A bright, radiant-looking eye area can make you look awake and youthful. However, many factors can make the eyes look tired and dull. You're not alone if you’re dealing with dullness around your eyes. Thankfully, there are some simple ways to brighten eyes and help the eye area look refreshed and revitalized.
Let’s talk about what causes dullness near the eyes and what you can do to brighten things up.
What Can Cause Dullness Around Your Eyes?
There are numerous reasons why your eyes could be lackluster. First, you should consider any ocular health concern that must be addressed.
This could be as simple as having dry eyes. If your eyes are dry, they may appear duller and can also become red and irritated. If you notice your eyes appear less bright during the winter months, this is likely the culprit because the air in winter tends to be significantly dryer. Allergies and conditions such as blepharitis can also impact the appearance and vibrance of your eyes. Be sure to consult your healthcare provider to assess your eye health and address the root cause of persistently dull, irritated, or red eyes.
The skin around your eyes can also significantly impact how your eyes look. Dark circles are a common skincare concern and can be caused by genetics, lack of sleep, sodium intake, dehydration, and other factors.
Aging is a common factor affecting all skin - including the skin around the eyes - from crow’s feet to undereye puffiness and dull skin around the eyes. The skin around your eyes is thinner and more delicate, becoming more prone to creases and wrinkling with age. This can make blood vessels more visible under the skin, leading to dark circles. The loss of excess fat, collagen, and elastin as we get older can also make your eyes appear sunken and undereyes to look hollow or dark.
Whatever the cause of your skin concerns, there are steps you can take to brighten your eyes.
What Lifestyle Factors Can You Adjust To Brighten Your Eyes?
Wind, smoke, dry air in airplanes, cars, and your home can dry out your skin. To alleviate irritation from dry eyes, consider using a humidifier and incorporating a nourishing eye cream or serum with hyaluronic acid to lock in moisture. On a windy day, you may want to wear sunglasses for an added layer of protection from dry air.
Your diet affects every part of your body - including your skin! Eating a diet rich in omega fatty acids can help address dry eyes and skin. Salmon, sardines, walnuts, and avocado are all packed with healthy omega fatty acids that nourish your skin from the inside out, helping it appear vibrant and bright.
Getting enough sleep may also help brighten your eyes. Sleep debt, or just getting low-quality sleep, can often lead to puffiness and dry eyes, leaving your eye area looking less-than-stellar. Aim for seven to nine hours of sleep to support your overall health and a radiant complexion. If you’re concerned about your sleep quality, try making minor adjustments to your sleep hygiene, like sticking to a stricter routine and cutting back on screen time before bed.
Hydration is key to your skin health. Not only can drinking enough water make your skin appear more youthful and, by extension, make your eyes look more youthful, but it may also minimize puffiness around your eyes by alleviating fluid retention.
Reducing your alcohol and sodium consumption may also help minimize dark circles or a puffy undereye area. Both alcohol and salt can cause your body to retain water, leading to bloating or swelling, and alcohol specifically can interfere with your sleep quality.
In short, eye and skin health are linked to your overall health. Getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet rich in omega fatty acids, staying hydrated, and cutting back on alcohol and sodium all help your skin appear radiant and bright. Dry air robs skin of its radiance, so using a humidifier and nourishing skincare can also support bright eyes.
How Can Your Skincare Routine Promote a Brighter Eye Area?
Because so many factors that can make your eyes look dull affect your skin health, it’s no wonder that the proper skincare routine can be beneficial. To keep your complexion (and your eye area) even, glowing, and youthful-looking, ensure your routine addresses three main elements: visible signs of aging, hydration, and skin tone.
Start your routine by cleansing and exfoliating with the NuFACE dual-sided Prep-N-Glow Facial Wipes. Enriched with hydrating hyaluronic acid, brightening antioxidants, and nourishing minerals to rejuvenate and cleanse your skin to reveal a radiant glow, it’s the perfect way to cleanse skin without stripping it of natural oil.
Next, apply a few drops of your favorite NuFACE Ionized Super Booster onto your fingertips and massage the booster into your clean, dry skin until fully absorbed. If brightening your eye area is your priority, we’d recommend our Super Vita-C Booster to brighten your skin with Niacinamide and vitamin C for a more even complexion.
To amplify your under eye treatments, consider using microcurrent technology to treat the skin and facial muscles. The Trinity+ with Effective Lip & Eye Attachment is designed with precise dual-wands to deliver gentle microcurrent to the delicate eye area to tighten skin, smooth lines, and rejuvenate the undereyes. Pair with NuFACE FIX® Serum, a nourishing formula packed with IonPlex to conduct microcurrent and hydrate skin, hyaluronic acid, triple peptide complex, and light-reflecting pigments for an instantly brighter appearance. Download the NuFACE Smart App for a step-by-step tutorial.
At the end of your morning skincare routine, it’s crucial to apply SPF every single day. Even if you’re not planning to spend much time outside or it isn't very sunny, UV rays can still get to your skin. Over time, this can lead to free radical damage, contributing to visible signs of aging like fine lines, wrinkles, and discoloration. Daily sunscreen application can prevent this and help you maintain a bright, even skin tone.
Eyeing a Brighter Future
While many factors can make your eyes appear less bright, from visible signs of aging to discoloration or puffiness around the eyes, there are also many ways to help address these concerns. To revitalize your eyes, consider making simple lifestyle swaps like reducing your sodium intake, getting quality sleep, and using a humidifier. Skincare formulated with active brightening ingredients and microcurrent technology are another way to help brighten, tighten, and smooth the look of under eyes for a more rejuvenated appearance.
Sources:
How Much Sleep Do I Need? | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
