Category: Tear Trough

The Mystery of Undereye Dark Circles – And How to Solve It

You look… tired. Even after a night’s rest. Even after a relaxing, restful vacation. Dark circles under your eyes make you look exhausted, older and less vibrant.

  • But what exactly are they?
  • What causes them?
  • And most importantly, how do you erase them from your face?

What are Dark Circles?

Throughout most of your body, the skin is about 2 mm thick. Under the eyes, however, it is only 0.5 mm. Periorbital dark circles occur when the skin below the eyes shows blood vessels and pools. If you have light or fair skin, the contrast is more striking – that is, the circles are darker.

They appear bluish in people with fair complexions because the skin only allows in the blue wavelength of light. So essentially, dark under eye circles reflect the light from the blood under this thin skin.

We associate dark circles with lack of sleep; this is because this slows circulation and blood is allowed to pool.

Exacerbating the problem, as we age, our skin loses elasticity and becomes thinner. This creates the appearance of deep circles. You may also blame your family: genes play a large role in whether or not you are prone to these blemishes.

Effective Treatments for Dark Circles

Fortunately, there are great treatment options for those struggling with dark under eye circles. Our recommendations:

combining microneedling with radiofrequency, this treatment stimulates the production of collagen and assists in plumping and firming skin. The thin skin under the eyes becomes more full and less able to reflect blue light.

puffiness or “bags” often accompany dark circles. Dermal fillers work to retain lost volume under the eyes, resulting in brighter, more youthful eyes.

this technique works by penetrating beyond the surface of the skin to prompt cell regrowth. The gentle heat targets the connective tissue, allowing it to contract and lift.

Mystery solved! The only question left is which treatment is right for you. Book your consultation to find out.

Banish Your Eye Bags!

Imagine this scenario. You put in a good eight hours with your head on the pillow the night before your job interview. You wake up the next morning hoping to look great, but when you glance in the mirror, there are those frustrating bags under your eyes again. What are you doing wrong? Why won’t they go away?

The Science Behind Bags Under Your Eyes

The skin under your eyes is incredibly delicate, and as a result, it can weaken and sag easily. When it does, fluid accumulates in that spot, and you begin to see swelling you might not see in other places. Heredity plays a role in just how noticeable your bags are, but anyone can get them from a number of different things. Seasonal allergies can cause them, as can problems like sleeping face down. Smoking and alcoholic beverages can cause them too.

What You Can Do Now

There are a number of things you can do to put an end to the problem. Sure, that decent night of sleep helped a lot, but you may need to take things one step further if that’s not enough. A healthy diet can really matter as well. High sodium diets, like the kind found when you eat too much take-away, can cause you to retain water, even under your eyes. Lower your salt intake a bit, and you may find they disappear on their own. Staying hydrated can help too. If you’re not getting your eight glasses of water each day, you’re not doing enough for your skin, and you may experience those bags under your eyes.

Consider a Tear Trough Treatment

If you have a deeper than average tear trough, a dermal filler can help refresh and rejuvenate your eyes. It’s completely non-invasive. During our tear trough treatment, we’ll simply inject a filler with long lasting results that will help minimise the appearance of eyelid bags. Ready to get started? Book your session now.

 

 

The Under Eye Area: Why the Most Sensitive Part Of Your Face Needs Special Attention

The phrase ‘the eyes are the window to the soul’ is very apt, as our eyes are key to all of our facial expressions and movement throughout our life. From frowning to smiling and everything in between. We know what someone’s thinking or feeling by looking at their eyes, and we can judge someone’s stress levels by how much they’re frowning at their computer screen.

Our skin gradually loses elasticity and natural collagen as we age, and our muscles move, and gravity doesn’t help our cause either. Collagen is a “structural support” in our skin, and it breaks down as we get older, so skin is less firm and plump, and begins to sag.

So far, so familiar. But the skin underneath our eyes is particularly sensitive, more so than many might realise. It’s much thinner than the rest of our skin and that’s why it’s so prone to dark circles, puffiness and wrinkles. If you’re really tired, it will be written all over your under eye area, and dark circles can appear to age even someone in their twenties.

eye bag before and after

Eye Puffiness

It’s an old cliche that putting cucumber slices on your eyes will reduce puffiness (cold tea bags are another commonly known remedy), and some claim that they work a treat, but before you reach for them eagerly, it’s worth bearing in mind that most eye care professionals and opticians don’t recommend it. Cucumbers and teabags can both be full of bacteria – something you definitely don’t want hanging around your eyes.

If you’ve tried these tricks before and they worked well though, don’t despair. It’s the coldness that did the job, so try a wash cloth soaked in cold water, a soothing, cooling eye cream, or a chilled eye mask instead. No bacteria, but nice and chilly.

Coldness makes our blood vessels constrict, “which reduces the flow of fluid into soft tissues”, the root cause of eye puffiness. Another great remedy is to drink lots of water and make sure you’re fully hydrated, so avoid coffee and sugary drinks – less water will be retained in the under eye area, bringing swelling down.

pumpkin facial

Dark circles and discolouration

There’s a long list of the potential causes of dark circles under the eyes, such as fatigue, allergies, stress, anaemia, drinking too much and even oversleeping. And as you get older, and you lose some of that all important collagen and firmness, dark circles become much more visible as the under-eye skin thins.

