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Anti-ageing / Skin care Routines / Eye care / Skincare Tips
Do we need to use an eye cream? Andrea reveals all..
Why you need to use an eye cream..
Taking care of the delicate eye area is important in order to prevent the signs of ageing.
The skin around the eyes is fragile and often shows signs of ageing first before any of the other facial areas, so I would advise using a preventative eye care treatment from as early as your twenties.
As most of the damage is caused by UV rays & environmental stresses, in your twenties when applying your vitamin C in the morning, I would recommended to apply it around the eye area as well (as long as there is no irritation). Don't forget to follow with a broad spectrum high SPF eye sunscreen or mineral sunscreen.
Skinceuticals Mineral Eye SPF 30 
In your thirties you tend to start to see the first visible signs of ageing begin to appear. I would start using an eye cream daily or even twice daily to help keep the skin elastic and prevent collagen loss around the eye.
I wouldn’t advise using a regular moisturiser around your eye area. The skin around your eyes is much thinner, so it is prone to irritation and may cause milia around the eye area from using rich moisturising creams. Facial products, especially cosmeceuticals are formulated well and contain strong active ingredients to target specific concerns, so would be too potent for the eye area. I think that when you are in your thirties, you are more likely to have specific eye area concerns like dark circles, fine lines and puffiness that would require eye products specially formulated with ingredients to target those concerns.
That's why it is so important to use the correct eye product.
Here are some tips to help
Dry skin around the eye area:
If the skin around your eyes is drier, then you need hydrating ingredients like HA (Hyaluronic Acid). HA is great as it is a hydrating ingredient but not too heavy. Obviously if you need something more hydrating, then go for an emollient type of eye cream like a balm or a product that contains vitamin E. Be careful not to go to heavy if you don't need to as it may cause milia around the eye area.
Our top HA picks:
Our richer eye cream top picks:
Skinceuticals Eye Balm
A.G.E Complex
Dark circles & puffiness:
If you have puffy skin around the eyes, use an eye cream that contains caffeine which allows a temporary de-puffing by constricting blood vessels in the area.
Our caffeine based top picks:
For dark circles go for an eye product which contains ingredients such as vitamin C, licorice, Kojic acid, Chromabright or niacinamide which inhibit melanin production.
Our dark circles top picks:
ingredients like vitamin K. Vitamin K is an antioxidant that strengthens the capillaries under the eyes.
Our vitamin K top picks:
Please bear in mind that dark circles are very difficult to treat. It also has a lot to do with your diet and lifestyle.
Fine lines & wrinkles:
Look for eye products that contain Retinol (Vitamin A) that help with lines & wrinkles.
Make sure the retinol products are formulated just for the eye area.
Our Retinol based top picks:
Neostrata Correct Comprehensive Retinol Eye Cream
Vitamin C encourages collagen production & also brightens the skin.
Our vitamin C based top picks:
Is Clinical C Eye Serum Advance+
Peptides tell fibroblasts in the skin to create more collagen so the skin becomes suppler and firmer which is the main reason why peptides should be in your eye cream.
Our peptide based top picks:
PCA Ideal Complex Eye Gel
Hydropeptide Uplift
Growth factors will help to decrease fine lines and wrinkles as well as thicken the very thin skin beneath the eyes.
Our growth factor based top picks:
Transformation Eye Cream 
AQ GF Eye Serum
The more that any of the anti-ageing ingredients mentioned above are included in your eye creams the better.
If the eye area is sagging/baggy I am afraid an eye cream cannot help. Only surgery will help remove that excess skin.
The most important thing to remember when choosing your eye cream is to make sure it is well formulated. That means choosing a cosmeceuticals brand that uses evidence based ingredients with enough active ingredients to target these issues. Most cosmeceuticals products are backed by science and not marketing rubbish. Remember that high street brands and department skincare products do not contain enough ingredients to have a noticable effect on the skin.
Make sure you are applying your eye cream correctly
You do not need to use too much - just a pea sized amount will suffice. Apply using your ring finger for a light touch. Dab small dots under and around your eyes and on the brow bone. Don't rub or stretch or pull the skin.
It is vital that you protect your skin daily against the sun. This also applies to the skin around the eyes. The problems of wrinkles, dark circles, etc. will only get worse if you go out without sun protection. Use either an eye SPF sunscreen or a mineral SPF sunscreen or make sure that your concealer is a minimum of SPF30 or higher. And lastly don't forget to wear sunglasses.
Read our blog about treating milia around the eyes.
