As we age, we begin to notice fine lines and wrinkles appear around the face due to a loss of elasticity and collagen, as well as volume loss in the face. One of the most common areas where wrinkles become noticeable is around the eyes, particularly under the eyes. If under-eye wrinkles are causing you stress, here are some tips and tricks to smooth out your undereye!
Why Is the Eye Area Prone to Wrinkles?
The skin under your eyes is especially prone to wrinkles because it's thinner than other areas of your face. In addition, it stretches beneath the cavity of your eye, which opens and closes all day. With every blink, the skin is stretched and released back to its resting place. This makes for noticeable lines.
Think back to the times you’ve crinkled your eyes in a smile, shut them tightly in a laugh, or squinted them to get a better view of something. All of these tiny movements of the face break down facial muscles and the skin of the face, creating lines and wrinkles.
How Can I Address Under Eye Wrinkles?
We’ve compiled some of our favorite tricks to reduce under-eye wrinkles, varying from quick at-home tools to more advanced procedures. There is a little something for every level of treatment.
1. Exfoliate
An easy way to get rid of under-eye wrinkles is to focus on the creases themselves and choose nourishing skincare products to help minimize their appearance.
If you’ve never heard of AHAs or alpha hydroxy acids, allow us to let you in on the not-so-secret trick of the skincare world. AHAs are commonly found in chemical peels, but you can also see them included on the ingredient list of moisturizers, serums, or toners. This is convenient if you aren’t interested in seeking wrinkle treatment outside your home.
AHAs work as exfoliators, buffing away dead cells sitting atop your wrinkles and leaving behind super-soft skin. Exfoliation diminishes the look of wrinkles by allowing fresh skin to come to the surface. After exfoliating, always follow up with an effective moisturizer to nourish your new skin cells and prevent dryness.
2. Choose Soothing Ingredients
Another way to reduce under-eye wrinkles is to use gentle and soothing ingredients under your eyes. You’re probably familiar with eye irritation as that “puffiness” you see when you’ve just cried or woken up from a long nap. Antioxidants like vitamin C or green tea extract can effectively nourish the eye area to improve the look of this delicate skin.
3. Support Collagen
If you don’t own a good-quality topical retinoid, now would be the time to invest in one! As a derivative of vitamin A, retinoids come in various formats. The most popular type of retinoid is retinol. It can be easily accessed over the counter, meaning you don’t need a prescription to pick it up. Retinoids like retinol can help support natural collagen for an overall youthful-looking appearance.
If you want some extra strength, consult with a board-certified dermatologist and see if you can get a prescription for Tretinoin or tazarotene. These bring collagen production at an even faster pace, making for near-magic wrinkle reduction.
4. Consider Microcurrent
Microcurrent technology uses gentle microcurrent to re-energize the facial muscles and increase collagen production of the skin, which in turn smooths, lifts, and tones skin and facial muscles. Here are a few of our favorite award-winning and FDA-cleared microcurrent devices.
Trinity Device
One of our favorite microcurrent devices is the Trinity Device Complete Set. Not only does this set include our Trinity Device to tone, lift, and contour, but it also includes the Wrinkle Reducer Attachment and Lip & Eye Attachment to further target wrinkles in the eye area. The Trinity won Best Facial Tool in the Allure 2020 Best of Beauty Award. The proof is in the science — 80% of participants saw smoother skin, 85% noticed improved facial contour, and 77% saw an overall toning effect.
FIX Set
If you already have the Trinity Device, we recommend our FIX® Line Smoothing Starter Kit. This mascara-sized device was created to treat precise areas of the face and instantly blur fine lines and wrinkles. Use it around the mouth, forehead lines, and around the eyes to smooth out wrinkles in minutes!
5. Under Eye-Specific Products
There are entire sections of the skincare world dedicated to anti-aging under-eye products. These are usually marketed as eye creams, packaged as hydrating moisturizers or serums suitable for all skin types. However, they have benefits and work well when combined with these other methods.
To make the best use of any eye cream, regardless of how much it promises to correct, make sure to use a backup in the form of sunscreen to protect yourself from dry skin and sun damage. Sun exposure is one of the biggest causes of wrinkles and can make your skin look far older than it is. Keep UV rays away by layering on an SPF of at least 30 after you’ve used any other products and before you go outside.
The Bottom Line
Common wrinkle treatments include BOTOX®, micro-needling, or even fillers — but if you don’t want injectable solutions, fear not, as other options are available. Cosmetic procedures can work well for some, but they have side effects and require recovery. So start with the basics, like exfoliation, retinol products, and microcurrent therapy — we’re sure you’ll be surprised by how excellent the results are!
Sources:
Do retinoids reduce wrinkles? | Harvard Health
Why Your Face Ages and What You Can Do | Harvard Health
