyes for collagen stimulation. This can tighten and improve the wrinkles and texture of the lower eyelid.
6. Healthy Diet
It’s important to ask yourself, “What am I consuming?”
Alcohol intake– Alcohol consumption can cause under eye fluid retention for some individuals. Only way to avoid this is to minimize alcohol intake or drink plenty of water throughout the time you are having alcoholic drinks. Alcohol intake causes the body to become dehydrated resulting in dehydrated looking skin!
Water intake– Water consumption is so important for the skin and body as it keeps it hydrated, fresh and will reduce fine lines and poor skin elasticity. Staying hydrated will help circulation in the body which will help improve any fluid retention under the eyes. Best way to stay on top of this is to aim to drink a minimum of 2 litres per day.
Salt intake– When eating salty foods the body begins to attract fluid retention which then results in puffy eyes. Not only is reducing salt great for the heart but it is also great for skin! Other ways to tackle this issue is consuming a good dosage of vitamin C everyday as it is water soluble and will be able to assist with inflammation.
7. Healthy Lifestyle
It is also important to ask yourself, “Is my lifestyle optimised?”
Minimizing Sun Exposure: Sun exposure may cause skin damage to the under eyes and create fine lines and even dark circles. Dark circles can be caused by melanin formation which leads to decreased skin elasticity and premature aging in this area. Ways to minimize sun exposure to help skin quality is to wear sunglasses! This is a fantastic and fashionable way to take care of your under eyes. Also don’t forget your SPF.
Reducing stress: Evidently, stress is a major factor for all health issues, including your physical appearance. As stress levels affect our cortisol levels (the hormone that is released in response to stress), it is believed this impacts the appearance of puffiness under the eyes. In some cases, stress can also cause dark circles to appear under the eyes due to the blood going to different parts of the body and even an extended period of anxiety and stress may cause a decrease in normal blood circulation. It is important the individual finds a stress relief that suits them and their lifestyle. This may include meditation, yoga, walking or any other form of self relaxation.
Getting more sleep: Research suggests that it is recommended for adults to get a minimum of 7 hours of sleep per day. Staying up late or waking up too early out of this time range may cause dark circles to form under the eyes, fluid retention under the eyes resulting in a puffy look and even the skin texture under the eyes can decline giving a dull appearance. Ways to avoid this is to have a scheduled bed time that will correlate with your usual wake up time.
Sleeping on a Silk Pillowcase may cause less absorption of moisture than other pillow cases, preventing irritation of dryness and itchiness to the skin. It is also great for those that have an under eye skin care routine and would like to withhold the products throughout the night making it more effective. This will prevent you from waking up with dry skin! For those sleepers who move around alot, especially laying on their side, the silk pillowcase is known to help prevent the pulling of the skin and reduce wrinkle formation.
Avoiding Overuse of Digital Screens: As hard as it may be, we need to be conscious of excessive use of digital screens as it may cause strain to our eyes! Much research has found that too much screen time will not only affect your eyesight, but will cause darkness under the eyes. The strain of your under eyes leading to dark circles are caused from the enlargement of blood vessels due to the excessiveness of looking at a screen. Dark under eyes, which is formed by the orbicularis oculi muscle, will make the individual appear more “tired” and “sick”. This is from the artificial lights we are exposed to when on digital screens that drys out the skin and removes the natural moisture that protects the skin. There is research developing on blue light and its effects on our skin and health.
8. Prevention and Treatment of Medical issues
There are many medical issues that impact the eye area.
An example that commonly effects the eyes, particularly causing swelling is sinus issue or allergy issues.
It is important if you have any allergy or sinus issues to address this with your doctor as it may have an impact on the swelling of your under eyes, making it appear puffy and sometimes darker. If you also have red, itchy and watery eyes this is a great indication of it also. Your doctor may advise you to take antihistamines to reduce the symptoms of this issue.
Haytox is a new treatment available which is becoming very popular.
9. Surgical Intervention
Lower Eyelid Lift Surgery, also known as a lower blepharoplasty, is a great anti-aging cosmetic procedure that removes excess fat and tissues from under eyes, creating a more rejuvenated appearance. This surgical procedure is used to remove puffy bags under the eyes, and improving the elasticity of the skin, wrinkles and skin folds. Your surgeon will assess and work towards catering to your aesthetics and desired outcome (every individual is different). Like all eyelid interventions including non-surgical and device based treatments, the healing journey can be slow, so patience is required