Do you have unwelcome wrinkles and fine lines appearing around your eyes? It can be alarming to see signs of aging when they start to show.
The first area where wrinkles become noticeable on the face is around the eyes. Fortunately, several treatments can help reduce visibility and improve skin elasticity.
This article explores a few effective ways to help prevent, minimize, and get rid of eye wrinkles.
Eye Wrinkles
Eye wrinkles are skin folds around the eyes. They’re a common cosmetic concern.
The natural breakdown of our collagen and elastin causes them, which leads to a decrease in skin elasticity.
Generally, there are three different types of eye wrinkles:
1. Dynamic Wrinkles
These creases in the skin form from making specific facial expressions over time. If you smile a lot, you may develop creases in the corners of your eyes.3 You can only see these wrinkles when you contract certain muscles.
2. Static Wrinkles
These are wrinkles that develop due to skin damage. Static wrinkles are fine lines and folds in the skin that are visible even when muscles aren’t contracting.
They appear under the eyes, on the forehead between the eyes, or in the corners of the eyes. Dynamic wrinkles turn into static wrinkles over time.
3. Wrinkle Folds
Wrinkle folds are deep, age-related folds in the skin. As you age, your skin loses its elasticity, creating wrinkle folds much easier to see than dynamic and static wrinkles.
These deep wrinkles usually appear on the cheeks, around the eyes, and between the brows.
11 Ways to Get Rid of Eye Wrinkles (Home Remedies & Professional Options)
While not all eye wrinkles will go away, here are some ways to treat them:
1. Prioritize Collagen
Collagen is a protein that helps keep your skin looking firm and youthful. It works by reducing wrinkles, sagging, and dryness. You can find collagen in powders or pills and some beauty products.2
These include collagen creams and collagen powders. Foods like fish, bone broth, and kale are also rich in collagen.
2. Sleep On Copper Pillowcases (On Your Back)
Copper pillowcases are a natural way to reduce wrinkles. Copper is an essential mineral for skin health that helps reduce inflammation.
The copper in these pillowcases is designed to absorb into your skin, helping stimulate collagen production. It also helps restore damaged tissue.4 Just make sure to lie on your back.
A 2012 study found that people who slept with copper pillowcases had better skin. They saw an average 9 percent reduction in their corner eye wrinkles (crow’s feet) per month for two months.7
3. Quit Smoking Or Using Tobacco Products
Smoking causes wrinkles because it limits the nutrients and oxygen in your skin. This can lead to premature aging signs like wrinkles, dry skin, age spots, and thinning skin.
Other chemicals in cigarettes can also take a toll on your health, affecting your skin. Hence why stopping tobacco use is one of the best things you can do for your skin and overall health.8
4. Drink More Water
Drinking water has plenty of health benefits. For one, it helps hydrate your skin. The more hydrated your skin is, the less likely wrinkles will form.
Water can also help your skin retain moisture and boost collagen production in the skin cells.2,5 You should drink at least eight glasses of water daily to keep your body hydrated.
Fruits and vegetables are other good sources of fluids that will help keep your skin hydrated.
5. Invest In A Home Humidifier
Humidifiers increase the humidity of your home by adding moisture to the air. This helps keep the skin hydrated and prevents wrinkles from forming.9 It also prevents dryness, cracking, and flaking.
Using a humidifier at home can also help reduce redness and irritation associated with dry skin. If you live in an area with low humidity, investing in one is a great way to keep your skin looking and feeling good.
6. Limit Sun Exposure And Wear Sunscreen
Sun damage can lead to wrinkles, age spots, and sunburn. And unfortunately, it’s impossible to avoid the sun at all times.
Using SPF whenever you leave the house (even on cloudy days and in the winter) can help. It protects your skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays.1
Our experts recommend investing in a broad-spectrum sunscreen with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide for better protection. You can also wear a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses to help cover your face.
7. Eat A Balanced Diet
You are what you eat, so a balanced diet can help combat wrinkles and keep your skin young. Foods like avocados, salmon, spinach, and blueberries are rich in antioxidants that help prevent skin damage.
Additionally, make sure to get plenty of the following vitamins and nutrients in your daily diet:
- Collagen
- Zinc
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin B
- Selenium
8. Use An Eye Cream
Different types of eye creams help reduce wrinkles and puffiness around the eyes. To rejuvenate your skin, look for creams with antioxidants, peptides, hyaluronic acid, and retinol.
These ingredients stimulate collagen production and help keep your skin looking young. Eye creams can also help brighten dark circles under the eyes and reduce puffiness.
Check out this product. It’s packed with the vitamins and nutrients listed above and is perfect for fighting wrinkles in the eye area.
9. Use A Moisturizing Eye Mask
Moisturizing eye masks can be beneficial if you’re looking to reduce wrinkles around your eyes.
Masks like Matkas eye masks and Olrom eye masks usually have hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and aloe vera that help the skin retain moisture.
