The eyes are the first area of the face to show age. Youthful eyes make your entire face appear fresher. Consumers are demanding problem-specific products, as confirmed by Euromonitor. According to Euromonitor, the sales of anti-aging skin care products are forecast to rise some 18% from $3.2 billion to $3.8 billion by 2017. In the past, users tried to reduce the existing signs of aging; today the emphasis is on protection. This column will briefly detail causes and treatment options to address the dark under-eye circles and puffy bags.

The under-eye area is very sensitive and is prone to irritation. It is almost 10 times thinner than the other parts of the body. It has very few oil glands, so it becomes drier quickly and is prone to irritation. Dark circles are mostly hereditary, however they are also due to stress, unhealthy eating, vitamin and mineral deficiency, smoking, drinking alcohol, ultraviolet damage, veins and capillaries that show through skin, irritation and the natural dark pigment. The presence of all or even just some of these elements, along with dry skin that is getting thinner and the pull of gravity, stretches the skin making circles appear even bigger and appear looking dull and tired.

Cause and Effect
The primary cause of under eye circles is poor blood circulation and the leakage of blood in the delicate tissues surrounding eyes. A lack of sleep or stress, also increase eye circle darkness.

Traditional skin lightening products do not have any appreciable effect on dark circles. As a last resort, consumers may consider laser treatment for permanently eliminating dark circles. Ancient Ayurvedic medicine and traditional Chinese medicine, both associate under eye darkness to a diseased state of digestive health. Western medicine also associates under eye dark circles with kidney function. Under eye bags and puffiness are caused by a slow down in the blood and lymph microcirculation resulting in fluid retention along with fat deposits in the lower lid area causing bulging effect.

This effect usually is either due to hereditary or health issues. Wrinkles can be disguised with makeup, but prominent under eye fat pads can only be removed permanently by surgery; their re-occurrence is unlikely. Topical treatments include putting ice-cold green tea bags onto eyelids. Catechin content protects the delicate eye area minimizing puffiness. Cooling eye gel mask also provides relief from red, watery, itchy eyes. If your beauty arsenal doesn’t includes masks, head to the refrigerator. Wrap grated potato in cheesecloth sacks, cool in the refrigerator and place under the eyes. Leave for about 30 minutes and rinse. Place sliced cucumbers on your eyes, cover with damp cool cloth for thirty minutes. Place a satin eye pillow filled with buckwheat and place over your eyes.

There are no cosmetics that can completely alter puffy eyes. Alcohol consumption and a diet high in salt can cause water retention and increase the puffiness around the eyes.

What’s Out There?
Products are designed to be light enough for the eye area, yet deliver optimum moisturization. The eye area is usually dry and more sensitive, which is why eye creams are normally formulated with higher levels of emollients and lower levels of humectants. Eye creams tend to be thicker than regular moisturizers, too. Eye creams are ophthalmologist-tested to reduce the chance of stinging or burning the eyes. Eye area skin is very thin, and if it is plumped up, it makes eyelids look puffy.

Unfortunately, eye creams often cause irritation and allergic reactions. Some of the key actives that are used in these types of formulas include kojic acid, low-level hydroquinone, alpha hydroxyl acids, retinol and peptides. A particular blend of peptides (palmitoyl oligopeptide and palmitoyl tetrapeptide) works by helping tighten the delicate tissue. It is better not to use Retin-A near the delicate eye area, as it tends to migrate and could irritate eyes or even damage them.

The best time to apply an eye-area treatment is at night, when skin is resting. Once the sun goes down and hectic lives quiet down, there are no external aggressions and cells are more absorptive, thus deep hydration and surface moisturization are both accomplished.

More Topical Ideas
Topical products mimic the effect of an injectable product or a surgical eyelift by firming and tightening the skin for a youthful look. One unique topical product called Neotensil offers new technology that temporarily flattens out eye bags and wrinkles in just two hours. The product contains a blend of polymers and when the product is applied on the skin, these polymers cross-link and contract, making the skin appear smooth.

Product residue on the skin eventually transforms into a crusty film, which could be easily pulled away from the skin like plastic wrap, offering a temporary fix, not a permanent solution. Patricia Farris M.D., a clinical associate professor of dermatology at Tulane, describes this product as a fairy-size Spanx-for-theFace, which compresses and reshapes the skin, the likes of which we have just never had before.

The market place is full of products that smooth, lift, brighten dark circles and treat puffy bags. Ultimately, however, the responsibility lies with consumers because to a large extent, both of these conditions are avoidable, and are clearly a reflection of one’s lifestyle.

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Navin M. Geria
Senior Technical Advisor  and Principal Doctors Skin Prescription
www.dspskincare.com

Navin Geria, ex-Pfizer Research Fellow, is senior technical advisor and principal of the dermatological research company, Doctors Skin Prescription (DSP), Boston, founded by dermatologist David J. Goldberg, MD JD and plastic surgeons William P. Adams, MD FACS and Jason Pozner, MD. Geria has more than 30 years of experience in the personal care industry and was previously with Clairol, Warner-Lambert, Schick, Bristol-Myers and most recently, Spa Dermaceuticals. He has earned nearly 20 US patents, has been published extensively and has been both a speaker and a moderator at cosmetic industry events.