Dr Jamuna Pai gives her expert opinion
The eye area is an important contact between individuals, with eye-to-eye communication occurring in approximately 80% of all interactions. This conveys information on general health and impressions regarding individual health, fatigue, interest, and emotion.
Rejuvenating the area around the eyes can be a challenging task. In order to achieve excellent results you must identify the problems and specifically attack those problems with a specific technique or combination of techniques. There are some conditions that can cause problems around the eyes, such as crow’s feet, deep tear troughs (sunken eyes), dark circles under the eyes, loose skin around the eyes, excess fat below the eye, etc.
Crow’s feet are fine lines and wrinkles radiating from the eyes. These are expression lines when they are dynamic. For the most part they’re caused by sun exposure, but smoking can make them worse. Years and years of smiling and squinting can also play a part in how they’re formed. After botox treatments, wrinkles around the eyes and forehead are diminished. This is because botox relaxes those muscles that cause the crow’s feet wrinkles to form. Correction with botox is very natural and most patients feel that they have a more wide-eyed, rested and less angry appearance after the procedure. Botox treatments last for an average of four to six months for crow’s feet. After repeated injections, the results may be even longer lasting. The effects of botox become apparent in the first three to five days after treatment.
Sunken eyes afflict many individuals as they age, although many young people suffer from undereye bags due to heredity. These conditions can make an individual look tired, sickly and unhealthy, even when they are in good health. They can also affect an individual’s interpersonal relationships, business opportunities, and self esteem. The advanced dermal fillers are generally placed in an area below the lower rim of the eye to treat sunken eyes. Each of the dermal fillers work differently to achieve the look you desire. In general, they provide some combination of filling the sunken area with a natural substance found in the body and stimulate your body to produce more collagen. Results can be astonishing and well worth the investment.
Dark under-eye circles are due to the oxidising of haemoglobin which begins in the capillaries, around the delicate skin around the eyes. It’s quite possible that capillaries all over your body are leaking small amounts of blood all the time. But the reason dark under-eye circles are so apparent is that the skin around the eyes is one of the thinnest, most delicate in your entire body. The capillaries are much closer to the surface of the skin there. Home remedies for dark circles under the eyes aren’t as fast and effective as dark circle eye creams. A number of creams are available in the market which can lighten the dark circles. They include lightening agents like vitamin C, kojic acid, arbutin and azelaic acid. You can treat your skin while you sleep by overnight applications of these agents. Amongst the homemade treatments, one should try natural eye refreshers like a chilled slice of cucumber kept for around 10 to 15 minutes or a raw potato slice cooled in a refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes. Dip cotton in rose water and place it on your eyes for 10-15 minutes every day.
The loose skin around the eyes adds years to your face. Radiofrequency technology helps to heat the deep, collagen-rich layers of your skin, which tightens existing collagen and stimulates the formation of new collagen, thereby reducing sagging, renewing contours, and improving the smoothness and texture of the skin’s surface.
Most bags under the eyes are the result of accumulated fat in the eye area. This happens when the septum surrounding the eyeball weakens, causing the outer layer of fat within the socket to sink forward – making it look like you have literal “bags” under your eyes.
Unfortunately, the only cure for bags under the eyes is a surgical procedure called blepharoplasty, which is designed to remove excess fat, skin and muscle around the eyes.
General tips for eye care:
Close up of a beautiful woman green eye isolated on a white background
- Whenever you go out in the sun, using a good sunscreen with minimum SPF 15 is a must, even during the rains. It is very important to protect the skin around your eyes from the sun, not only because the sun hardens and wrinkles the skin, but also because it stimulates the production of the pigment melanin, thereby darkening the skin and exacerbating those dark circles.
- Low hemoglobin and a refractive error can make the circulation get sluggish. Therefore, a proper medical check-up is a must. Intake of nutritional supplements like Vitamin C 1000 miligrams / iron capsules/ antioxidants should be consumed regularly.
- Moisturising the under eye skin in a circular motion takes away dryness. It’s important that the tiny capillaries under the eyes be stimulated. This massage is to help reduce lines and wrinkles, dark circles and puffiness.
- Thick eye creams make the eyes look puffy. Alternately use eye serums/ water based gels that contain active ingredients like retinoids, pigment reducing extracts of glycolic acid and arbutin. Caffeine also improves blood circulation. For example, used tea bags contain caffeine and hence are helpful for the same.
- Exercise regularly. This helps the fresh blood reach the eye area and lessens the wrinkles.
- People who work for prolonged hours on the computer or watch the television need special care. It is recommended to squeeze the eyes from time to time. It reduces fatigue and relaxes the sphincter eye muscles. To prevent dryness in the eyes, use non-medicated lubricating drops from time to time. People with a hereditary problem of dark circles should use a good concealer under the eyes and master the art of applying the same evenly and correctly.
