If you have been searching online for the best treatment for under eye wrinkles, you have my full sympathy if you are feeling frustrated. There are so many products and services being advertised online, so where do we even begin? Personally, I think it is almost impossible to say what the best treatment is for wrinkles. For some people, it might be cosmetic surgery. For others, it might be Botox injections, while others may prefer a far less drastic approach.
The best treatment for fine lines and wrinkles, including wrinkles under your eyes, depends almost entirely on what sort of treatment you can afford, and what sort of treatment you feel comfortable with. In this post, I am going to briefly discuss five of the most popular treatments, and their various pros and cons. Before I get started though, let us first take a look at things like puffy eyes, dark circles around eyes, and also bags under eyes.
Puffy Eyes, Under Eye Bags and Dark Eye Circles
Most people encounter one or more of these problems at least a few times during their lives. In most cases, these are only temporary and relatively easy to deal with. Quite often, all that is needed is a little bit more sleep. Reducing stress levels can also lead to a significant improvement. Even increasing your daily fluid intake can also greatly reduce things like dark eye circles, puffy eyes, and bags under your eyes.
While these issues can, and are often only temporary problems caused by things such as a lack of sleep, or even from consuming too much salt in your diet, they are also a typical part of the aging process. Fortunately, for most people who encounter these problems, they are only cosmetic, because, let’s be honest, they simply don’t look nice.
As we age, the skin around our eyes begins to thin, and the muscles that support our eyelids also weaken. When this happens, the fat that is usually located around our eyes can migrate to the area beneath our eyes. This then causes bags to form below our eyes, giving our eyes a puffy appearance. This process can also cause dark eye circles to form.
There are numerous home remedies that can effectively reduce the appearance of dark circles, puffy eyes, and even bags under the eyes. Some of these include:
- Getting more regular sleep.
- Reducing salt intake – Salt can cause fluid retention which can contribute to puffy eyes.
- Applying cold compresses to the affected areas – Cold compresses cause blood vessels to constrict, and can be particularly useful for reducing the appearance of dark eye circles.
- Applying slices of cucumber to the affected areas – Cucumber contains a great deal of water and a nice amount of vitamin C, allowing it to moisturize and nourish the skin.
- Applying used teabags to the affected areas – Tea contains caffeine which is a powerful antioxidant that can stimulate blood circulation in the delicate skin around our eyes.
Facials that include gentle massaging around the eyes can also be quite effective, as can some antioxidant-rich skin care products. Vitamins C and E are both good antioxidants, so I would strongly recommend choosing a cream or serum designed for use around the eyes, and one that contains either one or both of these vitamins.
If none of the above home remedies work, or if they simply do not produce the sort of results you want, then it might be best for you to go and see a dermatologist. A dermatologist will be able to recommend the best treatment for under eye wrinkles and other similar problems based on your own individual circumstances.
According to the Mayo Clinic website, if there is severe swelling, or if the swelling is accompanied by persistent pain, itchiness or redness, then it is recommended that you see your doctor.
What Causes Wrinkles under Eyes
Age and genetics are the main causes of wrinkles under the eyes. Some people might only start to see wrinkles forming when they reach their mid-fifties or sixties, but it is fair to say that most of us see under eye wrinkles starting to appear by the time we reach our late thirties or early forties. These are, of course, age related wrinkles. If, on the other hand, you develop fine lines under the eyes at 25, then it is almost certainly due to genetics.
While we cannot completely prevent under eye wrinkles, there is a lot we can do to delay them and/or reduce the appearance of any that already exist. I am sure you are already familiar with all the most common tips for doing this, such as not spending too much time in the sun; using a good quality sunscreen; reducing alcohol consumption, etc. Instead of me repeating things which you already know, let’s instead look at a few treatments that can either eradicate wrinkles or at the very least, reduce their appearance substantially.
5 Effective Treatments for Wrinkles under the Eyes
Okay, let’s take a look at five different options you have if you are determined to get rid of those wrinkles which have appeared under your eyes. I am going to begin with the most drastic form of treatment and then work my way down to the least drastic type of treatment.
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Cosmetic Surgery
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Wrinkles can be eradicated entirely.
Results can last for up to 10 years or more.
Surgery can remove wrinkles and also greatly delay the appearance of new wrinkles. -
Cosmetic facelift procedures can be very costly, generally from $3,000 to $5,000.
As with all types of surgery, eyelid surgery comes with a relatively high degree of risk.
Surgery typically involves a hospital stay along with pain and discomfort to varying degrees. -
Chemical Peels
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Chemical peels are classified as a minimally invasive procedure.
Chemical peels can significantly reduce or even remove wrinkles entirely.
Chemical peels are, in nearly all instances, outpatient procedures – no hospital stays. -
Relatively costly – Expect to pay upwards of $700 per chemical peel.
Temporary side effects are common, including pain, blurred vision, and difficulty closing your eyes.
Increased sun sensitivity – Treated areas must be rigorously protected from the sun permanently.
Chemical peels cannot be used for treating deep wrinkles or sagging skin. -
Botox Injections
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Botox injections have a long and well-established track record.
Side effects are typically quite rare, and usually not very serious.
Highly effective as a treatment for crow’s feet, forehead wrinkles and wrinkles around the mouth. -
Relatively expensive and regular follow up treatments are necessary to maintain results.
Botox injections have not been approved by the FDA for treating wrinkles or bags under the eyes. -
Laser Treatments
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Laser resurfacing can drastically reduce or even eradicate lines, wrinkles and various blemishes.
Laser treatments are outpatient treatments, meaning that overnight stays are not necessary. -
Recovery times can last from 10 to 20 days depending on the nature of your treatment.
