If sheltering at home for the past 2 months has caused a very irregular schedule for you and caused some tired-looking eyes to develop, then this article is for you! Be it the lack of sleep, the stress of this pandemic, or way too much screen time and webinar attendance, they all can contribute to eye puffiness and make the lines and discoloration around the eye more visible. Although there are many eye rejuvenating procedures a board-certified dermatologist can offer at the office, there are also things you can try at home to soothe the eyes. This way, by the time you come in to our office for procedures, you will already be on a maintenance routine that can provide the most optimal outcome!

What causes puffy eyes and dark circles anyways? The answer is not so simple. Many factors can contribute to tired looking eyes. It is important to recognize what the dominating reasons are in each person. Everyone is unique and so are your eyes. Treatment recommendations are tied to the reason behind the appearance of the eyes. Each person will have a different combination of reasons for their “tired eyes” and thus the treatment recommendations for each person will be a bit different.

When assessing eyes in the mirror for puffiness, try to do it first thing in the morning. Eye puffiness will often be at its worst in the morning and gradually improve during the day. Several factors can play a role. Those who suffer from airborne allergies, have a lot of congestion in the eye areas that lead to puffiness. This puffy look can cause a bluish look of the veins that become more visible. Lack of sleep can also be blamed for this. Treatments aimed at reducing these issues include using cooling agents such as cold rollers, metal-tip applicators for eye creams, soothing gel patches for the eyes, and a daily antihistamine such as Zyrtec or Claritin for those who suffer from allergies. Caffeine and peptide ingredients in your eye cream can help de-puff the areas. Check out Replenix Eye Repair cream and Colorescience total eye hydrogel masks for extra relief.

The color around your eyes is a combination of how deeply pigmented your skin is, how thick your skin is and how large your blood vessels are around the eyes. Those who have fair skin may have a bluish hue under the eyes, where many blood vessels sit. This imparts a “bruised” look around the eye. Those who have deeply pigmented skin, may notice more pigment or darker color around the eye that is physiologic, or completely normal given their heritage.  Then for those with airborne allergies, the frequent eye-rubbing leads to thicker skin around the eyes. This too can lead to a darker color appearance of eyelid skin. Age can also lead to increased breaking down of collagen, and when this occurs around the eye, it leads to thinner skin in this area giving it a more “crepey skin” appearance. Look for ingredients in your eyecream that can stimulate cell turnover and calm inflammation. Look into Neocutis’ Lumiere, Alastin Eye cream, and SkinBetter Eye to help here.

Another component of aging is the loss of the bony infrastructure of the skin. Yes, the bony platform that holds our cheek up starts to erode and change over time. Besides losing collagen, age also causes fat pockets in the face to thin out. All this can lead to the formation of a more “hollow” look around the eyes. Injectable fillers, retinols, peptides/ growth factor containing creams, radiofrequency devices, microneedling and surgical methods can help in this aspect. SkinBetter’s Interfuse face, Alastin’s eye cream and Alastin’s skin nectar can lend a hand.

Finally, check with your doctor as well if under eye puffiness especially if acute in onset or accompanied by a difficult rash and other symptoms such as overall fatigue or weight loss or weight gain, your eyes may be a window to your internal organs. Your physician can screen in this case for thyroid disorders or connective tissue diseases.

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