Are your eyes looking tired?

Your eyes are the first to show signs of ageing and tiredness so how can you maintain youthful-looking eyes? Read on to discover why you see what you see and how to maintain youthful-looking eyes.

Why is the eye area the first to show tell-tale signs of ageing?

Let’s start with the anatomy of the face. As we age, there are bony changes on the skull: the eye socket gets slightly larger and as this happens the eye actually sits back giving a sunken eye appearance. We have deep fat pads on our cheeks that give our face shape, structure and support. As we age these deep pads shrink and slide down with gravity pulling further on the eye area. The sliding motion also creates some defects beneath the eye as a crease referred to as the tear trough. In some people, weakness in the support structure causes eye bags or puffiness under the eyes.

The area directly under the eye has not got much in the way of soft tissue support. The skin is very delicate and as collagen levels drop in our 30s, fine lines start to appear in this area. Repeated muscle contractions make smile lines more pronounced, permanent and extend further inwards than just on the outer aspect of the eyes.

What causes dark circles around the eyes?

The under-eye area may be dark due to true pigment changes or due to shadows caused by uneven light reflection. It is often more pronounced in darker skin tones. With thinning skin and lack of collagen support, dark blood vessels beneath the skin become more visible from the outside as dark areas.

Any allergies cause histamine release which leads to the dilation of the blood vessels making this more pronounced. Excessive rubbing and scratching causes skin trauma and produce hyperpigmentation which may not reverse. Dehydration, eye strain, lack of sleep, medical conditions and medication use can all exacerbate these issues.

Some people are more prone to certain changes early on in their life due to family history and for others, it is related to advancing age. External factors like sun exposure, free radicals, poor sleeping habits, toxins like tobacco and other lifestyle choices have a significant influence on how we age.

What can you do to tackle tired, sunken eyes?

Lifestyle changes

Once identified, you may wish to change these gradually to maintain a healthier lifestyle.

Address medical issues

It is important to identify and treat any underlying medical conditions, allergies and/or deficiencies that may be causing dark circles.

Prevent and protect

Wearing UV protection sunglasses and using a daily broad-spectrum sunscreen in the eye area.

Medical skin care and home treatments

Targeted professional skincare with:

Anti-pigment ingredients to reduce hyperpigmentation
Antioxidant skincare to protect and combat environmental stressors
Collagen and elastin stimulating ingredients to improve skin quality
Hydrating and nourishing ingredients to moisturise and make the skin more supple.

Targeted Eye Rejuvenation

Radara® is an innovative product for home use. It is designed to be applied daily with single-use patches for 5 minutes every night for 4 weeks. Depending on desired results, Radara® is recommended for use once every 3 months.

The micro-channels on the patches encourage new collagen production in the treated area, while deep absorption of the serum gives the skin around the eyes plumper, firmer appearance.

How to use Radara

Cosmetic treatments

Targeted eye area skin peels can be used to exfoliate and rejuvenate the eye area. You would need a course of treatment to achieve and maintain optimum results.
Microneedling can be used to directly stimulate your own collagen production. Following treatment, collagen stimulation occurs over the following weeks to months.
Skin boosters can be used to hydrate and improve skin resiliency. This involves small injections of hyaluronic acid, antioxidants, peptides and advanced nutrients hence it is not the same as dermal fillers. You would need a course of at least 3 treatments and maintenance treatments.
Anti-wrinkle treatments like Botox® can be used to soften smile lines (crow’s feet) around the eyes. These take effect within 10-14days and last 3-4 months when the effect wears off.
Energy based devises to tighten skin.
Facial fillers may be used to help fill deficits under the eye area and last 9-12months but these do carry risks.

Surgery

Some eye concerns are not suitable for non-surgical cosmetic treatments and can only be addressed surgically.

It is best to have a consultation with a trained practitioner who understands the ageing process and is aware of what effective treatments are available to help steer you away from unnecessary treatments and give you a balanced opinion. It is my duty as a doctor to inform you of your choices of treatment even if I don’t offer them all myself.

If you would like to book a consultation you can easily do this via my website. Look out for next month’s blog when I will be taking about eye creams and how to choose the best one for you.

For further information or to book an appointment contact me via phone, email or the website.

📱07825 999 144 or

☎️ 01277 549 006

💌 drtash@skinenhanceclinic.com

Website: Book an appointment

01277 549 006

info@skinenhance.co.uk