The skin around the eyes is extra thin and sensitive. This delicate skin easily becomes unbalanced and develops problems. Here are tips on preventive measures and what you can do about milia, dark circles, and bags under the eyes.
Milia
What are milia and why do they appear?
Milia are small encapsulated white balls (keratin cysts) that usually appear around the eyes or on the cheeks. They sit under the skin, consist of dead skin cells and encapsulated sebum, and have no outlet. This means they cannot be "squeezed out." The exact cause of milia is not well understood, but they usually result from unbalanced skin, either too dry or too oily. They can also develop if you use overly rich creams/oils, for example, a too-rich facial cream around the eye area.
What can you do about milia?
Use eye creams specifically made for that area, or thin oils such as argan oil or camellia oil. Do not apply oils like coconut oil, facial creams, or balms around the eyes that are too rich for the thin skin. It's futile to try to squeeze them out; instead, visit a skin therapist who can remove them without damaging the skin.
Dark Circles Under the Eyes
Why people get dark circles
Dark circles under the eyes can have several causes. Most commonly, the skin under the eyes, which is already thin, becomes thinner with age or becomes dehydrated, losing moisture and volume, making the underlying blood vessels more visible. It can also be due to poor sleep, dehydration, iron deficiency, reduced liver function, or being a smoker, as this often leads to reduced blood circulation. When stressed, the face becomes paler and the dark areas appear even more prominent.Stress increases blood flow to the body's internal organs, making the skin on your face appear paler.
Conceal dark circles with makeup
With the right method, it's excellent to hide dark circles with makeup. Use orange under your concealer. It may sound strange, but orange neutralizes black/dark tones which are actually blue. Apply a thin layer of orange concealer and then your regular concealer, and the circles disappear! Color correcting with orange is superb if you have problems with gray showing through your concealer.
How to prevent dark circles under the eyes
Long-term, the best approach is to review your diet and lifestyle, and ensure you're using the right products around the eye area.
Eye oil: Japanese Camellia Kissi Oil is a multifunctional facial oil that can also be used as an eye oil. It's a dry oil that absorbs beautifully into the skin.
Eye cream for sensitive skin: i+m Naturkosmetik - Freistil Eye Balm is a fragrance-free eye cream that provides moisture and nourishment for those with sensitive skin around the eyes.
Eye cream for everyone: 100% Pure Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream contains green coffee extract, vitamin C, vitamin E, and herbs that increase circulation, reduce swelling, and minimize dark circles.
Eye cream with hyaluronic acid: Evolve 360 Eye and Lip Contour is a nourishing eye and lip cream that helps reduce wrinkles and dark circles.
Luxury eye cream: Inlight Under Eye Revive is a concentrated eye balm that targets the sensitive area under the eyes to minimize puffiness and give dark circles a brighter appearance.
Bags Under the Eyes
Why do people get bags under their eyes?
Bags under the eyes are often hereditary but can also be caused by poor sleep, allergies, or an improper diet. Age also plays a role as skin becomes thinner and less elastic as we get older. A diet high in sugar is also problematic as sugar makes our skin saggy and ages faster. The thinness of the skin around the eyes makes it very elastic, which is why fluid easily collects and appears as swelling, or bags. During dehydration, it's not only dark circles you might get but also bags under the eyes.When you drink a lot of coffee, energy drinks, black tea, alcohol, or eat a diet high in salt, these act as diuretics. The body then retains fluid as a counterbalance, and you may develop edema under the eyes. That's why it's very important to drink enough water every day to prevent bags.
Make bags under the eyes disappear with makeup
Makeup tip! If you apply concealer evenly under the eyes, the area becomes lighter but the puffiness remains just as prominent. To make the bags look less noticeable, you can apply a light concealer (one shade lighter than your foundation) only to the darkest areas, e.g., on the "shadow" that appears beneath the bag. By brightening the darkest areas, the skin tone becomes more even under the eyes, making the bags less visible.
Reduce bags and swelling around the eyes
Just as with dark circles, the best long-term solution is to review your diet and lifestyle and to use the right products.
Use 100% Pure hydrogel eye mask with active ingredients that brighten, reduce swelling, and rehydrate the sensitive skin around the eyes.
Regularly perform a simple facial massage to reduce swelling. Facial massage resembles lymphatic drainage and should be done with feather-light movements.
Read the post with illustrations and videos: Lymphatic drainage for the face (also beneficial for acne and rosacea).
Summary
In summary, to prevent and treat milia, dark circles, and bags under the eyes:
Use products specifically designed for the eye area. Regular facial creams are often too rich and have molecules too large to be absorbed by the thin skin around the eyes.
Lifestyle is equally important. Eat a varied diet and drink sufficient water.
Take care of potential stress and sleep. Read this article about how to optimize your sleep.