Eye Wrinkles
Eye wrinkles are a common cosmetic concern. They refer to the folds of skin that form around the eyes.
There are three different types of eye wrinkles:
1. Dynamic wrinkles
These are creases in the skin that form from making specific faces 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. With time, dynamic wrinkles turn into static wrinkles.
3. Wrinkle Folds
Wrinkle folds are deep, age-related folds in the skin. As you get older, your skin loses its elasticity, creating wrinkle folds.
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 your eyes. Crying, frowning, furrowing your brow line, and other facial movements can also cause eye wrinkles.
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
2. Exposure to UV radiation
Sun exposure can reduce the skin’s elastic properties. UV causes inflammation, impairs wound healing, and can even alter your DNA.1
Never mind that staring in the sun a lot may make you squint your eyes. When you squint for long periods, muscles contract under the skin that can cause fine lines and wrinkles.1
3. Smoking
Nicotine and other chemicals found in cigarettes can prematurely age the skin. Using certain facial muscles to smoke cigarettes regularly can also contribute to wrinkles around the mouth.8
4. Sleeping on your face
Research finds that when you sleep with your face in a pillow, the sleep lines you may wake up with can eventually turn into wrinkles.6
5. Certain environmental factors
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
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.
11 Ways to Get Rid of Eye Wrinkles (Home Remedies & Professional Options)
While not all eyes wrinkles will go away, here are some ways to treat them:
1. Get your collagen
Collagen is a protein that promotes healthy skin. You can find collagen in the form of powders or pills, as well as in some beauty products.2 These include collagen creams and collagen powders.
2. Sleep on copper pillowcases
Copper can help to restore damaged tissue.4
A 2012 study found that people who slept with copper pillow cases had better skin. They saw an average nine percent reduction in their corner eye wrinkles (crow’s feet) per month for 2 months.7
3. Quit smoking or using tobacco products
Nicotine narrows your blood vessels, which reduces the flow of oxygen and nutrients that reach your skin cells. The other chemicals in cigarettes can also take a toll on your health, which can affect your skin, too.
Quitting smoking or using tobacco can help improve and heal your skin.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 it is for wrinkles to form. Water can also help your skin retain moisture and boosts collagen production in the skin cells.2, 5
5. Invest in a home humidifier
A home humidifier puts moisture in the air. Because dry air can contribute to fine lines and wrinkles, a humidifier can be especially useful in drier climates.9
6. Limit sun exposure and wear sunscreen
It may not be possible to always avoid the sun. But 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
7. Eat a balanced diet
Make sure to eat a balanced diet that is rich in the vitamins and nutrients that your skin needs to stay healthy and elastic.
These vitamins and nutrients include:
- Collagen
- Zinc
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin B
- Selenium
8. Use an eye cream
Eye creams help moisturize the skin around your eyes and reduce fine lines and wrinkles. You can also use an oil or another product to hydrate the area. For example, this product is packed with the vitamins and nutrients listed above.
Some products are specific for nighttime use. You’ll apply the eye cream before going to sleep, allowing your skin to absorb it throughout the night.
9. Use a moisturizing eye mask
An eye mask is another product that helps reduce eye wrinkles. Many masks, like Matkas eye masks or Olrom eye masks, have ingredients like retinol, hyaluronic acid, and aloe to promote healthier skin.
10. Consider botox or fillers
Botox and fillers can help treat fine lines and wrinkles, and prevent future ones.
Botox freezes the muscles around the eyes so you can’t contract them, helping to prevent wrinkles. Fillers fill in the fine lines in your skin with hyaluronic acid to decrease their appearance.
Botox injections were the most popular non-invasive cosmetic procedure in 2020. Over four million procedures were performed.
11. Get a facial massage
A facial massage can help work out fine lines and wrinkles in your skin. Massaging promotes blood flow to the area, lymphatic drainage, and muscle relaxation. These can all help reduce wrinkles.
You can also use rollers (like this Jade roller and gua sha) to massage your face at home.
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
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 eye wrinkles aren’t a cause for concern, you can still take steps to treat and prevent them. Plus, having healthier skin is always a benefit.
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