They also provide a cooling effect, giving your eyes a break from any stress you might have absorbed throughout the day.
10. Consider Botox Or Fillers
If you’re looking for a more long-term solution to wrinkles around your eyes, consider Botox or fillers.
Botox is a neurotoxin that helps relax the muscles that cause wrinkles. It can help reduce fine lines and wrinkles in the eye area.
Conversely, doctors inject fillers with hyaluronic acid into your skin to add volume and fill in wrinkles. They can help reduce the appearance of deeper lines and wrinkles around the eyes.
Whichever treatment you choose, make sure to consult with a professional before undergoing any procedure. A dermatologist or cosmetic surgeon can best advise you on which would suit your needs.
11. Get A Facial Massage
A facial massage helps stimulate blood circulation and boosts collagen production. This leads to a smoother, wrinkle-free skin. It also relaxes and soothes facial muscles, reducing tension in the area around the eyes.
You can do this at home or visit a spa for a professional facial massage. Use an oil or moisturizer to reduce friction and give your skin a good massage.
You can also use rollers like this Jade roller and gua sha tools for a more relaxing and effective session.
How to Prevent Eye Wrinkles
To prevent wrinkles around the eyes, follow the same steps above. Here are some quick tips to recap:
- Maintain a healthy diet
- Drink plenty of water
- Get enough sleep
- Keep your skin hydrated and protected from the sun
- Keep up a daily and nightly skincare routine
6 Causes of Wrinkles Around Your Eyes
There are many reasons why you might develop wrinkles around your eyes. Here are a few of the most common causes:
1. Repetitive Motions and Expressions
Repetitive motions and expressions (like laughing or smiling) can cause creases in the corners of the eyes. Crying, frowning, furrowing your brow line, and other facial movements can also cause eye wrinkles.
After all, smiling requires 17 muscles in your face. On the other hand, over 43 muscles contract when you frown. So, it’s no surprise these movements can leave permanent marks over time.
Despite the correlation between happiness and youthfulness, people who smile a lot may actually look older.
Smiling faces look two years older than non-smiling faces.3 However, this doesn’t mean you should stop smiling. Smiling and expressing emotion are essential to living a happy life.
2. Exposure to UV Radiation
UV radiation from the sun is one of the most common causes of wrinkles. It accelerates aging by breaking down the collagen and elastin in your skin, leading to premature wrinkles.
UV rays also cause inflammation, impair wound healing, and can even alter your DNA.1 This is why wearing sunscreen is important when exposed to direct sunlight.
Additionally, it’s best to avoid staring at and staying under the sun, no matter how tempting it might be. When you squint for long periods, muscles contract under the skin, causing wrinkles and fine lines.1
3. Smoking
Smoking is a major risk factor for wrinkles and other skin problems. It can lead to premature aging, meaning wrinkles can appear earlier than they naturally develop.
Exposure to tobacco smoke also decreases collagen production, leading to more age-related wrinkles. Smoking speeds up the breakdown of collagen and elastin fibers, which gives the skin a dry, leathery appearance.
Using certain facial muscles to smoke cigarettes regularly can also contribute to wrinkles around the mouth.8 Breaking this habit is essential to keep your skin looking its best.
4. Sleeping on Your Face
Sleeping with your face pressed against the pillow for long periods can cause wrinkles. This is because the skin folds when you sleep, creating pressure points that may lead to premature aging.
The sleep lines you wake up with can also eventually turn into wrinkles.6 In addition, sleeping on your stomach stretches and strains your skin. So, it’s best to try sleeping on your back or side to keep wrinkles at bay.
5. Certain Environmental Factors
Climate can also affect the way your skin ages. If you live in a place with dry air, it can take a toll on your skin. Even a 30 percent difference in relative humidity can affect your skin in just 30 minutes.9
Additionally, cold temperatures cause our blood vessels to shrink. This leads to less oxygenation and fewer nutrients in the cells. Without enough nourishment, your skin begins to age faster.
6. Anything You Do (Or Don’t Do) To Age Your Skin Prematurely
Not maintaining a healthy and balanced diet can catch up with you. Not getting enough sleep, forgoing a daily or nightly skincare routine, and other bad habits can also hurt your skin. All of these factors can cause wrinkles.
A skincare routine might look like moisturizing and massaging the face. You should also gently clean your face to remove dirt, dead skin cells, and flaky, dry skin.
Summary
Many people complain about the look of eye wrinkles. The reality is that the older you get, the more likely you are to develop them. Your facial expressions, alone, can cause wrinkles over time.
While they aren’t usually a cause for concern, you can still take steps to treat and prevent them. Plus, having healthier skin is always a benefit.
Following the tips above can help keep your skin looking and feeling young. From quitting smoking to drinking plenty of water and using eye creams, many ways exist to reduce wrinkles around the eyes.
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