They say your eyes are the window to your soul – conventionally, this idiom represents the ability to understand someone’s emotions just by gazing into their eyes.
Whether or not that is true is up for interpretation, but here is a fact – your eyes can cause you to look much older, and here’s why:
For those reasons, our eyes start showing signs of ageing before any part of our face. This process is accelerated with factors such as sun damage, lifestyle[2] habits (e.g. smoking, drinking alcohol) and genetics.
So if you want to look younger or slow down ageing, pay attention to your eyes.
In this article, allow me to share some telltale signs that the skin around your eyes need some TLC and the best treatments to consider.
1. Fine Lines and Wrinkles
As your eyes are one of the most expressive parts of your face, it’s only natural to develop fine lines and wrinkles around your eyes. You’ll start to notice these age lines more prominently as when you hit your 30s, elastin and collagen production slows down.
2. Puffy Undereyes
We’ve all woken up with puffy undereyes, whether it’s due to a lack of sleep, dietary reasons (eating too much salt) or smoking. However, if you live a balanced and healthy lifestyle and still notice puffy undereyes, it may just be because the fatty tissue around your eyes is starting to sag. Loss of elasticity and water retention can make puffiness and bags around the eyes more pronounced.
3. Thinner Skin
The skin around your eyes is much thinner than the rest of your face – this is true regardless of age. As you get older, the skin around your eyes will get progressively thinner. Signs of thin skin include the appearance of dry, loose and crepey skin. You may also notice a more hooded appearance of the upper eyelids as the skin starts to droop downwards.
4. Dark Circles
The appearance of dark eye circles may be due to excessive deposits of melanin around the eyes. This usually results in a brownish discolouration that can sometimes affect the upper eye lids as well. If you notice the discolouration under your eyes to be more of a dark purple hue, this discolouration stems from the blood vessels under the eyes. The thinner your skin is, the more visible your blood vessels will be. A lack of sleep and allergies can also accentuate the purplish discolouration under your eyes.
A tear trough depression due to age related loss of subcutaneous fat and thinning of the skin can cause a shadowing under the eyes that lead to the appearance of dark eye circles as well.
PicoLo Laser
PicoLo Laser is a non-invasive picosecond laser treatment used to treat pigmentation, wrinkles, age spots and for brighter undereyes. It can also be used to fade unwanted tattoos and acne scars. Piccolo laser toning can be used to reduce the melanin deposits under the eyes and even out the skin tone. Regular piccolo laser toning can also help to build collagen under the eyes to plump up the skin and reduce the appearance of dark eye circles. This can be done in combination with skin boosters to improve the skin density and plump up the skin.
The PicoLo Laser comes in two modes:
Benefits of PicoLo Laser includes:
ADVATx Yellow Laser
ADVATx Yellow Laser is a painless, high-powered laser capable of treating a variety of skin conditions and skin types. This treatment yields immediate results with no downtime.
Benefits of ADVATx Yellow Laser includes:
Undereye fillers
A tear trough depression under the eyes as a result of a loss of subcutaneous fat and thinning of the skin can give rise to shadowing under the eyes as well as a hollow appearance. This can make one appear tired and older. Dermal fillers made up of hyaluronic acid can be used to fill out the depression and reshape the peri-oribital region. Immediate improvement can usually be observed but do give it about 1-2 weeks for any swelling to settle.
Botulinum toxin
Excessive movement of the muscles around the eyes due to various facial expressions can lead to the appearance of lines at the side of the eyes. These are known as crow feet lines. These lines can be categorized as dynamic (meaning on movement) or static (fixed) lines. A simple fix would be to do a tiny injection of botulinum toxin to reduce the muscle movement to reduce the appearance of such lines. Depending on the severity of the lines, a combination with skinboosters or machine treatments may be advised to rebuild the collagen in order to plump up the skin.
The skin around your eyes is the most delicate part of the face and is prone to early signs of ageing.
Signs such as fine lines and wrinkles, puffy undereyes, thinner skin, and dark circles can make you look much older than you actually are. Usually there is more than one factor involved in the appearance of tired eyes and combination treatments are necessary for a more holistic approach.
While there is no way to turn back time, it is possible to reverse these signs of ageing. From injectables such as botox and fillers to lasers such as Picolo laser and Advatx yellow laser- there is a whole range of treatment options to help you look more youthful and energetic.
If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a message!
Dr. Chloe Ho is Asia Wellness’ resident doctor. Her strong background in dermatology has equipped her to treat patients with varying needs. Dr. Ho is trusted among her patients to treat any array of ageing skin concerns, such as fine lines, wrinkles, dark eye circles and acne scars.
Her clinical experience varies locally and internationally, from the Singapore National Skin Centre to Harvard Medical School in Boston.
