I know I haven’t shared many personal details of my life in past blog entries, but for those of you who don’t know, another passion of mine besides tackling culinary feats, is Skin Care. I have been blessed to have had thus far, an amazing and successful career as a Skin Therapist and Advanced Skin Care Consultant. My excitement and continuous love for this specialized field stems from what I have identified as an immense desire that both women and men have to be EDUCATED on the how’s and why’s regarding the overall health of their skin. For me, that is where I gain the most joy and feeling of accomplishment; when I have empowered a person with the knowledge they didn’t have, so they can make informed decisions to solve their skin care concerns. With that being said, feel free to ask me any questions or concerns by leaving a comment or emailing me!
One of the Top 5 universal concerns are those pesky dark circles and under-eye puffiness. First off, I want to state my stance on eye products in general: EVERYONE over the age of 18 needs to be using some sort of under-eye product. The reason is because we don’t have oil glands in that area of our face, so it’s super important to keep that skin hydrated or else….bad things will happen. Which brings me to my All Time #1 Rule: Prevention is waaaaaay easier than correcting damage. For example, you ever see those mature ladies (I don’t like saying “Old”), who’ve had a face lift and now they can’t look sideways without needing to turn their entire upper body?….Bet ‘chya they wished they could go back in time and scold their young selves for tanning with baby oil!
The Why’s
You can see the Zygomatic and Maxillary Bones that form the floor of the orbit.
Ok…So How Do We Treat It?
The best solution to treat these issues is to increase blood flow and circulation. By massaging an eye treatment along the orbital bones will not only aid the lymph in naturally draining out the area, but will also bring oxygen to the surface of the skin. Increase of oxygen = healthier cells + deeper penetration of eye products. I know, so cool right?!
The second thing we have to do is find a way to thicken the skin. This way it will be more resilient and able to support the matrix that holds the vessels and fatty tissue in, whose bulge can also attribute to the look of puffiness.
What Ingredients Should I Look For?
Get an eye serum and/or eye cream that has citrus acid, which will break up the dark circles and congestion under the eye. Many cosmetic companies formulate economical eye products with caffeine as an alternative. In my experience, caffeine works for mild cases and has temporary effects. For this reason, I prefer the first. The vitamin C in citrus acid also can help to increase collagen production AND brighten up the area. A small amount of vitamin A (a.k.a retinol), will also thicken the skin AND get rid of fine lines and wrinkles. I love multi-taskers!
My Personal Favorites
I’ve used so many products to help with my dark circles and puffiness, and now…my new challenge: the onset of WRINKLES, eeeek! The two products that have worked the best on me so far? La Prairie Essence of Skin Caviar Eye Complex Serum ($135US) and ZO Skin Health Olluminate Intense Eye Repair Cream ($130US). They are both high-end and definitely an investment, however they really work AND they last me so much longer than the more inexpensive products I have tried in the past!
I massage 1 drop of this gel serum over my entire eye area, including my eye lid in the AM + PM…and YES this is my eye, and NO it has not been photoshopped and I DO NOT have any makeup on. I mean if the big pores didn’t give it away…
I use only 1 drop of my La Prairie eye serum for both eyes, and it’s one of the only products I’ve found on the market that can also be used ON TOP of the eyelid to prevent crépiness and lose of elasticity. Another thing I love about the La Prairie line is that all their products are formulated with their patented Cellular Complex, which basically works like Red Bull for your skin cell. It tricks your cells into remembering how it used to act when it was younger. Hence, younger, healthier, faster working skin cells!
This rick eye cream contains advanced peptides and a small amount of medical grade retinol. I use just a dab in the PM.
My ZO Skin Health eye cream has CoQ10 and a small amount of retinol to thicken the skin as well as correcting and preventing lines and wrinkles. The 0.5oz jar literally lasts me 5-6 months if i’m real careful about my dosage. I mainly use this in the PM, but there is no reason you couldn’t use it as your AM + PM eye cream if you have dryer skin.
I hope this entry helped my friends in the blog universe! La Prairie Switzerland can be found in most high-end retailers such as Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, and Saks Fifth Avenue. ZO Skin Health is a trusted brand by many dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons nation wide. The only retailer that carries the entire line is Nordstrom.
What eye treatments or products have you discovered lately?
