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Realize Your 2020 Vision for Younger-Looking Eyes

Posted on: January 3rd, 2020 by Kristen Chang

Gaze into your crystal ball for 2020. Do you see fresh, youthful eyes looking back at you? Make this vision into your reality for the New Year. There are exciting and effective treatments that can help you achieve virtually any eye-rejuvenation resolution.

Lighten up dark circles

Some under-eye darkness is temporary and caused by allergies, dehydration, sleep deficit, sun exposure or eye strain. Persistent circles, however, are usually due to genetics or age causing skin to become thin or hyperpigmented.

If you’re just beginning to see circles, apply high-quality antioxidant products and concealer. California Skin Institute has expertly formulated products that brighten and protect, while remaining gentle enough for delicate periorbital skin: Enriched Retinol Eye Repair Cream and Hydrating and Firming Eye Serum with Vitamin C.

More intense under-eye darkness? You may achieve impressive brightening around the eyes with a course of four to six microneedling treatments (collagen induction therapy). Alternatively, chemical peels can lighten up the area as well as thicken skin by stimulating collagen production. Add on a dermal filler like Restylane, Juvederm or Belotero Balance to reduce the depth of dark, shadow-casting tear troughs. Just remember only to trust these filler injections to an experienced, certified California Skin Institute professional who can do it safely via a cannula (tiny straw).

Get rid of the baggage

Most of us can see puffing around the eyes when we’re tired, dehydrated, sunburnt, hungover or experiencing allergies. This puffing will normally go away with simple remedies like elevating the head of your bed, applying cold compresses or popping an antihistamine.

However, more persistent sagging and puffiness under the eyes — eye bags — is commonly due to fat pads sliding downwards and pooching out (herniating) as we age. In mild cases, antioxidant eye products may soften their appearance. You can often reduce moderate bags with a dermal filler like Restylane, Juvederm or Belotero Balance in your under-eye troughs.

If you have bigger bags and are looking for a more long-term solution, talk to an experienced, board-certified physician about lower eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty). The ultimate solution, it eliminates extra skin while also reducing and repositioning fat pads to create a more youthful and rested look.

Fly away, crow’s feet

The skin surrounding your eyes is 40% thinner than elsewhere on your face. This helps explain how squinting and smiling can cause some of your very first wrinkles: crow’s feet. Avoid squinting by wearing sunglasses regularly and keeping any vision prescriptions up to date. But don’t stop smiling — you have ways to smooth out these lines!

Neurotoxins such as Botox, Dysport, Xeomin and Jeuveau are a quick, effective and extremely popular fix. They impede contraction of underlying muscles, which softens existing wrinkles, delays them from deepening, and curtails new wrinkles from forming. Trust your eyes to a talented California Skin Institute professional. They’ll know just how much neurotoxins to use to reduce crow’s feet, while leaving your eyes still natural-looking and expressive.

Another major cause of eye wrinkles is sun damage, so coupling neurotoxins with a resurfacing procedure can bring optimal results. Consult a skin professional to assess your skin condition and discuss whether microdermabrasion, chemical peel, laser or another procedure is the best choice for you.

DermaSweep Microinfusion

Often a good place to start, DermaSweep micro-resurfacing works much like traditional microdermabrasion except that, instead of crystals, it employs tiny, adjustable metal brushes to buff off dead skin. This enables your provider to customize treatment for each specific area. It also eliminates the threat of loose crystals injuring your eyes.

Chemical Peels

Great for removing damaged skin cells, chemical peels come in a wide range of strengths. For instance, a series of gentle glycolic acid treatments may be enough to shed minor sun damage. If your wrinkles are more extreme, a strong TCA peel may be required for significant results.

Laser Treatments

Like chemical peels, laser treatments range from gentle to intense. If you have sensitive skin or minor eye wrinkles, you may only need some quick sessions with a non-ablative laser like Clear + Brilliant to soften and refine the texture. For severe crow’s feet, there are intense ablative  procedures with devices like CO2 lasers. These work by vaporizing the damaged outer layers of the dermis and stimulating generation of smooth, new skin.

No matter what method you use to get rid of crow’s feet, remember to keep your skin looking supple by regularly using a physical sunscreen and antioxidant and exfoliating eye products.

No “11s,” no frowning

Often called frown lines or “the 11s,” the vertical furrows between the brows are caused by a combination of thinning skin and over-engagement of the glabellar muscles over time. You can erase these wrinkles beautifully by inhibiting glabellar function with a neurotoxin like Botox, Dysport. Xeomin and Jeuveau. In fact, that’s what neurotoxins were initially approved by the FDA to do! A treatment every four months or so should be enough to keep these wrinkles away.

Neurotoxin treatment of frown lines may also come with a nice mental health perk. Multiple studies have concluded that injecting the glabellar muscles may help relieve depression. Scientists believe that this may be due to the patient’s inability to frown or scowl, which prevents facial biofeedback from reinforcing a depressive state in the brain. It’s yet another way neurotoxins can help turn that frown upside down!

Lift your upper lids

Eyelid puffiness or sagging is normally caused by genetics and age. This means there’s not much you can do to prevent it. Fortunately, there are some effective ways to correct it!

When upper lids show only mild droop, a few units of neurotoxins below the brow are sometimes enough to perk them up. If you’re facing more severe pooching and sagging, however, it may be time to talk to a board-certified physician. They could recommend eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) to remove the excess fat and skin that’s weighing down on your eyes. Not only can this surgery restore a more youthful appearance, but it may also improve your field of vision, brighten your eye color and even reduce migraines.

Ask your doctor if you’re a good candidate for a brow lift too.

Flaunt full and flirty lashes

Lush eyelashes are a hallmark of youthful eyes. Whether you’ve suffered lash loss over the years or you had only sparse lashes to begin with, Latisse can come to the rescue. It’s the first and only prescription treatment approved by the FDA for growing lashes longer, fuller and darker.

Simply follow the daily application instructions, and you should start seeing obvious results within a few weeks! You eventually switch over to less frequent use to keep those lashes thick and luxurious. Ooh la la!

Make it happen

Start the new year with a resolution to rejuvenate your eyes in 2020. Schedule an appointment with a California Skin Institute board-certified plastic surgeon for an assessment and recommended treatment plan. Make this the year you look into the mirror and say, “The eyes have it.”

 

Individual results may vary and are not guaranteed.


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