Everybody ages; it’s a simple fact of life that is unfortunately unpreventable. However, how we age is another story.
While everybody visibly ages at a slightly different rate, due to things like genetics and environmental conditions, there are certain things you can help to slow down the aging process in the face. One of the best things you can do is take care and rectify signs of aging around the eyes, as they are one of the primary focus points on your face.
Not only that, but the skin around the eyes is incredibly thin, which means it is extra susceptible to aging from everyday tasks like rubbing the eyes, smiling, or even applying makeup (more on that below).
How Does the Eye Region Age?
As you age, the skin around your eye region begins to lose its elasticity, and the muscles beneath start to weaken their hold that keeps the skin firm to your face. While this is happening, underlying fat in the face begins to dry up and dissipate, resulting in empty spots beneath the skin where lines and wrinkles form.
Despite what one may think, these signs of aging can start while we’re young and in our mid-20s, since the face, especially the eye region, is so expressive.
The three leading signs of aging around the eyes are:
- Drooping eyelids
- Dark circles
- Puffy under-eye bags
Drooping eyelids occur when the underlying muscles of the eyelid weaken to a point they lose their hold on the skin, causing the eyelid to drop down in front of the eye. This can happen to the upper eyelid, making a person appear tired, even when they are fully rested. This condition can also progress to the point of vision obstructed and require blepharoplasty to remove the excess skin.
The lower lid can also sag down, curling outward and preventing a proper closure of the eyelids, which can cause dryness and dust and debris to enter the eye more easily.
When it comes to dark circles, they are formed when fat beneath the eye is thin, thereby allowing blood vessels beneath the skin to more easily show, creating the bruised appearance we see on the surface.
Puffy bags occur when there is empty space under the eye due to dried-up fat cells. The empty area gradually fills with fluid and swelling to create puffy eye bags.
How Makeup Accelerates Aging in the Eye
Makeup is often used to help conceal concerns people may have with their appearance or to hide signs of aging. However, makeup on the eye can actually have a counterproductive effect on the skin.
Primarily this is because any excessive tugging, rubbing, or pulling off the thin skin of the eyelids can cause them to accelerate their aging process and lose their elasticity. So any time a brush is pushed into the skin, false eyelashes are pulled off, and makeup wipes are dragged and rubbed into the skin, the collagen in the area is broken down more quickly.
When applying and removing makeup, it is important to be as gentle as possible and avoid any products with harmful materials to the skin, such as alcohol.
