Eye Skin Damage - Causes & Symptoms You Should Be Aware Of

Your eyes are the windows to your soul. They are the first thing a person looks at when speaking to you. They tell stories of your life. They reveal your emotions and often your innermost secrets. They tell your personality in their expression. As the focal point of your face, you obviously want your eyes and the skin around them to be appealing, bright, glowing, and youthful. But as you age and your skin changes, the area around your eyes is not exempt. So it is important to pay close attention to your eyes and how to properly care for and prevent possible damage to the skin surrounding your eyes. Keep reading for three major causes and symptoms of eye skin damage and what you can do to lessen the effects of aging around your eyes.

Why Eye Skin Needs Special Attention

Eye skin is very unique compared to the rest of the skin on your face and body.  It is about ten times thinner than the skin on your face making it more susceptible to showing signs of aging.  It is also more sensitive than the rest of your skin thereby requiring different techniques and products for proper care and nourishment.  As you age, collagen production slows down which contributes to the loss of elasticity in your skin and the skin around your eyes will begin to show visible signs of aging quicker than the rest of your skin.  

Types of Eye Skin Damage: Causes, Symptoms, and Remedies

1. Crow’s Feet

Crow’s feet are the fine lines and wrinkles that appear at the corners of your eyes as you age. The main causes of crow’s feet are repetitive muscle movement in that area such as squinting, laughing, and smiling; the loss of skin elasticity as collagen production slows with age; and the weakening of the supportive tissue, muscle, and bone underlying your eye skin.

Remedies: To prevent further damage to the sensitive skin around your eyes, apply sunscreen with a product that is suitable and safe for the eye area. Eye creams and eye moisturizers at bedtime will help maintain proper hydration to the skin in that area which will reduce the appearance of dry, wrinkled skin. Botox and laser treatments are other alternatives for reducing the appearance of crow’s feet.  If that is an option you would like to explore, contact an experienced dermatologist who specializes in treatments of this sort.

2. Dark Circles Under Your Eyes

The appearance of dark circles under your eyes seems to have a high genetic component that comes from hyperpigmentation of the skin in that area. Also, people who have a very fair complexion combined with thinner skin may show superficial blood vessels under the eyes that create a reddish or purple hue.  Dark circles can also occur as a sign of aging. As the volume of the underlying tissue begins to deplete, dark hollow shadows will begin to appear under your eyes. And, of course, allergies that cause frequent eye rubbing will thicken the skin around the eyes causing dark shadows to appear.  And lack of sleep is a major culprit in the appearance of dark circles under your eyes.

Remedies: Obviously, adequate sleep is essential for preventing the appearance of dark circles under your eyes. But if sleep is not the cause, there are other treatments available to remedy any shadows that have been appearing around the eye area. Proper hydration, sunscreen, moisturizers, and eye creams are highly beneficial in maintaining supple healthy skin around your eyes. Hydrating eye patches and face masks can also provide quick and intense moisturizing to that area. Specialized eye concealers are great for hiding dark circles. For a more permanent fix, you can also consult your dermatologist for laser treatments and other filling agents to minimize the dark shadows around your eyes.

3. Crepey or Sagging Skin Around the Eyes

As the aging process continues, the fine lines and wrinkles around your eyes start to spread onto your eyelids which can create the appearance of crepe-like, brittle skin.  The drier the skin becomes in that area, the more prone it is to sagging.  

Remedies: Once again, proper hydration is a key element in reducing wrinkles and sagging around your eyes. To reduce excess skin or sagging around your eyes, try reducing the amount of salt that you consume because a high salt intake in your diet can cause significant drying and sagging of the sensitive skin around your eyes. Also, be sure to properly hydrate your body.  The more water you consume, the healthier and more supple your skin will appear. If allergies seem to be the cause of some of your eye skin issues, consult your doctor for proper allergy treatments to minimize these eye-related symptoms.

Taking proper care of the skin around your eyes is essential to maintaining a healthy and youthful appearance. So don’t just see the world through your eyes, let the world see you through your eyes!