At 22, my esthetician’s recommendation to use eye cream shook my world; it made me feel old.  Your eyes are the windows to the soul, and it makes perfect sense to take care of them.  As an esthetician, I get a lot of questions like, “why can’t I just use face moisturizers around the eyes?”.  The answer lies in simple skin anatomy.  The skin around the eye area is the thinnest and most delicate, so it’s very important to use specialized treatments to take care of it.  Most times using a facial moisturizer around the eyes will cause milia- small, white bumps that  occur when keratin becomes trapped under the skin’s surface.
As a skin care professional, I hear clients say how much they wish they could turn back time, change their sun care habits and start taking care of their delicate eye area sooner.  Some general eye concerns I hear from my clients are crows feet, under eye darkness and puffiness and a loss of overall volume and sagginess.  In this post I want to address proper eye skin care. 
As a beginner option (in your early twenties), I recommend creams that are lightweight, moisturizing and preventative.  Form a comprehensive routine habit — use them morning and night around your eye area by patting it gently on your face with your ring finger.  Some of the best choices for this are:

• AVST Eye Gel, a fragrance-free energizing gel that has been scientifically formulated with an effective combination of vitamins A, C and E, antioxidants and peptides.  It assists in softening the appearance of fine lines and in improving the appearance of uneven skin tone and sun damage without causing irritation.

• Dr. Dennis Gross Hydra-Pure Firming Eye Cream, provides essential hydration while reducing puffiness and giving a lift. Helps look like you got your 8 hours, even if you didn’t!

• 3 LAB Perfect C Eye Treatment, antioxidant and moisture rich eye treatment enriched with Vitamin C to reduce the appearance of dark circles and hydrate the sensitive eye area, leaving you with a softer and smoother contour area.

In your mid-twenties/early thirties aging begins and your collagen and elastin production slows down.  Collagen is the fiber-like protein that gives skin strength and flexibility and elastin is another protein that keeps skin flexible but tight.  Diminished production of these compounds results in fine lines and wrinkles.  My recommendations to address this issue?

• BR Creme Contour de Yeux, for the eye contour helps smooth small lines around the eyes and nourish eyelashes.  It actively protects dehydrated skin in the eye area. This cream is rich in marine elastin and polyunsaturated fatty acids.  Its velvety texture improves epidermal elasticity, moisturizes and tones the eye area.

• Valmont Factor I, soft and silky eye cream targets the first expression lines.  Acting as a true antidote to the very first signs of time, EXPRESSION LINE REDUCER delivers all the power of the Prime AWF complex to the skin and is enriched with a muscle relaxing tripeptide.

• Cellcosmet Cellular Eye Cream, my current favorite, with 11% active stabilized bio-integral cells is specifically formulated to treat the delicate skin tissue of the eye contour.  The active ingredients of this Cellular Eye Contour cream are formulated in exceptionally high concentrations to revitalize, hydrate and prevent fine lines and wrinkles.

• BR Elastine Pure and BR Collagene Natif serums are amazing to layer under your eye cream for smoothing and moisture.

For overall care in your late thirties/early forties consider 3LAB WW Eye Cream which I hear is JLo’s favorite!  It is a moisture intense treatment for wrinkle-smoothing, brightening, and reducing under eye circles.

• Another good option is Valmont Factor II Firming Lifting Corrector that strengthens the cohesion of the dermal-epidermal junction, decreases the depth of wrinkles, leaves skin smoother with a brighter tone and actively fights against settling of skin around the eyes.

• For under eye darkness and puffiness concerns, I recommend BR VIP O2 Eye Cream layered over BR Oligo-Protein Marine Serum.  It smooths, tones and reduces bags under the eye area, helps prevent wrinkles around the eyes and treats dark circles and bags under the eyes.

• Male clients love Cellmen Gel Eye Contour Dark Circles and Cellmen Gel Puffy Eyes Reliever–both deliver powerful anti-aging results.

For the more mature client looking to do all of the above and avoid eye lift surgeries, I usually recommend the 3LAB Super Eye Treatment for quick and dramatic results.  This elastin and collagen power house serum instantly reduces under eye fine lines and wrinkles and fights darkness and puffiness. 4 in 1? Yes please!
No matter what your concerns are, schedule a facial and get a professional skin assessment to discover what products are right for you.  Skincare is personable and customizable to your needs and we are here to do that for you!
Diana Yerkes