Kayla Young
Fun fact: the skin around your eyes is up to 20 times thinner than the rest of your skin. It is fragile and you should never tug, rub, or roughly handle the skin around your eyes.
Eye cream is great for handling a wide range of concerns but is known for reducing signs of aging. But should you wait until you have wrinkles to use eye cream?
Keep reading to learn when to start using eye cream and what products might be best for you.
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When To Start Using Eye Cream
So, you’re unsure about when to start using eye cream. Should you wait until you’re older? Start implementing it at the first sign of fine lines?
The answer is simple: start as soon as possible.
Like yesterday!
When it comes to any kind of skincare, prevention is key. The earlier you start, the more likely you are to enjoy youthful skin as you age.
Whether you’re in your 20s, 40s, 60s, or beyond, eye cream has a place in your skincare routine.
Eye cream is often praised for its anti-aging abilities. But it can also help with dry skin, dark circles, puffiness, and wrinkles.
Every brand of eye cream will have specified benefits. But keep an eye out for a cream with Vitamin A or Retinol in the ingredients list.
These two ingredients are clinically shown to help prevent signs of aging.
What Does Eye Cream Do?
You use your under-eye muscles are constantly moving throughout the day without you realizing it. You squint, glare, blink, smile, and laugh. All these movements will generate wrinkles over time.
Eye cream is formulated to be delicate for sensitive skin and to minimize the chance of irritation if it gets in your eyes.
Eye cream’s goal is to prevent and reduce wrinkles for as long as it can. It does this by moisturizing your skin to keep it plump.
Eye creams are also full of antioxidants that can protect your skin from UV rays and environmental strain.
Can I Just Use My Moisturizer?
If you’re wondering whether your moisturizer can do the trick and replace eye cream, the answer is yes.
And no.
While a moisturizer would be fine, eye cream is designed to be delicate on the skin beneath your eyes. The skin there is vulnerable to environmental factors and daily stressors.
Your eyes are in constant motion and strain. By reading this article, your eyes are squinting and darting around the page.
The skin around your eyes doesn’t produce enough moisture to avoid wrinkles. Over time, your skin will lose its elasticity, and collagen will begin to break down at a slower pace.
Moisturizers can have many benefits, but their ultimate purpose is to hydrate your skin. But those hydrating moisturizers are usually a heavier cream formula. They have a composition that isn’t suitable for the undereye.
Eye creams are all about anti-aging. These creams include specific ingredients clinically shown to help your under-eye area stay youthful. They have a delicate composition, perfect for the fragile skin around your eyes.
How To Apply Eye Cream
Your under-eye area is so delicate that you want to avoid any kind of rubbing, pulling, or stretching. Gentle touches and patting motions are key when dealing with your eyes.
Pre-Application Cleansing
Before applying eye cream, make sure your skin is clean and free of makeup.
To remove your makeup without pulling at your skin, you should pour your eye makeup remover onto a cotton round and gently hold it to your eye. Leave it there for a few seconds so the makeup underneath can dissolve.
After those seconds pass, ease the cotton round across your eye to wipe away the makeup. It should come off quickly after dissolving.
Avoid rubbing or tugging with the cotton round.
If you can, avoid using makeup remover wipes. Yes, they a popular choice to remove makeup. But wipes are harsh and irritating to your skin (whether that be your under-eye or the rest of your face).
The tugging, wiping, and rubbing motions required when using makeup wipes are too aggressive for your face, let alone the skin around your eyes. Their use can result in redness, irritation, and wrinkles.
Using Eye Cream
To apply eye cream, take a pea-sized amount onto your fourth finger. This is the ideal finger to use as it will provide the lightest touch.
Gently pat the cream from the outside to the inside of your under-eye area. Follow your orbital bone as you apply.
As your muscles move, the cream will move up with the movements. Putting the cream directly on your under-eye can cause it to move into your eyes and irritate them.
How To Find The Best Eye Cream For You
With so many options to choose from, it can be difficult to decide which eye cream is best for you. It’s important to consider your goals, age, and concerns when choosing an eye cream.
You may feel that your eye cream is making your wrinkles worse. It shouldn’t! If that seems to be happening, you may be using a cream with ingredients that don’t mesh well with your skin.
If You’re In Your 20s:
In your 20s, the skin around your eyes is naturally plump and firm. At this age, it’s all about protection and prevention.
Look for a cream that is hydrating, brightening, and energizing.
If You’re In Your 30s:
At this stage in your life, you are starting to produce less collagen and fine lines will begin to appear.
Aim for an eye cream that will strengthen the moisture barrier and lock in hydration.
If You’re In Your 40s:
In your 40s, your skin is looking for hydration and may feel a bit dull.
Search for an eye cream that is peptide-rich and hydrating, ultimately maintaining moisture levels.
If You’re In Your 50s:
Here, you’re prone to thinning and sagging skin, and wrinkles.
What you’ll need is a hydrating cream that will even out your skin tone and smoothes your under-eye area.
If You’re In Your 60s:
At this stage, your skin is growing thinner and flatter, so it can get pretty dry.
You’ll want a hydrating eye cream that is concentrated to reduce signs of aging.
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