Special eye cream: do you need it or not?

The first signs of ageing often become visible around the eyes. Good skin care for this area is indispensable. But you don’t necessarily have to use a special eye cream.

Eye creams often claim to have been formulated ‘specially’ for the thin, sensitive skin around the eyes. Brands claim they will help you get rid of bags under the eyes, dark rings and a saggy skin, but eye creams are no miracle cure. They often do not contain sun protection and tend to feel thick and heavy. These thick eye creams may cause your concealer and foundation to seep into the lines around your eyes, making your wrinkles even more visible.

Thinner and more sensitive

The skin around the eyes is thinner and more sensitive than the skin on the rest of your face. This does not mean that you need a different product around your eyes. Your entire face (including the skin around your eyes) stands to benefit from gentle, fragrance-free products. These should contain antioxidants, cell-communicating and skin-healing ingredients. They make the skin cells healthier, building collagen, lightening discoloration and restoring the skin barrier.

If you already use a gentle, effective day or night cream or a serum, this product is also perfect for the skin around your eyes, as long as the skin type there is the same as the rest of your face.

Dry skin around the eyes

If the skin around your eyes is drier, you need a more emollient formula. In that case, a special eye cream may be a valuable addition to your skin care routine. Using an eye cream with omega fatty acids can help soothe the delicate skin around your eye area. In addition to being a well known superfood, omega fatty acids are also beneficial when applied topically, especially for dry areas as they help enhance skin hydration.

Bags and dark circles

If you suffer from puffiness because the fat cells under your eyes have sagged, there is no cream that can solve this. If you have bags under your eyes because you retain fluid or because you have slept too little, a calming cream around the eyes may help. To really see a change, you will have to sleep more, drink less alcohol and eat less salt.

If swollen eyelids are a result of skin irritation and sun damage, then a good eye cream can repair your skin.

You can also do something about dark circles under your eyes. During the daytime, always use an (eye) cream with sunscreen for the skin around your eyes. The eye cream you use in both the daytime and at night should contain ingredients that inhibit melanin production. This will improve your skin tone and can make a stunning difference.

Sagging skin and/or wrinkles

With sagging skin or wrinkles, a good face cream is just as good for the skin around your eyes as for the rest of your face. But remember, be realistic. While a cream can make your skin somewhat tighter and firmer, it will never be able to lift the skin around your eyes.

The importance of packaging

The packaging of any cream should always be lightproof and airtight. If the product is exposed to air and light, the effectiveness of the ingredients is reduced. Never use skin care products in a pot.

SPF is the magic word

It is vital that you protect your skin daily against the sun. This definitely also applies to the skin around the eyes, especially if you suffer from puffy eyelids, dark circles and sagging skin. These problems will only become worse if you go out without protection. Always use a cream with an SPF of 30 or higher around the eyes, which only contains zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide. This is not because synthetic ingredients do not work, but because they often contain mildly irritating ingredients. Mineral sunscreens also offer protection immediately after application.

If you do use a face or eye cream without sunscreen around your eyes, make sure you apply a concealer and/or foundation over your cream, which does have an SPF of 30 or higher. Sunglasses are an important additional protection measure.

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