Skin Care – Natural Ways to Keep Your Skin Looking Its Best!

Dark discoloration and puffiness around the under eye area plagues many of us who would rather not be seen without our under eye concealer. In this fast paced world where few of us get enough sleep, it is no wonder that so many people suffer from under-eye circles, however, it may come as a surprise that there are several other causes of under-eye circles as well.  In order to get rid of those pesky dark circles under the eyes and say good bye to our under eye concealer, it is important to know the causes and what we can do to eliminate dark circles for good!

Although lifestyle factors such as smoking, drinking alcohol, caffeine and not getting enough sleep can certainly contribute to under eye discoloration, many people may be surprised to know that often under eye discoloration is a result of processes in the body which we are not aware of. Aging and the oxidization of hemoglobin are two such processes.  Though we may not be aware of it, we do have some control over these processes and can affect the rate at which they occur.

As we know, the skin under the eyes is very thin, much thinner than the skin on the rest of our face. As we age, we lose the inorbital fat layer under the eyes making the blood vessels under the eye closer to the skin’s surface.  The blood vessels are dark in color so when they are closer to the skin’s surface they make the under eye area appear to be dark.  The aging process also causes our skin to create less oil leading to dryness.  The area under the eyes has far fewer oil glands than other areas of our face so it is particularly susceptible to being dry. This causes the appearance of wrinkles and makes us look older than we are.  As we age, our skin produces less oil making it vital that we keep this area moisturized with an effective, all natural moisturizer to keep the wrinkles at bay.

The oxidizing of hemoglobin, resulting from leaky capillaries, is a very common cause of under eye discoloration but it not commonly discussed.  Capillaries are very tiny blood vessels that surround the under eye area providing circulation to the area.   Often red blood cells escape into the surrounding skin.  Our bodies use enzymes to break down the escaped red blood cells, however, when hemoglobin (found in our red blood cells) is broken down, the remaining components that are left behind have a dark blue-ish color which creates the appearance of under eye circles.

When we are aware that the most important factors in maintaining healthy skin under the eyes are keeping the area moisturized and keeping the blood circulating to clear the area of broken down hemoglobin, there are some clear solutions to keeping the under eye area wrinkle free and free from those pesky dark under eye circles.  So what are the best products to use?

When considering products that both moisturize as well as increase microcirculation and fight free radical damage, it is important to look for an all natural product that does not contain any harmful additives such as parabens and PEG’s which can do more harm than good.  An antioxidant rich cream containing peptides is a good option to stimulate collagen production, increase microcirculation, and fight free radicals while moisturizing. Apart from peptides such as Matrixyl 3000 which stimulate the production of collagen and elastin, there are also peptides that increase microcirculation and lymphatic drainage around the eyes allowing the body to break up the broken down hemoglobin that congregates around the eyes leaving dark circles.  Regu-age, Eyeliss and Haloxyl are three important peptides that work to rid the eye area of puffiness, increase microcirculation and strengthen capillaries so that less red blood cells leak into the surrounding eye area where they leave discoloration. Some great natural ingredients to look for are retinyl palmitate, which thickens the skin and increases elasticity, and buckwheat, which increases blood flow and localized circulation.

Although dark circles under the eyes can be a nuisance, we have more power to keep them at bay often more than we realize.  Adding a few simple ingredients to our skin care regimen can allow us to put away the under eye concealer for good!