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Blog
2020-09-23
Prize to the Eyes:
A Step-by-Step Guide to Treating The Eye Area Right
A Step-by-Step Guide to Treating The Eye Area Right
The skin around the eyes is especially delicate and requires special treatment.
The reason for the fragility is a simple one — the skin directly under the eyes does not have sebaceous glands. Do you ever wonder why you will never see a blackhead directly under your eyes? This is why. This area is similar to the center of the neck — also no sebaceous glands. Accordingly, you treat the skin of the eye (and neck) in a different way.
Additionally, the skin on the eyelid is the thinnest skin on the entire body. When you consider that the skin is part of the nervous system and it’s the largest immune organ, it makes sense that you should never apply any treatment to the upper lid. It is too readily absorbed. You can apply product to the area on the bone, but never the eyelid.
Let’s start with the appearance of your face and eye area. Many people experience puffiness. This is usually an accumulation of lymph in the ducts in your face and neck. Your lymphatic system is responsible for circulating lymph throughout your body, removing toxins and waste in the process, but pools can accumulate at the ducts and cause puffiness.
You will see tutorials about the treatment of the eyes where they tell you to push the lymph away from the eyes. This is misleading. You’re just going to move the lymph from eyes to the cheeks or jawline if you’re lucky. You have to address the blockages all the way from your face to your neck to your body.
The capillaries of the lymph system are the width of a hair, so you can imagine it’s easy to gather an accumulation of lymph.
There are tutorials on Google that show you the location of the lymph nodes and the direction of how lymph moves. They also demonstrate the slow circular movements used for lymphatic massage. Clean your hands every evening and do those movements. I cannot guarantee that this is going to drain the lymph nodes, but it’s going to help.
There is a very specialized practice of lymphatic massage and drainage that is offered by LTR/licensed massage therapists and LE/skin therapists. This is a treatment I recommend getting twice yearly for your health to keep your lymphatic system clear. I recommend looking for therapists who have been trained by Bruno Chikly at the Upledger Institute International in Florida or at the Vodder Akademie in Austria.
Start the treatment of the eye area with a double cleansing of the skin. I think it’s essential for any skin type.
The first cleansing is with an oily product like a cleansing oil. This way you can also remove your eye makeup. Massage the cleansing oil in. I like to use the Foreo T-Sonic scrubber to move the cleansing oil. It’s made of silicon and is very pleasant feeling. You can use it around the eyes, but don’t stretch the skin.
I remove the cleansing oil with a washcloth. All my washcloths are used once then collected and washed with bleach. I do the same with hand towels. We’re going back to what grandma used to tell us — wash your hands. There’s never enough hygiene. We don’t want to be germaphobes, but we do want to be clean.
I like Eye Scrub sterile saline wipes to remove eye makeup. They are in single use packets so they’re easy to travel with. I also clean the skin with these wipes. You can store them in the freezer.
As a special treatment at home, I use these sterile eye pads to create a compress. If you want to drain the lymph, apply coffee to the sterile eye pads. It’s the caffeine that helps. Or use eyedrops and apply them on top of the sterile pads. It will help take away the redness.
When double cleansing, I like a cleanser with enzymes. Apply the cleanser and don’t scrub — guide it around the skin with the Foreo, specially on the forehead and across the cheeks. Then leave it on. You want the enzymes to work on the skin — they have to go inside the follicles.
I like to do something special around the eyes, so I choose an enzyme cleanser with fermented pumpkin. It’s the best exfoliant for around the eye. Fermented pumpkin enzyme digests the dead skin around the eyes. It is much better than a scrub.
When you touch the eye area, use your ring finger — it’s the weakest finger of the hand. Tap the product into your skin. The tapping is going to create a stimulation of the fibers around the eyes. If you rub, you will stretch the fibers. Tapping is going to stimulate the skin to produce more fibers.
If you’re doing this in the evening, you want retinol around the eyes. You want the skin to be flexible — to move and snap back. The beauty of retinol is that it rejuvenates the skin by creating fibroblasts, the cells that produce collagen.
One of my favorites is Lucrece A&M Eye Recovery Therapy, which is a serum that layers exquisitely over a canvas of a previously applied antioxidant eye serum like Sunday Riley CEO Serum. Gently tap it in. The tapping will give a kick to the fibroblasts.
The best eye serums are those that have liquid crystals. I like Dermorevision Phytosterol Crystals Eye Creme, which is an uber-nourishing serum that you use very sparingly. It is excellent in keeping the very thin skin around the eyes supple and elastic. A top make-up artist told us that this creme maintains the skin and keeps it soft and pliable all day.
