It’s all About the Eyes

When dealing with skin care it is often focused on the face only. The forehead, cheeks, chin and nose are focal points for breakouts and pigmentation. A forgotten zone may be the delicate eye area.

Premature aging can show up in this area before other areas. The skin on and around the eyes, often referred to as the periocular area, is approximately 10 times thinner than the rest of the face.  The result is less protection than other parts of the face and body. Additionally, the eye area is one of the most constantly moving parts of the body; each person blinks about 10,000 times per day.

After factoring in smiling, squinting, diet, water intake, allergies and stress, the eyes show signs of degradation more quickly and with more severity than skin elsewhere on the body.

The periocular skin absorbs and loses moisture differently than the skin on the rest of the face. With few oil glands to maintain natural moisturization, the skin around the eyes is subject to dehydration.  Desquamation – the skin’s renewal process – occurs at a slower rate with age. As this process of shedding dead cells slows, the eye are often develops a buildup of dead cells.  The collection of corneocytes results in thicker, aged, rough skin with impaired barrier function.

To maintain healthy skin around the eyes and postpone the signs of aging, collagen-stimulating ingredients to help promote regeneration and prevent degeneration should be incorporated into your daily regiment along with your spa treatment.

Peptides such as Palmitoyl tripeptide-38 and Dipeptide diaminobutyroyl benzylamide diacetate are of the newest matrix-building peptides that are effective in preventing the loss of collagen and increasing the production of collagen, laminin 5, fibronectin and hyaluronic acid in your skin while also aiding in quick wrinkle –smoothing effects and diminishing expression lines by interrupting the repeated muscle contractions around the eyes responsible for the formation of crow’s feet.

In addition to your daily product usage make sure to avoid unprotected sun exposure.

Sunglasses are also important in order to protect the delicate eye area. Hats are helpful as well. Smoking is very harmful to the periocular area as well as the whole body. Tugging, pulling or rubbing the eye area can also exacerbate inflammation and irritation.

(This information was published in Skin Inc. Magazine)