wrinkles under the eyes, what tips to forget them?

Article written in collaboration with L'Oréal Paris

What if it all started with a look?

It's called a "hot spot" just like the mouth. The look is the first thing you see in someone when you meet. The resulting expressions are numerous: don't we say that sometimes a simple glance is enough? Love at first sight? This is to say if it is of utmost importance! The look is all the more important nowadays with the wearing of the mask which has become widespread all over the world – and which risks becoming anchored in our habits for a moment – everything goes through the look since It is no longer possible to touch each other, or sometimes even to speak to each other.

Through our gaze, we can communicate our emotions, capture attention, signify our boredom and disagreement, or grant and give importance to others. However, wrinkles under the eyes, crow's feet, dark circles and puffiness can quickly extinguish a glare of embers. They are even often at the top of the lists of female complexes. So, at a time when masks dress faces on a daily basis and the gaze is even more emphasized, it's impossible to close your eyes! In order to keep a fresh and youthful look, you have to act quickly and effectively.

Why is the look so fragile?

Like the contour of the lips, the eye contour is one of the most fragile areas of the face. First, because the skin there is extremely thin. It would even be three to five times thinner than the rest of the face. Another factor is that it has fewer sebaceous glands: these glands are responsible for the production of sebum, which protects the skin on the surface. Finally, the gaze is permanently overused. The sun that makes your eyes squint and attacks the skin with its UV rays, the many micro-muscle contractions when you smile, laugh, cry or even get angry, and the natural blink and perpetual of the eyes (more than 20,000 times a day!) … all this irreparably leads to the appearance of wrinkles under the eyes and crow's feet. Yet between acne, large pores and other blemishes, we tend to overlook the orbital area. The message is therefore clear: to keep young skin longer, the eye area is a particularly vulnerable area to be pampered as a priority!

Wrinkles at any age

One of the first signs of aging is sagging skin around the eyes. Indeed, over time, the elastic fibers and the collagen fibers, present in the skin cells, deteriorate and lose their ability to tighten the epidermis. The natural production of hyaluronic acid also drops slowly. The skin becomes thinner, slackens and crumples little by little. Boom, wrinkles appear under the eyes! After 30 years, they become thicker and more difficult to dislodge. However, the first fine lines can appear at any age and the years are not always a determining factor. Lifestyle, genetics, skin quality, as well as lack of care, can also be partly responsible for the skin degradation around the eye. For example, dry, thin and / or fair skin is more likely to have early wrinkles under the eye. Regardless of their origins, the result is the same for everyone: wrinkles fill the eyes, give a tired look and age the entire face for several years.

Prevention is better than cure

Even though they are the product of a natural aging process, whether from dehydration or from expression, wrinkles don't really happen without warning. Certain habits to take, certain actions can make it possible to limit the damage, even to save time before their appearance.

Protect yourself from light and UV rays
Our emotions are certainly spontaneous and it is difficult to prevent them. On the other hand, it is quite possible to counteract lighting problems by simply wearing sunglasses when necessary. In short: if the sun is shining, summer and winter, protect your eyes and at the same time your skin! In case of prolonged exposure, apply a treatment with a UV index to limit the risk of premature cell aging, caused by the sun's rays. And if you work on the computer all day or spend a lot of time on your phone screen, consider lowering the light and wearing blue light blocking glasses.

Put on prescription glasses
It sounds simple, put it like that, but if the ophthalmologist has prescribed glasses for you, wear them! By dint of accommodating the sight and squinting the eyes, the eye area becomes tired and this promotes the establishment of wrinkles before the hour.

Quit smoking
Tobacco causes oxidative stress leading to the formation of free radicals with deleterious effects on the skin. The chemicals in cigarettes even directly alter the collagen and elastin that the skin needs badly to stay young and beautiful. Finally, tobacco constricts blood vessels and therefore nutrients have a harder time reaching tissues and cells.

Adopt a healthy lifestyle
In order to put the odds on your side, change your habits and adopt a healthy lifestyle. Eat balanced as often as possible and consume foods that preserve the skin from aging: fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants, essential fatty acids (dried fruits, oilseeds, oily fish, organic vegetable oils and pressure to cold) and some animal protein for collagen intake. Forget everything that promotes the appearance of wrinkles: say goodbye to sugar (responsible for inflammation and the glycation phenomenon which increase the risk of aging of the skin), limit drenched evenings (alcohol is also a source of inflammation), avoid sun exposure, drink plenty of water (about 1.5 liters per day), do not overheat your interior (especially at night), be zen and meditate as much as possible, go to bed early and get enough sleep .

Muscle eyes
A simple little exercise to do every day is to close and open your eyes several times in a row, keeping the eyelids closed for 2 to 3 seconds.

Relieve the pressure
As with eyelid strength training, think from time to time to relax your gaze to avoid unnecessary micro twitching. Place your thumbs in the inner corner of the eye and gently press up towards the inner tip of the eyebrow.

Remove eye makeup every day
As for a beauty ritual, absolutely clean your eyes morning and evening, including when you are not wearing makeup. Even if you haven't put on mascara, pollution, fine particles, dust or even sebum accumulate on the skin and slowly suffocate it. Choose textures to apply with your fingertips (oils, milks, two-phase), especially if you have sensitive eyes. Are you a fan of make-up removal in the shower? Use only lukewarm water. It should especially not be too hot at the risk of attacking the hydrolipidic film of the skin and causing skin dryness.

Eliminate all sources of irritation
When removing make-up, avoid rubbing with a cotton pad at all costs, as this would only further attack skin that is already particularly fragile. Also beware of treatments that are not specific to the orbital area or have not been ophthalmologically tested. Do not use irritating active ingredients such as certain essential oils, skin care products containing fruit acids or perfume.

