Have you ever spent serious time applying a dewy, glowing make-up look and then gone out to a party – only to have someone tell you sympathetically that you look tired?

I feel you! Most women – particularly those over 40 – are familiar with eye beauty challenges: dark circles, bags, upper eye hooding or droopiness, crow’s feet and crepey skin. Some challenges are caused by environment or lifestyle; others by genetic factors. Let’s take a look these five and the ways in which they may be treated safely.

(Please note that eye problems may be indicative of more serious health issues. Always check with your medical practitioner if you are unsure of the root cause of your condition.)

As black women, many of us are especially prone to the first issue on our list:

Challenge #1 – Dark Circles
Causes:
– Oxygenated blood which appears as a dark blue/black cast because the skin under the eyes is very thin and almost transparent. This may worsen with age and is often exacerbated by sleeping horizontally which causes fluid to accumulate.

– hyperpigmentation caused by eye rubbing, sun exposure or genetics

Treatments:
– Over-the- counter (OTC) topical eye creams containing caffeine which boosts circulation, temporarily.

– Hyaluronic acid creams which plump up the under-eye skin thus receding the blood vessels.

– Retinoic acid creams formulated to gradually thicken skin and effectively conceal the shadows.

– Rollerballs. A pen-like implement houses a cool metal rollerball which when rolled gently across the under eye area, cools and constricts the blood vessels.

– Sleeping with head slightly elevated.

– Eye creams containing skin brighteners, such as citrus, alpha arbutin or soy

– Applying sunscreen whenever venturing out between the hours of 10am and 3pm

Note: Avoid use of hydroquinone on the eye area unless otherwise instructed by a physician.

Challenge #2 – Under Eye Bags

Causes:
– Fluid retention due to weather, temperature, hormone changes or eating of salty foods\

– Lack of sleep

– Allergies or dermatitis

– Heredity

Treatments (if due to environmental factors):

– Wherever possible, get plenty of fresh air when sleeping. Air conditioners or central heating can exacerbate eye puffiness.

– Monitor your consumption of salty foods. Eating bacon daily? Sprinkling salt on everything in sight? Snacking on chips and salted nuts? Cook with less salt – or none at all. Opt for fruit and unsalted versions of your favorite snacks. And avoid canned soups – they are laden with sodium.

– Try a cool compress on puffy eyes, while sitting up. Press gently for 15 to 20 minutes. Alternatively, try applying cucumber slices or potato slices to eyes. Many women swear by chamomile tea bags to de-puff: apply a seeped, cooled teabag on each closed eye and rest, with head elevated, for 15 minutes.

– Sleep with your head slightly elevated. Prop up your mattress, or use two pillows.

– Try allergy medication/medicines.

– Exercise! 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise (walking, running, dancing can do wonders in reducing puffiness!)

Treatment (if due to heredity):

– Lower eye blepharoplasty (surgical eye bag removal) or a variation thereof may be the only effective option because the fullness is caused by fat pads that can only be removed surgically.

Challenge # 3 – Hooded/Droopy Upper Lids

Causes:
– Ageing: shrinkage and downward displacement of the supporting fat pads under the eyebrows

– Heredity

Treatment:
– Surgical: upper lid blepharoplasty/ an eyebrow lift

Challenge #4 – Crows Feet

Causes:
– Sun exposure: UVA light damages elastin and collagen leading to lax skin that hangs loosely

– Ageing (eye wrinkling can start in your 30s), loss of estrogen/menopause. Women lose 1 – 2% of their collagen every year after menopause.

– Squinting, smiling, facial expressions

– Smoking

Treatment:
– Eye creams formulated with hyaluronic acid and antioxidants to plump up skin and encourage collagen production

– Consistent use of a good UVA/UVB sunscreen – and sensible avoidance of the sun. (Although black women are blessed with melanin which makes us less prone to wrinkles, we still need to protect that precious skin.)

– Microdermabrasion and laser skin resurfacing (to be performed medically – do not use home microdermabrasion units on your eye area).

– Botox – but only as a very last resort. If done well, it can be wonderfully transformative; but all too often, it creates the wooden, waxy doll face with which we are all so familiar.

– Sleep on silk or satin pillows wherever possible (it really works to reduce wrinkling and creasing over time!)

– Avoid sleeping on your side

Challenge # 5 – Crepey Skin

Causes:

– Ageing

– Sun exposure

Treatments:
– Moisturizers containing retinoids (Vitamin A – a known wrinkle reducer)

– Dermal fillers to plump skin

– Peptide creams and hyaluronic acid creams to plump skin and encourage collagen production

In closing, if you are using concealer to minimize your eye issues, apply sparingly with a light touch so as not to pull delicate eye skin – and ensure that the concealer shade is not too light, nor the texture chalky. Ultimately, try not to fixate obsessively on your eye challenges. Play up the facial feature(s) that you do like and continue to take care of your skin in the best way you can.

That’s it for this week.  As always …

Dedicated To Your Beauty

Juliette Samuel

Esthetician/Author/Publisher

Nyraju Skin Care