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 you get them?
Milia are small encapsulated white bumps (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 opening. Therefore, you cannot "squeeze them out."
It's not entirely clear why milia occur, but they're usually due to unbalanced skin, either too dry or too oily. They can also develop if you use creams or oils that are too heavy, for example a facial cream that's too rich for the eye area.
What can you do about milia?
Use eye creams made specifically for that area, or light oils such as argan oil or camellia oil. Don't apply oils like coconut oil, face creams, or salves around the eyes that are too heavy for the thin skin. It's pointless to try to squeeze them out; instead, go to a skin therapist who can remove them without damaging the skin.
Dark circles under the eyes
Why you get dark circles
Dark circles under the eyes can have several causes. Most commonly, the skin under the eyes, which is 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 you're stressed, your face becomes paler and the dark areas become even more prominent.This is because stress increases blood flow to the body's internal organs, making the facial skin appear paler.
Concealing dark circles with makeup
With the right technique, it's excellent to hide dark circles with makeup. Use orange under your concealer. It may sound strange, but orange cancels out black/dark tones that are actually blue. Apply a thin layer of orange concealer and then your regular concealer, and the circles are gone! Color correcting with orange is great if you have problems with gray tones showing through your concealer.
How to prevent dark circles under the eyes
Long-term, it's best 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 dry and absorbs well into the skin.
Eye cream for sensitive skin: i+m Naturkosmetik 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 including green coffee extract, vitamin C, vitamin E, and herbs, and increases circulation, reduces swelling and dark circles.
Hyaluronic acid eye cream: Evolve 360 Eye and Lip Contour is a nourishing eye and lip cream that helps reduce wrinkles and dark circles.
Luxury eye cream: 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 you get bags under the eyes?
Bags under the eyes are often hereditary but can also be due to poor sleep, allergies, or improper diet. Age also plays a role as the skin becomes thinner and less elastic as we get older. A sugar-rich diet is also not good as sugar makes our skin slack and age faster. The thinness of the skin around the eyes makes it very elastic, and therefore fluid easily accumulates and appears as swelling, i.e., bags.
With dehydration, it's not only dark circles you can get but also bags. When you drink a lot of coffee, energy drinks, black tea, alcohol, or eat a salt-rich diet, for example, it's dehydrating. The body then accumulates fluid as a counterbalance and you can get edema under the eyes. It's therefore 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 brighter but the puffiness remains just as prominent. To make the bags appear less prominent, you can apply a light concealer (one shade lighter than your foundation) only on the darkest areas, for example on the "shadow" that exists under the bag. By brightening the darkest areas, the skin tone becomes more even under the eyes and thus the bags appear 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 use the right products.
Use 100% Pure hydrogel eye masks with active ingredients that brighten, remove swelling, and rehydrate the sensitive skin around the eyes.
Regularly perform a simple facial massage and massage away the swelling. Facial massage resembles lymphatic drainage, which should be done with feather-light movements.
Read more about facial massage techniques that resemble lymphatic drainage, which should be performed with gentle, feather-light movements to help reduce puffiness and improve circulation around the delicate eye area.
Summary
In summary, to prevent and treat milia, dark circles, and bags under the eyes:
Use products that are specifically designed for the eye area. Regular facial creams are usually too heavy and have molecules that are too large to be absorbed by the thin skin around the eyes.
Lifestyle is equally important. Eat a varied diet and drink enough water.
Take care of any stress and prioritize your sleep. Proper rest and stress management are essential for maintaining healthy-looking skin around the eyes.