While retinol treats fine lines and wrinkles, this product also helps brighten the under-eyes, so you can cut back on your concealer routine.
Retinoid creams
Retinoid creams, found in beauty stores, can also help promote collagen production and improve the appearance of dark eye circles. These vitamin A-derived creams also decrease the melanin content in the skin. Melanin is what gives skin its color.
With retinol, there's no such thing as instant results. But this cream gets close. In just about a week, you'll notice smoother, brighter eyes with results getting better over time.
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that can brighten the under-eye area, strengthen thinning skin, and boost collagen production — aka the protein that keeps your skin plump and supple. Adding an eye cream that's rich in vitamin C can help perk up your under-eye area.
Eating vitamin K on a daily basis will particularly help with the disappearance of your dark circles. Turnip greens, cauliflower, pomegranate, and tomatoes are some rich sources of vitamin K.
Chemical peels, using alpha hydroxy acids, such as glycolic acid, can help to lighten hyperpigmentation under the eyes. People may also use chemical peels in combination with topical creams for better effect. Laser therapy can be an effective treatment for dark circles.
Retinol, a popular derivative of vitamin A, is loved by many for its exceptional anti-aging properties that eliminate fine lines and wrinkles and renew the skin to make it plump and younger-looking. It also boosts collagen production, which will work wonders for thickening up your undereye skin.
Introduce retinol into your eye care routine
Retinol supports the skin's natural renewal process, helping to improve the appearance of dark circles and puffy under eyes. A great eye cream for puffy eyes, No7 Pure Retinol Eye Cream is specifically formulated to be gentle to the eye area.
A number of side effects to retinoid treatment have been recorded; one group of such side effects relates to eyes and vision. Dry eye syndrome and blepharoconjunctivitis are the most common side effects, appearing in 20-50 % of patients treated with retinoids.
Overzealous retinol application
Long-term usage of strong retinols can thin the already delicate skin around the eye, resulting in red, flaky rings around the eye that turn darker as they heal.
Retinol can be effective in lightening the skin and reducing the appearance of dark spots. It does so by promoting skin shedding, which improves cell turnover rate and hinders the activity of the enzyme tyrosinase, which encourages the production of melanin.
Retinoids are useful in the treatment of hyperpigmentation because they reduce epidermal melanin by blocking the transcription of tyrosinase, induce desquamation, disperse keratinocyte pigment granules and enhance epidermal cell turnover via epidermopoiesis.
Avoid Your Eyes, Nostrils and Other Sensitive Areas
When applying tretinoin under your eyes, spread it away from your eyes. Use a margin of safety so that tretinoin is never too close to your eyelid margin.
Retinoids work best if you use them daily. Specifically, they should be used at night because some types are deactivated by light and air. It's important to start slowly and allow your skin time to adjust. Using too much too quickly can cause redness, dryness, and irritation.
First, the answer is yes, retinol can make wrinkles worse, especially when you first start using it. What is happening is a drying effect, and one can get epidermal sliding from separation from the dermis.
The Ordinary also have a Granactive Retinoid 2% in Squalene or Emulsion formulas. These are more suitable for people with already sensitive or compromised skin and can also be used around the sensitive eye area, unlike the Retinol formulas.
Rouleau says the best time to use a scrub is in the morning. Overnight you've loosened up dead skin cells with your glycolic acid or retinol products, making the morning a perfect time to brush them off.
“Retinoids trigger change in the skin to make it look clearer and more youthful; they actually help skin get back to a healthier place.
“If the retinol you're using is too strong for your skin causing inflammation, darker skin tones may have a higher risk of discoloration, or hyperpigmentation, from the use of it," she adds. Dr. Icecreamwala recommends starting with a retinol that is 0.3 or 0.5 percent.
Remember, that 'retinoid uglies' are likely to be temporary, and it will take time before you see the end result. You have three skin layers—the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue. Your epidermis is your visible layer, and renews approximately every 28 days.
A dermatologist might suggest a light chemical peel to lighten dark pigmentation under the eyes. Commonly these will include glycolic acid, retinoic acid or hydroquinone. Your dermatologist might also suggest a Jessner peel, which includes a combination of salicylic acid, lactic acid, and resorcinol.
Also avoid retinol if you're going to be spending a lot of time in direct sunlight without proper sun protection. Retinol can make your skin more sensitive to the sun, so it's important to use sunscreen with at least SPF 30 every day — even when it looks cloudy.
Peer reviewed studies suggest you should consult your doctor if you're not seeing any results by week 12. In patients with sun-damaged skin, improvements in the skin usually are seen within the first 3-4 weeks of treatment. Brown spots begin to fade after 6-8 weeks.
Retinol also stimulates collagen production, which is another way it diminishes dark spots. “Collagen helps promote skin cell turnover, which helps peel and fade away dark spots,” says Dr.