If you’re doing this routine in the morning, sun protection is next. Sun protection is the most important thing you can do to rejuvenate your skin. If you use sun protection powder with zinc oxide in it you may actually mix it with your eye cream. After applying the eye cream mixed with sun protection, then brush some more sun protection on for a double layer of zinc. Layers are very important.
As I always say, I don’t recommend choosing your own products. I recommend seeing a dermatologist or a skincare professional. They see more skin in their practice in a week than you will see in a lifetime and they will know things far beyond what you can find.
Christopher recommends:
EYE SCRUB Pre-Moistened Pads
Individually wrapped, non-irritating, hypoallergenic and pH balanced pads. Real for travel or daily eyelid hygiene.
Order here (link to external website)
Eye Scrub Sterile Eye Makeup Remover & Eyelid Cleansing Pads 30 ea (Pack of 3)
CHICHET Bone Marrow Eye Creme
This unique and rich creme is based on Parcelsus’ principle "similia similibus curantur,” the disease can be cured by something that causes its symptoms. Applied with light tapping, this creme easily gets absorbed to soften and nourish the skin with medulic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid naturally inherent in bone marrow.
Available online at chichet.com
SUNDAY RILEY
Autocorrect Eye Creme
This light emulsion addresses dullness, puffiness and under eye shadows. There are extensive studies on Horse Chestnuts, which is in this creme. This formula, which is reasonably priced, is a good eye creme for young skin, to contrast the “tired look” that may also be linked to reduced eye movements (from excessive mobile use).
Order here (link to external website)
Sunday Riley Auto Correct Brightening and Depuffing Eye Contour Cream
LUCRECE A&M Eye Recovery Therapy
Argireline® and Matrixyl® and EyelissTM are a winning synergy that address protein synthesis, lack of elasticity and puffiness. In my long experience this serum layers exquisitely over a canvas of a previously applied antioxidant eye serum (i.e. Sunday Riley CEO Serum).
Available only though Doctors and MEDI-SPAs.
DERMOREVISION USA Phytosterol Crystals Eye Creme
This uber-nourishing serum needs to be applied in a very small amount. It is excellent in keeping the very thin skin around the eyes supple and elastic. Top make-up artist use this creme because has the unique ability to maintain the skin and keeps it soft and pliable all day.
Available only though Doctors and MEDI-SPAs.
The reason for the fragility is a simple one — the skin directly under the eyes does not have sebaceous glands. Do you ever wonder why you will never see a blackhead directly under your eyes? This is why. This area is similar to the center of the neck — also no sebaceous glands. Accordingly, you treat the skin of the eye (and neck) in a different way.
Additionally, the skin on the eyelid is the thinnest skin on the entire body. When you consider that the skin is part of the nervous system and it’s the largest immune organ, it makes sense that you should never apply any treatment to the upper lid. It is too readily absorbed. You can apply product to the area on the bone, but never the eyelid.
Let’s start with the appearance of your face and eye area. Many people experience puffiness. This is usually an accumulation of lymph in the ducts in your face and neck. Your lymphatic system is responsible for circulating lymph throughout your body, removing toxins and waste in the process, but pools can accumulate at the ducts and cause puffiness.
You will see tutorials about the treatment of the eyes where they tell you to push the lymph away from the eyes. This is misleading. You’re just going to move the lymph from eyes to the cheeks or jawline if you’re lucky. You have to address the blockages all the way from your face to your neck to your body.
The capillaries of the lymph system are the width of a hair, so you can imagine it’s easy to gather an accumulation of lymph.
There are tutorials on Google that show you the location of the lymph nodes and the direction of how lymph moves. They also demonstrate the slow circular movements used for lymphatic massage. Clean your hands every evening and do those movements. I cannot guarantee that this is going to drain the lymph nodes, but it’s going to help.
There is a very specialized practice of lymphatic massage and drainage that is offered by LTR/licensed massage therapists and LE/skin therapists. This is a treatment I recommend getting twice yearly for your health to keep your lymphatic system clear. I recommend looking for therapists who have been trained by Bruno Chikly at the Upledger Institute International in Florida or at the Vodder Akademie in Austria.
Start the treatment of the eye area with a double cleansing of the skin. I think it’s essential for any skin type.
The first cleansing is with an oily product like a cleansing oil. This way you can also remove your eye makeup. Massage the cleansing oil in. I like to use the Foreo T-Sonic scrubber to move the cleansing oil. It’s made of silicon and is very pleasant feeling. You can use it around the eyes, but don’t stretch the skin.
