It has been shown that when we look at another person, our focus is the middle of their face, and more specifically their eyes. The more light reflected up to the eyes from the cheeks and the wider the eyes look, the younger and more pleasing to the eye we appear to others. We asked Dr. Nicole Norris at Nicole Norris MD Medical Spa to comment on this. “That is absolutely true! At my office, we offer many products and procedures to improve the area around the eye. As I tell patients, rejuvenating the area around the eyes gives you a lot of bang for your buck as far as looking and feeling younger!”
Dr. Norris continues, “There are 2 main considerations for treating signs of aging around the eyes. The first is treating the skin and the second is treating the structure around the eyes. For improving skin around the eyes, it is important to be on at least one product formulated specifically for the sensitive eye tissue. We have several products formulated to hydrate and tighten the skin around the eye. We also have a new eye product, DefenAge 3-D Eye Radiance Cream ™, that stimulates new skin production under the eyes for those in need of intense anti-aging. A procedure that can tighten the skin around the eyes by stimulating your own collagen production is radiofrequency (Pelleve’ Eye ™). This is a heat-based energy that causes immediate skin tightening and long-term collagen production over the course of a series of treatments. You will notice tighter skin and improvement of fine lines around the eyes, as well as a noticeable brow lift. Of course, Botox ™ injections can also smooth fine lines around the eyes by relaxing the muscles around the eye. Botox ™ provides a more immediate result than a series of procedures with Pelleve’ Eye ™. Results of Botox are noticeable in 2 weeks and last an average of 3 months, whereas stimulating your own collagen with Pelleve’ Eye ™ lasts longer. Some patients do both for maximum wrinkle reduction and lift around the eye.”
As far as other procedures to improve the structure of the face around the eye, Dr. Norris has this to say, “We also use dermal fillers to rejuvenate the eye area. I love to use thicker fillers for the cheeks. By making the cheek bones more convex (fuller) and lifted, light is more readily reflected up under the eye making patients appear well-rested with less dark circles. I can also use thinner, less viscous fillers to fill the “tear-troughs” that occur just under the eye exacerbating the dark-circle look. The tear-trough is a comma-shaped depression under the eye between the thin under eye tissue and the cheek. The deeper these tear-troughs are, the worse dark-eye circles appear due to shadow. Injecting filler around the eye area is typically painless as I use soft tipped cannulas to inject the filler instead of needles. The results of fillers last 1-2 years.”
When asked how a person knows when they may be a good candidate for these treatments, she answered, “Some patients only require medical-grade topical products to use at home and others require both products and procedures. A sign you are ready for our anti-aging products and procedures is when your make-up can no longer hide your imperfections around the eye and you feel like you look tired most of the time, even when you not!”
