In partnership with SA’s top medical aesthetic companies
Dark circles are seriously annoying and difficult to treat… until now, that is.
No one likes having dark circles. They make you look tired, unhealthy and drained. And their causes are many.
It’s a no-brainer that not getting enough sleep or overdoing the partying could leave you packing a pair of bruisers. The solution for this one is easy – try to get those eight hours of zzzz time and cut down on the party time.
They may also be due to heredity if you’re genetically predisposed (look at your parents and grandparents), and this can be tricky to treat, but there are solutions available.
And then, for those not in the first flush of youth, sorry to say but dark circles will probably become a fact of life for most of us as we age. It all comes down to a loss of volume in the eye area – which casts a shadow under the eyes, and thinning skin – which lets underlying blood vessels show through the skin.
So is there anything we can do about dark circles?
We can help reduce the appearance of dark circles by stimulating circulation and plumping up the skin with an eye treatment cream.
- Neostrata Bionic Eye Cream 4 PHA helps address dark circles, puffiness and lines. In the formula, vitamin K has been included to help reduce dark circles and puffiness; Gluconolactone, a poly-hydroxy acid, hydrates the skin, while non-irritating Lactobionic Acid helps address the breakdown of collagen. Pro-Vitamins A, C and E provide anti-ageing benefits and potent antioxidant protection.
- If you have serious sun damage and dehydration, rather opt for the richer NeoStrata Bionic Eye Cream Plus.
Please note: People with sensitive and rosacea-prone skins should always be cautious about using products around the eye area.
Pump up the volume
Volume loss is one of the most significant contributors to facial ageing. When your cheek area loses its plumpness, this creates hollow cheekbones which can make you look gaunt, as well as a hollowing around the eyes, which accentuates dark circles.
The solution to this loss of volume is clear – restore volume to these areas using cosmetic fillers. These are made from hyaluronic acid, the moisture-trapping substance that occurs naturally in skin, which absorbs up to 10 000 its weight in water to plump up the area. Specific fillers, such as Princess® HA Dermal Fillers, work by plumping areas that have lost fat pads and volume that cause skin to sink and sag.
Under eye circles can give the illusion of a tired, dull and aged appearance. Teoxane has introduced an injectable HA gel specifically designed to treat under eye circles. This gel has a 3-in-1 patented formula ( Hyaluronic acid + a cocktail of 14 essential nutrients found in the skin as well as an anaesthetic agent for injection comfort). The product evenly corrects under eye circles and results in a hydrated and younger-looking skin with long-lasting global satisfaction, proven over 12 months.
A skilled and trained aesthetic doctor can inject fillers under the eyes, making it more dense and plumping up the hollow. This hides the dark circles, while instantly ridding you of a permanently tired-looking appearance. The results are longlasting, but temporary, as the body reabsorbs the filler eventually. Under eye filler can last anything from 12 to 18 months.
CarboxyTherapy injections are a complementary treatment that improves the result of any other treatments, including filler injections.
It involves injecting tiny amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) beneath the skin stimulate collagen production. Injecting superficially leads to skin rejuvenation (good for under eye circles, wrinkles, scars, acne scars, stretch marks, and overall better feeling and looking, tighter skin).
The other dark circles
There is another kind of dark circles – darker pigmentation under the eyes (common among Indian people), which needs a different treatment to lighten the skin in this delicate area. Contact Skin Renewal for your effective treatment options.
Next week we focus on how to deal with a sagging face, without resorting to the surgeon’s knife.
Take the quick Beyond Beauty Survey and you could win a R2 000 Skin Renewal voucher to spend in our online store, with free delivery within South Africa. T&Cs apply.
If you decide to age gracefully and would like to find out more about treatments that subtly defies the natural ageing process, visit Skin Renewal or contact 0861 SKIN SA (754 672).