Under a closer look: the area around the eyes

Girls with smooth skin around the eyes after using rejuvenation methods

When it comes to determining whether a face is attractive or tired, the eyes are the most important. An experienced eye can immediately determine all the secrets of our life and ancestry, just looking at our eyes. Medically speaking, as we age, our bodies go through a long series of changes, and the delicate area around the eyes is the first to show signs of these changes.

For some, these signs appear earlier, for others - later, but many of us wonder: what are the factors responsible for the appearance of wrinkles and sagging eyelids, and what can be done to join the league of eye ownersforever young.

Unraveling the mystery of aging eyes

Blepharochalasia is not only a strange and difficult word to pronounce, but also a medical term for the appearance of excess skin around the eyes or the appearance of heavy eyelids. This is a fairly common problem caused by the normal aging process, fatigue, allergies, slow lymphatic drainage, or some other medical condition.

What is special about the skin around the eyes and why is it so delicate?

1. Aging

The skin around the eyes is seven to ten times thinner and more delicate than the skin on the rest of the face and body in general. As we age, the skin becomes thinner due to the loss of collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid (which keeps the skin moist). The delicate skin is stretched under the action of a fat body, which leads to noticeable sagging bags under the eyes. Protrusion of infraorbital fat is considered a normal manifestation of the aging process. In addition, aging and several other factors affect muscle weakness, which only worsens the condition of bags under the eyes.

2. Genetic causes

Researchers recently conducted a study to identify risk factors that cause droopy eyelids, with particular attention to genetic factors. They studied two groups of people. The first group consisted of 5578 unrelated people. 17. 8% of the participants in the group had moderate to severe eyelid drooping. In the second group, there were 2186 people who were twins, and 61% of the participants in this group had inherited droopy eyelids. These findings support the fact that the most common cause of droopy eyelids is hereditary.

3. Sebaceous glands

The periorbital area is drier because there are fewer sebaceous glands than the rest of the face. Therefore, his lipid barrier is worse, and he is more prone to the formation of mimic wrinkles.

4. Skull

Prominent cheekbones and deep-set eyes. This is the cause of the hollows under the eyes, the shadows create the illusion that the skin under the eyes is darker, when in fact it is not. As we age, the facial bones of the skull change, and this condition worsens.

5. Translucent capillary

Dark circles under the eyes are actually the result of hemoglobin oxidation. Hemoglobin is the main component of red blood cells, it contains a heme group, an iron atom that binds oxygen molecules.

In this way, red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body and take away all waste products for destruction. When oxygen molecules attach to heme groups, red blood cells turn red. When oxygen molecules are separated and hemoglobin is oxidized, red blood cells turn blue. This is why dark circles appear under the eyes. If red blood cells show through the capillaries around the eye, then enzymes in the body interfere with the movement of red blood cells and oxidize them, turning them blue. When this happens, waste products are released into the bloodstream and carried throughout the body. Translucent capillaries can also cause swelling or fluid retention in the body, making the face look puffy.

6. Toxins in the body

Dark circles under the eyes may indicate problems with sleep or the presence of toxins in the kidneys or liver. According to traditional Chinese medicine, the upper part of the eye and the lower part of the eye are the kidney area. Swelling and fluid retention in this area is a sign that the body has too much fluid (watery and swollen circles, with a blue color) or it is filled with mucus (fat and swollen, with a yellow color). White or blue circles under the eyes indicate tiredness or fatigue. Yellow color indicates weak liver and gallbladder function. If the gallbladder is unable to process and break down fat in the body, this can contribute to the appearance of milia (small white-yellow bumps) around the eyes in some people.

7. Frequent eye movements

The skin suffers from the fact that you often blink and from facial expressions (for example, smiling), also called expression wrinkles.

8. Iron

Iron may be another contributing factor. Red blood cells need iron atoms to attach oxygen molecules to themselves. When the iron content in your body is low, red blood cells cannot attach oxygen to themselves, and therefore blue circles appear under the eyes.

9. Lifestyle

Puffy eyes are another problem that can appear regardless of age or gender. It is caused by a diet high in salt, smoking or alcohol. Due to an unhealthy lifestyle, dark circles under the eyes and early wrinkles also occur.

If you want to know how your eyes will change as you get older, look at your parents. This will give you a clear picture of whether you will have large fat pads under your eyes. But you can try to change the genetic plan with the help of aesthetic medicine.

Other causes of skin deterioration in the periorbital area can be: stress, malnutrition or malnutrition, too much or too little sleep, excessive use of cosmetics (remember to wash it every evening), washing too often with products that dry the skin. skin (avoid alcohol in cosmetics) and damage from sunlight - photoaging.

Treatments are currently available

Wrinkles, bags, dark circles, droopy eyelids are not only unsightly, but can also cause vision problems and headaches (from constantly straining to keep your eyes open). There are many surgical and non-surgical treatments available for tired, sagging or aging eyelid skin.

The choice of method of rejuvenation of the eye area depends on the type of disorder we are dealing with. For example, aging upper eyelid skin may need to be tightened due to excess skin and muscle weakness. Lower eyelids may require swelling and thinning of the skin to be treated, as well as removal of fat bags. Dark circles under the eyes require separate treatment.

Before and after the use of injectable fillers - reduction of circles under the eyes

Volume and Moisture: Fillers

The easiest and most effective way to make the skin around the eyes smooth is with injectable fillers. They give a natural look to the skin and help fight sunken eyes. Fillers also improve the condition of the under-eye circles by 15-20%, but they are practically useless in the fight against fat bodies. There are several specially formulated hyaluronic acid gels that reduce wrinkles around the eyes, providing volume and moisture to the skin.

Before and after laser surgery - rejuvenation of the skin around the eyes

Laser skin rejuvenation

Laser surgery is a non-invasive way to tighten the skin around the eyes. CO2 or Fraxel laser rejuvenation is a very gentle way to gradually restore the rejuvenation of the eyelid skin, which can be used in parallel with fillers or surgical techniques.

Lasers on a microscopic level cause thermal injury to the skin, to which the skin responds by rapid healing and shedding of old damaged cells. Old cells are replaced by new, younger cells. The CO2 laser can also improve skin elasticity, texture, and reduce fine or deep wrinkles, acne scars and freckles.

Before and after blepharoplasty - removal of fatty bodies under the eyes and skin tightening

Surgical method: blepharoplasty

If non-surgical methods do not provide the desired results, blepharoplasty (or eyelid reduction surgery) is used. This procedure is a very effective way to achieve the desired appearance.

The surgeon makes small incisions in the eyelids and under the eyes, removes excess fat and tightens the skin, and then sutures the incisions. Removing fat pads under the eyes significantly reduces puffiness. Surgery can also remove drooping (hanging) eyelids, but it does nothing to combat dark circles or drooping eyebrows - these problems need to be dealt with separately.

Blepharoplasty is the only way to remove protruding fat bodies, especially in overweight people (excess fat accumulates under the eyes in such patients). But non-surgical methods do an excellent job of tightening the skin, wrinkles and hollows under the eyes.