Eye Creams – Do They Work?

 Knowledge is power – how is the skin around your eyes different from the rest of the skin on your face?

The skin around the eyes does not differ from the skin on your face. This is a misnomer propagated by the cosmetic industry.  Aging of the skin around the eyes is caused by heredity, sun damage, muscle pull, fat loss and gravitational pull on the skin. Often wrinkles appear first around the eyes because of the dynamic movement of the muscles around the eyes and the breakdown of the building blocks of the skin due to sun damage.  Sun damage leads to wrinkles, pigment changes and vascular discoloration which contribute to the appearance of aging. It also leads to skin cancers which if left unchecked can damage the eye itself. Another little known fact about aging around the eyes is that the eyelashes become shorter and thinner.

Are you wasting your money or do over the counter eye care products work?

The skin around the eyes is just as susceptible to sun damage as the rest of the face therefore protecting the skin around the eyes from the sun’s rays is important. The single most important over the counter product for skin around the eyes as well as the rest of the face and neck is sunscreen.

Sun glasses designed to protect against the ultraviolet rays of the sun will not only protect the delicate skin around the eyes but will also protect the eye itself from UV light which may cause cancer of the retina. A broad-brimmed hat or visor is also beneficial.

Over the counter eye care products may cause some superficial irritation which results in some slight swelling or edema around the eyes which in turn may make wrinkles less obvious. This effect is temporary and does not actually facilitate any repair. Some topical agents, such as tretinoin and glycolic acids have proven to stimulate collagen repair in the skin and to reverse some of the signs of aging. The concentration required to promote a change is generally not found in over the counter products and must be obtained from pharmacist with a prescription from a physician.

 Treatment options for reversing signs of aging around the skin include:

• Sunscreens with an SPF of 45 or more plus protective eyewear and hats to prevent photo aging.
• Medicated creams for superficial improvement of fine wrinkles, texture and colour around the eyes.
• Botox Cosmetic to treat dynamic wrinkles.
• Fractionated laser resurfacing to erase fine wrinkles and address texture changes.
• Blepharoplasties of the upper and/or lower eyelids to reduce redundancy.
• Latisse to promote the growth of longer and thicker eyelashes.

For more information, or to book a consultation with Dr. Nakatsui, please contact our clinic at (780)482-1414 or to book online, please fill in the fields below.

Thank you.

For your convenience, Botox and filler appointments, as well as Coolsculpting, Thermitight, and HydraFacial MD appointments can be booked directly online or by calling the office directly at 780-482-1414. There is a $100.00 refundable deposit required to reserve an appointment using the online booking service (please note there is a $20.00 administrative fee deducted from this deposit). If you cannot find a convenient time using the online scheduler, please call as there may be additional appointment times available that are not visible online.
For all other services, please call to schedule an appointment.
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