Side effects such as redness often last for up to 3 months.
Laser resurfacing can permanently lighten or darken the skin.
Treating deep wrinkles can cost thousands of dollars. -
Purpose-Made Topical Treatments
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Topical treatments can be used in the comfort of your home.
By comparison to other forms of treatment, topical treatments are a lot more affordable.
A significantly reduced risk of side effects compared to other more drastic treatments. -
Topical treatments can take months before definitive results are seen.
The results are rarely as profound as those which can be achieved with more drastic treatments.
Long term use of some topical treatments can result in permanent skin damage.
Many people would say cosmetic surgery is the best treatment for under eye wrinkles. You get results almost instantaneously, and the results can be absolutely astonishing. Even though I personally would never undergo surgery for wrinkles, I am forced to admit that no other type of treatment can compete in terms of effectiveness.
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CONS:
If you want to see immediate and very noticeable results but without undergoing surgery, then a chemical peel might be the best treatment for under eye wrinkle. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, this form of treatment can be very effective at removing or greatly reducing eye wrinkles and dark eye circles. If you would like to read more about chemical peels, you can do so by visiting American Society of Plastic Surgeons website.
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CONS:
If cosmetic surgery and chemical peels are too drastic for you, then Botox injections might be an option. Botox injections can produce really impressive results when used for treating wrinkles that are related to movement, such as forehead wrinkles. They are also very effective for treating wrinkles around your mouth, and also crow’s feet. However, they are not the best treatment for under eye wrinkles.
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There are several different types of laser treatments available, but Carbon Dioxide Laser Resurfacing and Erbium Laser Resurfacing tend to be the most frequently used for treating facial wrinkles and various blemishes such as acne scars. Laser resurfacing can even be used for treating deep wrinkles, but several treatments may be required, and this can increase the total cost significantly. It is worth keeping in mind that a single treatment may very well cost you upwards of $2,500.
PROS:
CONS:
For many people, purpose made topical products are more or less the only viable option for treating wrinkles. If all of the above mentioned treatments are out of the question for you, for whatever reason, then you will need to put your faith in topical treatments. Some can only be obtained if you have a prescription from a doctor, while others are available over the counter without any need for a prescription.
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Retinoids – What Are They and Do They Work?
The term “Retinoids” refers to a variety of chemical compounds that are either vitamers of vitamin A or else they are chemically related to vitamin A. Like all other vitamins, vitamin A comes in a number of related forms. Together, these are known as vitamers.
There are several retinoid-based products on the market which have been designed for treating a range of different skin related problems, including wrinkles, skin discoloration, acne, etc. Retinoid-based products arrived on the market in the 1970s. Today, non-prescription retinoids can be found in a multitude of different anti-aging creams and lotions. There are also several different prescription-only retinoid-based products on the market.
Prescription vs. Non-Prescription Retinoids
Why are some retinoids “prescription-only” while others can be bought over the counter? The reason for this is because prescription retinoids are significantly more potent than those which are available over the counter. When dermatologists prescribe a retinoid, they will generally prescribe a product containing tretinoin and retinoic acid, and these products can be 100 times more potent than non-prescription retinoids.
There is no denying the fact that prescription strength retinoids can reduce the appearance of wrinkles, but are they the best treatment for under eye wrinkles? I would prefer not to answer that question. Would I use one of these treatments on the skin under my eyes? Maybe I would if I was really desperate enough but they certainly wouldn’t be my first choice. My biggest concern is the delicate nature of the skin beneath one’s eyes.
So, how about non-prescription retinoids? Personally, I don’t think I would want to waste my time or my money. After all, skin care manufacturers only need to add a miniscule amount of some or other type of retinoid, and then they can use the term “Retinol” on their product labels. Maybe if you use them long enough, you might notice some type of results, but how much money will you have spent?
My other concern would be: what other ingredients are manufactures adding to these OTC anti-wrinkle creams? How many other chemicals are being added? If you have read any of my other posts, I’m sure that you will already have concluded that I am very much opposed to using skin care products that are laden with chemicals.
Treating Under Eye Wrinkles Naturally and Safely
There are these days many all-natural skin care products on the market, including many which have been designed to reduce or remove lines and wrinkles. Of course, just because a product has been designed to reduce the signs of aging skin, that does not necessarily mean that it can or will. It is also not only the ingredients that determine whether a product works or not. A lot also depends on how your own skin responds to a particular product.
I myself have had quite favorable results with a number of all-natural products, but one which really seemed to stand out was Kanapa soothing Eye Contour Cream. I have also had good results with some of the other products in their Kanapa range, which is why I tried the Soothing Eye Contour Cream in the first place. It is an all-natural product that contains 10 or more natural ingredients which are well-known in skin care circles. The main difference is that you are not likely to come across another product that contains all of these ingredients in one go.
Obviously, I am not going to say that this cream is the best treatment for under eye wrinkles, but it is certainly an excellent contender if you want to stick with all-natural skin care. I have found that it gets absorbed very easily and very quickly, and it does not leave any oily film or coating on the skin. Oh, and yes, it certain is lovely and soothing.
The manufacturer states that results can be seen after 6 weeks of regular use, but I think this is based on a study they had done. For the study, a group of women (and some men) were told to apply the treatment daily for six weeks. Various aspects of their wrinkles were recorded just prior to the study, and then recorded again 6 weeks later.
During the clinical trial, noticeable results were actually seen within 4 weeks. This trial was done using the company’s Eyeliss eye contour cream. Eyeliss was later improved by including additional ingredients to complete the blend which is now known as the Kanapa blend. As I have said, I am not saying that this is the best treatment out there for under eye wrinkles, but it is definitely one which I would recommend trying.