I remove the cleansing oil with a washcloth. All my washcloths are used once then collected and washed with bleach. I do the same with hand towels. We’re going back to what grandma used to tell us — wash your hands. There’s never enough hygiene. We don’t want to be germaphobes, but we do want to be clean.
I like Eye Scrub sterile saline wipes to remove eye makeup. They are in single use packets so they’re easy to travel with. I also clean the skin with these wipes. You can store them in the freezer.
As a special treatment at home, I use these sterile eye pads to create a compress. If you want to drain the lymph, apply coffee to the sterile eye pads. It’s the caffeine that helps. Or use eyedrops and apply them on top of the sterile pads. It will help take away the redness.
When double cleansing, I like a cleanser with enzymes. Apply the cleanser and don’t scrub — guide it around the skin with the Foreo, specially on the forehead and across the cheeks. Then leave it on. You want the enzymes to work on the skin — they have to go inside the follicles.
I like to do something special around the eyes, so I choose an enzyme cleanser with fermented pumpkin. It’s the best exfoliant for around the eye. Fermented pumpkin enzyme digests the dead skin around the eyes. It is much better than a scrub.
When you touch the eye area, use your ring finger — it’s the weakest finger of the hand. Tap the product into your skin. The tapping is going to create a stimulation of the fibers around the eyes. If you rub, you will stretch the fibers. Tapping is going to stimulate the skin to produce more fibers.
If you’re doing this in the evening, you want retinol around the eyes. You want the skin to be flexible — to move and snap back. The beauty of retinol is that it rejuvenates the skin by creating fibroblasts, the cells that produce collagen.
One of my favorites is Lucrece A&M Eye Recovery Therapy, which is a serum that layers exquisitely over a canvas of a previously applied antioxidant eye serum like Sunday Riley CEO Serum. Gently tap it in. The tapping will give a kick to the fibroblasts.
The best eye serums are those that have liquid crystals. I like Dermorevision Phytosterol Crystals Eye Creme, which is an uber-nourishing serum that you use very sparingly. It is excellent in keeping the very thin skin around the eyes supple and elastic. A top make-up artist told us that this creme maintains the skin and keeps it soft and pliable all day.
If you’re doing this routine in the morning, sun protection is next. Sun protection is the most important thing you can do to rejuvenate your skin. If you use sun protection powder with zinc oxide in it you may actually mix it with your eye cream. After applying the eye cream mixed with sun protection, then brush some more sun protection on for a double layer of zinc. Layers are very important.
As I always say, I don’t recommend choosing your own products. I recommend seeing a dermatologist or a skincare professional. They see more skin in their practice in a week than you will see in a lifetime and they will know things far beyond what you can find.
Christopher recommends:
EYE SCRUB Pre-Moistened Pads
Individually wrapped, non-irritating, hypoallergenic and pH balanced pads. Real for travel or daily eyelid hygiene.
Order here (link to external website)
Eye Scrub Sterile Eye Makeup Remover & Eyelid Cleansing Pads 30 ea (Pack of 3)
CHICHET Bone Marrow Eye Creme
This unique and rich creme is based on Parcelsus’ principle "similia similibus curantur,” the disease can be cured by something that causes its symptoms. Applied with light tapping, this creme easily gets absorbed to soften and nourish the skin with medulic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid naturally inherent in bone marrow.
Available online at chichet.com
SUNDAY RILEY
Autocorrect Eye Creme
This light emulsion addresses dullness, puffiness and under eye shadows. There are extensive studies on Horse Chestnuts, which is in this creme. This formula, which is reasonably priced, is a good eye creme for young skin, to contrast the “tired look” that may also be linked to reduced eye movements (from excessive mobile use).
Order here (link to external website)
Sunday Riley Auto Correct Brightening and Depuffing Eye Contour Cream
LUCRECE A&M Eye Recovery Therapy
Argireline® and Matrixyl® and EyelissTM are a winning synergy that address protein synthesis, lack of elasticity and puffiness. In my long experience this serum layers exquisitely over a canvas of a previously applied antioxidant eye serum (i.e. Sunday Riley CEO Serum).
Available only though Doctors and MEDI-SPAs.
DERMOREVISION USA Phytosterol Crystals Eye Creme
This uber-nourishing serum needs to be applied in a very small amount. It is excellent in keeping the very thin skin around the eyes supple and elastic. Top make-up artist use this creme because has the unique ability to maintain the skin and keeps it soft and pliable all day.
Available only though Doctors and MEDI-SPAs.