If your dark circles are being caused by fatigue, tackling your lack of sleep would be the best place to start, but if you’re sick and tired of reaching for excessive amounts of concealer every morning, a rejuvenating facial treatment could do the trick.

The Vitamin C Rejuvenation Facial contains Vitamin C, Alpha and Beta Hydroxy Acids and fruit enzymes, which speed up cellular turnover for lightening, tightening and brightening all skin types. Alpha hydroxy acids encourage firmness and the thickening of the skin, something the under eye area is often in desperate need of.

 

eye model

Wrinkles

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of creams and serums on the market that claim to reduce the signs and deepness of wrinkles. Nearly everyone who tries out these products out, however, will find that their pocket is what takes a hit, not the wrinkles.

Anti Wrinkle fillers are still renowned for reducing the signs of ageing, and almost every female celebrity, actress or performer will have considered them or had them at some point. Chemical messages from the nerve to the muscle are blocked by the injection, temporarily weakening it and making facial muscles appear smoother and lines softened. For before and after pictures, information about the procedure, and what to expect, book a free consultation today. We have 9 London clinics open 7 days a week for you.

10 Common Things That Could Be Ageing You

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Habits are hard to break; that’s a given…which is why many of us continue to follow routines and to ingest things we know won’t do us any good at all even though deep down, we want to stop.

The daily stresses of life, the problems with sleep and the tiredness which many of us use as an excuse to not change are the very things which will disappear if we do make some alterations to our routines and to get a grip of those everyday things which age us!

Take a look at this list of 10 everyday things that age you and see how many you’re guilty of!

skin care model1:  Alcohol:

A quick glass of wine or one pint of beer doesn’t do any harm does it? Well yes, quite frankly it does. Alcohol is a natural diuretic; which means that it encourages water loss…which in turn means that it dehydrates. Dehydrated skin always looks stressed and older than it needs to and long term regular alcohol use means that your skin will suffer.

2: Stress:

How on earth can we stop stressing when the very thought of it stresses us out? The trick is to reduce caffeine intake; this will automatically improve your sleep regime which will automatically make you less stressed in the day. Long term stress can reduce lifespan and can wreak havoc on your looks and your body’s ability to function well in general which makes it more susceptible to the signs of ageing.

3:  Sunshine:

Of course we all love the sun; it makes us feel good because it’s full of good vitamins and it’s associated with fun times. But the sun will ruin your skin if you don’t protect it. Just look at the skin of older people who’ve spent years working outdoors; more like leather than anything right? Keep your skin safe and pretty by using sun protection every single day…yes, even in the winter!

4: Smoking:

Even if you’re only a “social smoker” it’s just not worth it when you consider how much of a threat to not only your looks but your health in the long run. Smoking deprives your skin of oxygen and this results in pale, uneven skin tone. Smokers age far sooner than non smokers too…so maybe it’s time to quit?

5: Food:

Yes we know that you know that your daily bar of choc or your evening packet of crisps is bad for your waistline but did you also know that those high fat and high sugar foods are bad for your skin? Processed foods actually cause inflammation within the body which speeds up the formation of wrinkles. Change those crisps for roasted veg and the chocolate? Try a banana instead if you’re in need of something sweet.  A diet full of fruit and veg will protect your skin and keep it younger looking for many years to come.

6:  Lack Of Sleep:

Sleep isn’t called the Great Healer for nothing you know. When we sleep our bodies go into overdrive; they repair and check and repair again. This is when new cell growth happens and when bacteria which shouldn’t be there is beaten out by antibodies. Protect your body and protect your sleep…practice good sleep hygiene which means don’t eat for a few hours before bedtime, don’t have televisions or computers in the bedroom and make sure your mattress is in good condition too!

7:  Caring For Your Eyes:

Eyes aren’t only the windows to our souls, they’re also a pretty good indicator of a person’s age! They reveal stress, worry and sadness and the skin around them is the most delicate on your face. Protect and care for this area with the best creams available. Look out for eye creams which contain Peptides; this will stimulate collagen production as well as reduce puffiness.

8:  Bad Make Up:

We don’t mean badly applied…we mean cheap, nasty and grubby. Buy the best you can afford, wash your brushes regularly and change your mascara as often as possible. Keeping bacteria at bay is the best weapon you have in the fight against skin infections and spots.

9: Central Heating:

As winter closes in around us it’s tempting to turn up the heating and shut the windows but stop…before you do this think about your skin! Central heating is drying and if you’re sitting in a falsely warm, dry atmosphere for hours every day then your skin will become dry and flaky. Open the windows now and then and if you’re feeling the chill, then put on an extra layer!

10:  Cleansing Badly:

Washing your face with soap may feel “clean” but it’s not doing you any favours. Don’t be tempted to rub your skin with a rough flannel too often either. Treat it like a fine silk garment…use the best products and be gentle and you will see an improvement within weeks.

Your face is out there all day, it’s exposed to everything from weather to traffic fumes and it needs some TLC on a daily basis. Treat your body well from the inside out and your face will thank you for it![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]