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The eyes have it… bags, circles, and wrinkles,
that is!
By John Gustafson
If you are anything like me (and I am sad to have to admit it), you could pack for a weekend away in the bags under your eyes. And don't even get me started on the dark circles.
The eyes have it...
You know you have a problem when someone comes up to you and asks if you got into a punch-up over the weekend - and you actually had the opportunity for a good lie-in! The one thing I have managed to escape in my advanced age is having tramlines etched under my eyes, but I suppose they are on the way. So the question is: 'Why me, and is there anything I can do about it?'
As for the why, some bags and circles are genetic and you cannot get rid of them. You can help them, but that is about it. However, for the self-inflicted variety, help is on the way.
Send your bags packing
You will know if your bags are genetic because your mother, siblings, grandmother, etc, all suffer from the same thing. If you find yourself in this category, all you can do is use a good eye product that says on the packaging 'for puffiness and bags'. Don't expect a miracle, otherwise you are bound to be disappointed. You can decrease the amount of puffiness, but that is about it. Use lymphatic drainage massage in conjunction with an eye product for maximum results. This means pressing along the eye socket, starting in the inner corner and working your way out to the temples. Use the ring finger of each hand, and press firmly (but gently) for the count of three and then release. Move about a quarter of an inch and repeat. Keep going until you reach the 'dip' that you feel just outside your eye sockets. This is the point that will release the toxins you have moved from the under-eye area into your bloodstream. The great thing about using this technique is you are applying an eye cream anyway, so it takes no additional time.
If you are only puffy after a night of excess (drinking, late nights, rich foods), you will find the above to be hugely beneficial, but do make sure you get the problem dealt with, otherwise you will find the skin gets stretched, and you may have a permanent problem.
Good products for puffiness
Those of us that suffer the most from this problem have golden or warmer skintones. The reason for this is that the most contrasting colour to the colour of our skins is blue. Therefore where the skin is at its thinnest (under the eye), we see the greatest contrast. Three or 30 hours of sleep make no difference. Men and women with a cooler undertone (classic English rose complexions) rarely show this discolouration unless they are sick or very tired. Drinking a lot of water will help, as will an eye product that strengthens the under-eye area, but keep in mind that this will not take the problem away.
Good products for dark circles
Good products for lines
Good products for eye firming
And finally, dryness
This is a problem that tends to go hand in hand with loss of firmness and lines. You need to be quite careful in the way you deal with this. Because the skin around the eye is so thin, some eye creams are too rich. If you struggle with extreme dryness, you may need two separate products, a lighter one for daytime and a rich evening product that leaves a barrier on the skin while you sleep. Make sure you use only the tiniest amount, and do not apply the eye cream any closer than the bone. If you are not careful, you will wake up with puffy eyes and think you are reacting to the cream. A dot the size of a grain of rice should be more than enough to do both eyes.
Good products for extreme dryness
that is!
By John Gustafson
If you are anything like me (and I am sad to have to admit it), you could pack for a weekend away in the bags under your eyes. And don't even get me started on the dark circles.
You know you have a problem when someone comes up to you and asks if you got into a punch-up over the weekend - and you actually had the opportunity for a good lie-in! The one thing I have managed to escape in my advanced age is having tramlines etched under my eyes, but I suppose they are on the way. So the question is: 'Why me, and is there anything I can do about it?'
As for the why, some bags and circles are genetic and you cannot get rid of them. You can help them, but that is about it. However, for the self-inflicted variety, help is on the way.
Send your bags packing
You will know if your bags are genetic because your mother, siblings, grandmother, etc, all suffer from the same thing. If you find yourself in this category, all you can do is use a good eye product that says on the packaging 'for puffiness and bags'. Don't expect a miracle, otherwise you are bound to be disappointed. You can decrease the amount of puffiness, but that is about it. Use lymphatic drainage massage in conjunction with an eye product for maximum results. This means pressing along the eye socket, starting in the inner corner and working your way out to the temples. Use the ring finger of each hand, and press firmly (but gently) for the count of three and then release. Move about a quarter of an inch and repeat. Keep going until you reach the 'dip' that you feel just outside your eye sockets. This is the point that will release the toxins you have moved from the under-eye area into your bloodstream. The great thing about using this technique is you are applying an eye cream anyway, so it takes no additional time.
If you are only puffy after a night of excess (drinking, late nights, rich foods), you will find the above to be hugely beneficial, but do make sure you get the problem dealt with, otherwise you will find the skin gets stretched, and you may have a permanent problem.
Good products for puffiness
- Lancôme Bienfait Yeux
- Clinique All About Eyes
- Clarins Eye Contour Gel
- Synergie Eye Gel
- Molton Brown Eye Rescue
- Sisley Baume Efficace
- Natura Bissé Stimul Eye Gel
Those of us that suffer the most from this problem have golden or warmer skintones. The reason for this is that the most contrasting colour to the colour of our skins is blue. Therefore where the skin is at its thinnest (under the eye), we see the greatest contrast. Three or 30 hours of sleep make no difference. Men and women with a cooler undertone (classic English rose complexions) rarely show this discolouration unless they are sick or very tired. Drinking a lot of water will help, as will an eye product that strengthens the under-eye area, but keep in mind that this will not take the problem away.
Good products for dark circles
- LaPrairie Age Management Eyecream
- Estée Lauder Uncircle
- Clinique All About Eyes
- Shiseido Eye Revitalizer
Good products for lines
- LaPrairie Age Management Eyecream
- Roc Retinol Eyecream
- Helena Rubenstein Power-A Eyecream
- Osmotics Kinetin Eyecream
- Natura Bissé Diamond Eye Cream
Good products for eye firming
- Osmotics Kinetin Eyecream
- LaPrairie Age Management Eyecream
- Estée Lauder Resilience Eyecream
- Chanel Eye Lift
- Natura Bissé Essential Shock Eye and Lip Cream
- Chantecaille Bio Dynamic Lifting Eye Cream
And finally, dryness
This is a problem that tends to go hand in hand with loss of firmness and lines. You need to be quite careful in the way you deal with this. Because the skin around the eye is so thin, some eye creams are too rich. If you struggle with extreme dryness, you may need two separate products, a lighter one for daytime and a rich evening product that leaves a barrier on the skin while you sleep. Make sure you use only the tiniest amount, and do not apply the eye cream any closer than the bone. If you are not careful, you will wake up with puffy eyes and think you are reacting to the cream. A dot the size of a grain of rice should be more than enough to do both eyes.
Good products for extreme dryness
- Kanebo Sensai Eyecream
- Shiseido Benefiance Eyecream
- Helena Rubenstein Eye-Vancaline
- Estee Lauder Intense Lifting Eyecream
- LaPrairie Cellular Radiance Eye Cream
