A youthful eye area is your key to looking fresh and bright. Learn the latest, greatest developments in eye-friendly skincare and procedures. 

You look tired. No woman wants to hear those three words. If you’ve heard it one too many times, eye rejuvenation can be one of the best ways to take years off your face. The eye touts the thinnest skin of the body, so every procedure must be carefully considered. The trend is to save surgery for when sagging skin absolutely needs a nip-tuck, usually around age 40. But with the arsenal of age reversing, eye-improving techniques available, there is a lot that can be done without surgery.

LIQUID EYE LIFT

Botox, Dysport, and newest addition Xeomin are a saving grace for crow’s feet and deep creases. They relax the muscles, stop facial contractions, and keep expression lines from appearing, such as furrows and squint lines. These can give you a wider-eyed, more open look and lift drooping brows to keep you furrow-free.

Rejuvenating the lower eyelid area is about the balancing of light and shadows. Filling dark tear troughs (under eye hollows) with Restylane eliminates the haunted look of exhaustion. “By filling the hollow, light is then reflected out and darkness is eliminated,” says Beverly Hills dermatologist Dr. Ava Shamban.

Seeing Options

The canyon, or tear trough, is complicated. According to oculoplastic surgeon Steven Fagien of Boca Raton, FL, it’s not an aging thing; you can even see it in children. Two new dermal fillers used around the eyes are Belotero—a thinner
form of hyaluronic acid that may be injected in the under eye area where skin is translucent, and Juvéderm Voluma XC, a full-bodied hyaluronic acid used to enhance and lift the cheeks and lasts for two years.

Glabella lines, the region between the medial eyebrows where frowning occurs, can also be improved with Botox, says Fagien, but current treatments often combine hyaluronic fillers for deeper creases.

Good eyebrows have the ability to take years off your eyes. “To figure out where your brows should begin and end, hold your brush or a pencil vertically against the side of your nose. Where the pencil lands by your brow is where your brow should begin,” says makeup artist Ramy Gafni. If you have plucked or waxed your brows into a pair of fine lines, Gafni suggests that you allow them to grow in for approximately three weeks before touching them again.

If your lashes and brows are in need of a bit of extra help, you can always seek out the counsel of a qualified hair restoration surgeon who is adept at performing lash and brow transplants using your own hair. Transplants can
be permanent, although since the hair is taken from your own scalp, you’ll need to maintain frequent trims due to growth spurts. Do note that there is also a clinical study underway to see if Latisse can do for eyebrows what it’s done for puny lashes.

Out Damn Spots

A wide spectrum of lasers, light therapies, and peels that are now available can minimize wrinkles and get rid of brown spots and discoloration.

Skin tightening treatments like Exilis tighten slack skin and erase lines. According to Shamban, radiofrequency (or deep ultrasound treatments) smooth, tone, and lightly lift fragile skin by stimulating collagen synthesis. The skin begins to lift and tone within 90 days.

Resurfacing lasers work well on superficial wrinkles and a mottled complexion, reversing signs of sun damage. Ablative lasers are more aggressive. You get more bang for the buck, yet there will be downtime.

For aging lower eyelids, Dr. Sam Rizk, a facial plastic surgeon in Manhattan, is a fan of fat grafting to fill out sunken areas, which involves removing fat from the tummy or hips with micro-liposuctioning and transplanting it to deflated eyes and cheeks. Even though some of the fat will absorb, according to Rizk, about 30–50 percent of transplanted fat will survive up to five years.

Younger Eye Fixes

Go Back to Neutral

If your lids are puffy, stick with medium shades of taupe, gray, and beige on eyelids, such as Bobbi Brown Nectar & Nude Eye Palette ($48), which is universally flattering. Avoid metallic and sparkly shadows that highlight crinkles and crepey skin in favor of matte shadows.

Define Your Eyes

To make eyes pop, use a deep shade of eyeliner applied flawlessly. Avoid harsh liquid liners and opt for a softer look with subtler black-brown, charcoal, or blue-black shades in a powder or soft pencil that is easier to apply. We love Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Eye Pencils ($22), which don’t smudge. According to Gafni, “Use a darker liner for the upper lashline, and a lighter color on your lower lashline. Apply mascara to top lashes only for a clean, less made-up look. Mascara on lower lashes drags the eye down and draws attention to fine lines, dark circles, and bags.”

Ready for Prime Time

Even out with primer. Use SmashBox Photo Finish Hydrating Under Eye Primer ($29) to mitigate dark circles. Avoid heavy concealers that sink into wrinkles and amplify flaws. Try BeautyBlender Pro Beauty Blender ($20) with pointy makeup sponges, or a camouflage brush instead of fingers to apply concealer exactly where you want it for perfect blending. Add dots of concealer on areas that need extra coverage, like the inner corners of your eyes.