Eyes talk. Of age, health and lifestyle. Some eyes look young and vibrant. Others look old and haggard. You might think that aging eyes are inevitable, with the crow’s feet, wrinkles and under-eye bags that creep up with advancing years. You can think that, but you’d be mistaken.
Ok, so we age around the eyes. We know this, and accept it. While it’s true that we develop those tell-tale signs as we get older, we can minimize their appearance, with proper care and good skin habits. Skin is our largest organ. Take care of it, and it will show.
Skin care for the eyes is no exception. Yes, we should plan for a few wrinkles. And some of us are more prone to eye bags than others. But you’ll age better, with less evidence of age around your windows to the soul if you take care of them. How’s that? Let’s find out.
General Tips for Eye Skin Care
In many ways, skin care for eyes is like skin care for the rest of your body. It’s important to cleanse, moisturize and protect this area from the sun. A skin-friendly diet can also help, with emphasis on fruits and vegetables, nuts and oily fish.
That said, the skin under the eyes requires a delicate touch. At 0.5 mm thickness, it’s the thinnest skin on the body and is susceptible to tearing. Some general guidelines for handling skin under the eyes:
Don’t handle with your index finger – Apply creams with your ring finger. It’s weaker than your index finger and less likely to tear the skin.
Dab, don’t smear – Dab moisturizers and other applications under the eyes, preferably with a clean cotton ball.
Protect from the sun – Nothing ages skin faster than sun damage. Wear a sunscreen, of at least SPF 15, and cover up with sunglasses.
Eat a skin-friendly diet – Lots of green, leafy vegetables, berries, nuts, low-fat dairy and oily fish like salmon.
How to Reduce Eye Wrinkles
Eye wrinkles form from repetitive facial movements, like laughing and squinting. With age comes less kollagen production, meaning skin doesn’t repair as well. The more you squint and distort the eye muscles, the greater chance of wrinkles.
Proper skin care for eyes reduces wrinkles and minimizes the effects of aging. You can reduce wrinkles with these tips:
Don’t squint – Sun glasses can prevent squinting in bright weather. Resist the urge to squint, even when you’re emotional.
Sleep on your back – This reduces the chance that you’ll rub your eyes against a pillow or bedsheets – another cause of eye wrinkles.
Avoid hot water – Dabble your face with cold and warm water when washing. Hot water robs the skin of moisture.
How to Reduce Under-Eye Bags
Bags and dark circles can form when there’s less fat under the eye. When this happens, skin becomes transparent, and blood vessels can leak and become visible. Reduce bags and dark circles with these tips:
Sleep – Aim for seven to eight hours a night.
Avoid alcohol and caffeine – These dehydrate the skin and make bags more obvious.
Use skin lighteners and products with vitamin K – To reduce dark circles from excessive melanin and broken blood vessels.
Drink healthy fluids – Keep your body hydrated, with healthy fluids, like green tea and water.
Wear tea bags – Green tea bags contain polyphenols, which can tighten skin. Apply cold tea bags over the eyes for ten minutes to reduce puffiness and the appearance of eye bags.
Be aware that eye bags are often genetic. You’re likely to see at least some evidence of bags and puffiness as you get older. The same goes for wrinkles. But you can minimize their appearance and development of further aging around the eyes with good skin care for eyes and a little TLC.
