The eyes are said to be the window to the soul. So, you want to look after them—and that extends to the skin around your eye area. Shilpa Bhim shares the view on how to keep the skin around your eyes looking fresh.
What part of your face has the thinnest and most sensitive skin?
The eyes. Which means it’s one of the first areas to show signs of ageing, and lack of sleep. So, how do you keep your eye area looking as young as you feel—and also like you’re getting a solid eight hours of sleep every single night?
Gritty Pretty spoke with Dr. Michelle Rodrigues, Melbourne based dermatologist and Director of Chroma Dermatology, to find out what it takes to look after the skin around your eye area.
The skin around your eye area deserves some TLC, to keep it healthy and fresh. The first step is knowing what skin issues or concerns to look out for. Dr Rodrigues notes there are four common skin issues that affect the eye area:
The treatment for most of these skin concerns comes down to the one thing we all love when it comes to skin. Hint: it starts with an ‘H’ and relates to water…
“The problem in the first place is that most of us forget to moisturise the lower eyelids,” says Dr Rodrigues. She notes that “most people notice the benefit of using just a cream-based moisturiser to hydrate the skin and improve fine lines.” It’s the same for your eyes!
When applying, always remember to gently pat your cream into the skin around your eyes, in an upwards motion. Rubbing it in can be too harsh for the delicate skin in this area.
Dr Rodrigues’ top tip for keeping the skin around your eyes happy and healthy? “Choosing a gentle, fragrance-free moisturiser is important because it helps avoid skin allergies that are more common around the delicate eyelid skin.” She also recommends applying eye creams that contain retinol or Vitamin C in small amounts to avoid irritation.
“The most important tip for looking after eyelid skin is sun protect, sun protect, sun protect!” Aka, slip, slop, slap! Dr Rodrigues recommends protecting your eyelid skin with sunglasses and a broad-spectrum SPF 50+ sunscreen with UVA coverage.
While hydration and SPF should keep the skin around your eyes happy, additional treatments may be required. “Most of the time, dryness, irritation and very fine lines can be improved with a simple gentle cleanser and moisturiser alone—just make sure it is a thick, cream-based formulation,” says Dr Rodrigues. Meanwhile, deeper fine lines or smile lines can be improved with injectables or laser devices like a fractional CO2 laser.
Hyperpigmentation can be treated using topical bleaching creams or laser devices, “but the exact treatment combination used will depend on the exact cause or causes of the hyperpigmentation.”
Dr Rodrigues also shares that puffiness around the eyes can be corrected with surgery. She also notes that "puffiness around the eyes may be a sign of underlying medical conditions that affect other internal organs.”
If you’re in doubt about whether you should use an eye cream or require additional treatments, speak to a pro (aka, your dermatologist).
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