Caring for the skin around your eyes is as important, if not more important, than caring for the skin on the rest of your face. The skin around the eyes shows more visible signs of aging earlier because it is thinner, has decreased oil production, and has less circulation than most other skin areas.
When looking at another person, the eyes are usually the first area to which you are drawn, and are considered to be a focal point of beauty for the face. Unfortunately, because of the aforementioned unique characteristics of the skin around the eyes, this area is one of the first showing signs of aging on the face.
With the current state of aesthetic technology, multiple treatments can be used to keep your eyes looking their best. In this blog post, I would like to highlight several regimens that are available to treat the skin around the eyes and to give it a more rejuvenated appearance.
The simplest treatments are skin care products that can be used at home, and are specially formulated for skin around the eyes. I generally recommend specific eye serums, which help reduce puffiness around the eyes and help to reduce irritation.
The best way to stop age-related fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes is to prevent them from forming in the first place. For this reason, protecting your eyes from the sun is key.
Sun protection includes wearing UV-protective sunglasses and applying broad spectrum sunscreens to the skin around your eyes. The best sunscreens for use around the eyes contain zinc oxide, which has the best SPF profile and is least likely to cause skin irritation.
When lines are beginning to form, we tend to need more aggressive medical treatments. One of the most popular and effective treatments around the eyes is Botox.
Botox is known as a neuromodulator, which means that it works by stopping muscle contractions in specific areas where it is injected. Botox is commonly used to reduce the deep lines between the eyes also known as the 11s, or scowl lines.
Botox is also used to soften the smile lines or crows feet around the outer aspect of the eyes. Reducing these lines around the eyes can dramatically reduce the appearance of tiredness and age, and typically lasts at least three months in duration of effect.
Another excellent treatment is known as microneedling. With this treatment, we use a sterile and automated device that contains very fine needles and creates microscopic channels of injury in the skin. These tiny punctures trigger a wound response that stimulates collagen production and tightens the skin, thereby reducing fine lines and wrinkles.
Microneedling can also be combined with the use of platelet rich plasma, or PRP. This treatment rejuvenates the skin by using the growth factors within the person’s own blood, and is popularly referred to as the Vampire Facial.
PRP can also be safely injected under and around the eyes to stimulate collagen production and reduce the signs of aging. Injecting PRP also reduces the risks of using thicker fillers around the eyes.
Radiofrequency treatments are another technology that can be used around the eyes very safely. With this technology, radio frequency waves heat the underlying dermis of the skin to a point, which stimulates collagen production.
With radiofrequency treatments, one very nice feature is that the skin tightening occurs very quickly. Further collagen stimulation continues to build in the treated area for up to a year.
At Maine Laser Skin Care, we will be soon introducing a new technology that combines radio frequency and microneedling. This new treatment will dramatically improve collagen production and skin tightening with minimal downtime and minimal pain.
Stay tuned for our announcement when the equipment for this new technology is installed and training is completed. Spoiler Alert= This technology will also improve another problem area: the neck!
Since ancient times, the eyes have been considered to be the pathway to the soul. Most people want their eyes to reflect a well-rested and youthful appearance, especially when facing our stressful modern lives.
As always, at Maine Laser Skin Care, we continue our mission of “beautifying Maine one face at a time”. Call for a free consultation to either one of our offices: in Scarborough at (207) 303-0125 or in Augusta at (207) 873-2158.