The tired look

Had a wonderful two or even three weeks on holiday and still a tired appearance. This is a frequently heard complaint in cosmetic practice. A tired look is mainly around the eyes. We age first around the eyes because the skin around the eyes is thin and fragile. However, you have bags and bags, so you have sunken eyes with or without dark circles or puffy eyes, excess sagging skin and/or fine lines under the eyes. But what can we do about this? Let's talk about the dark circles first, this can be a tricky problem that can't be solved completely. The dark discoloration is usually the result of blood vessels, this has to do with predisposition and the skin type, the thinner the skin, the more vessels shine through. Some people also have some extra pigment under the eyes, which can strengthen the dark circles. First of all, the products for home use; for a party, you can apply hemorrhoid cream (really!) under the eyes, this cream has a vasoconstrictor effect, making the vessels less visible. However, the effect is short-lived and with frequent use, the skin can become irritated or even develop eczema under the eyes. It seems safer to use products such as “Instantly Ageless” from Jeunesse, such products are frequently promoted via social media. Does this really work? It certainly works, but only temporarily (a few hours at most). The active ingredient is Argireline that tightens the skin, so this works less against dark circles but more against sagging skin and fine lines.

A treatment that can have a longer effect against dark circles is Carboxytherapy, this treatment consists of injecting the skin with carbon dioxide. Usually three to six treatments are required and the dark discoloration is reduced by stimulating blood flow. The results can be good, but they do depend on the cause of the dark discoloration, so it is better to opt for a filler treatment if volume is lost. During a filler treatment, hyaluronic acid (for example Restylane, Belotero or Juvederm) is injected under the eyes. Adding volume cancels out the shadow effect and reduces the dark discoloration. The effect of a filler treatment under the eyes usually lasts about a year. For the fine lines under and around the eyes (crow's feet), Botulinum toxin remains the treatment of first choice, with this the muscles around the eyes relax and the lines become less visible. The effect of botulinum toxin usually lasts 3-4 months. However, if you prefer not to have anything injected, you can still opt for a laser, Tixel or Plexr treatment, with these treatments the skin is heated so that the skin shrinks and the production of a new, firmer skin (with more collagen) is stimulated. Finally, a last resort for sagging skin under the eyes is a surgical lower eyelid correction where the excess skin is removed. Still not ready for one of these treatments?

Then especially ensure a good night's sleep, good cleaning and hydration of the skin and possibly camouflage with make-up as an alternative.