How to remove expression lines or dehydration under the eyes?

Hydration plays a key role in erasing wrinkles that are already present (or at least reducing their appearance), but also in preventing small news. The skin, like the body, is in great need of hydration … After all, we are 65% water! Drinking enough every day improves blood and lymphatic circulation. This is a good thing to do with dark circles and puffiness, because when they get in the game it quickly makes it look tired or even sad at times. On the epidermis side, it is important to focus on a highly moisturizing treatment, suitable for the eye area. A good eye contour will have both a preventive and a curative effect. The right time to start? From 20 years old if you feel the need and according to your skin type. From the age of 25, experts agree that taking this habit slows down the skin aging process!

The right anti-wrinkle ingredients
To smooth and reduce wrinkles under the eyes, opt for a nourishing eye contour treatment, rich in powerful active ingredients. Hyaluronic acid stimulates collagen production, but above all hydrates and shapes the skin, perfect for filling fine lines. Retinol (pro-retinol, softer and less irritating or its natural equivalent, bakuchiol, generally better tolerated), the anti-aging active par excellence for promoting cell renewal and preventing the formation of new wrinkles. Or the powerful antioxidant vitamin C to protect the collagen naturally present in the skin.

Choose a powerful treatment
To take care of the eye area, the choice of care is essential. Revitalift Filler (+ Hyaluronic Acid) Eyes has the particularity of being the eye contour with the most hyaluronic acid concentration of all L’Oréal Paris eye care products. Thanks to its cool and curved tip, just drop a dab of texture under the eyes morning and evening, before massaging from the inside of the eye outwards. Thanks to its ultra concentrated formula, it plumps up this area called “the valley of tears” and makes wrinkles disappear very quickly.

The trick to know
Place the eye contour treatment in the refrigerator overnight to provide a feeling of freshness when you wake up. The cold tightens the skin, stimulates blood circulation and deflates the bags.

Revitalift Filler + Hyaluronic Acid) Eyes, L'Oréal Paris
Thanks to its formula highly concentrated in hyaluronic acid, it plumps the valley of tears and immediately smoothes the eye area.
Revitalift Filler (+ Hyaluronic Acid) Eyes, L'Oréal Paris, € 17.90

HXR-Eye Cream Global Action – Skin Perfusion, Fillmed

Toleriane Ultra Contours Yaux, La Roche Posay

Eye contour care: what is the gesture?

To pamper the eye area with the help of dedicated treatments, apply daily to clean, dry skin a cream specifically formulated for this delicate area. Apply a small amount (the size of a grain of rice) on the index fingers, then start from the inner corner of the eye at the level of the brow bone and gently smooth from the tips of the fingers to the temples. Follow the bone in the orbital zone, being careful not to pull the skin, as this may cause the opposite of the desired effect. You can make small circular movements under the brow bone, always at bone level. Then under the eye, apply a little more texture and pat gently to allow the treatment to penetrate. No need to get too close to the eye. To do morning and evening.

The right tool

Facialists will tell you, there is nothing better than your fingers to massage this delicate area of ​​the face. But the jade or rose quartz roller can have several beneficial effects. Playful, it can motivate neophytes to massage the eye area. Still have a light hand: don't forget that this skin is particularly fragile. Finally, the cold effect of the stone helps revive micro circulation. Some all-in-one treatments have a cooling effect applicator tip.

Rose Quartz Roller, Sentara Holistic, € 45 exclusively at Bon Marché Rive Gauche

Apply a nourishing mask

To erase and prevent wrinkles from dehydration, once a week, apply a rich mask specially formulated for the eye area to soak the skin with water and lipids.

Apply targeted patches

Soaked in serum with powerful active ingredients or hydrogel, the patches under the eyes are ultra easy to use and perfect for a hydration boost. In just a few minutes, they target the area around the eye, revive the look, smooth fine lines under the eyes and erase all traces of fatigue. To be applied before a special moment (evening, meeting …), in the morning during breakfast to start the day well, or even on weekends in cocooning spa mode at home. Place a patch under each eye, on the lower eyelid and wait about ten minutes.

Hyal-Eclat Eye Wrap, Qiriness

Use natural care

If you prefer natural methods to treat the eye area, it is quite possible to use vegetable oils such as borage, rosehip or argan oil. Fans of grandma's recipes can also bet on the good old mask of cucumber slices. This, mainly made up of water, also contains vitamin C and E (to stimulate collagen production). Ideal for nourishing the skin, including that around the eye area, avocado is packed with essential fatty acids.

Aesthetic medicine as a last resort

When the wrinkles are indeed there and hydration is no longer sufficient, aesthetic medicine can be considered as a solution. The idea is to inject hyaluronic acid, a natural product, to hydrate and plump the skin by restructuring the shape. For the eye area, it is possible to give the injections around the dark circles to fill the hollow. By plumping the area, it also smooths out wrinkles, but the results don't last forever. Depending on the crosslinking of the hyaluronic acid used, the effects of the injections last more or less long, between six months and a year. Another, more long-lasting option, the fractional laser can improve the appearance of the skin in just a few sessions. The laser stimulates the cells responsible for making collagen and elastin (the two proteins that skin lacks over time) to reduce wrinkles. This time, the effects are visible for two years. Note that aesthetic medicine is a practice that requires comprehensive and personalized care in order to optimize results and properly meet the needs and expectations of patients.

Camouflage with makeup

When the wrinkles are not too severe, but present enough to bother you, you can camouflage them with a concealer after applying the eye area. Choose liquid or creamy textures that fill in, and avoid powders that tend to migrate and accumulate in the hollow of wrinkles and thus risk marking them even more. Also, don't hesitate to emphasize your lashes with mascara or even on the mouth with a beautiful lipstick to distract attention.