Need HELP

[lisabrooksy]

Spoiler
Hello 

Can anyone relate.....I have aging skin that as of late is looking creepy just right where my other huge problem is puffy puffy eye bags......So creepy looking skin right where my PUFFY under eye bags are.....so I need heep with addressing both problems.....thank you in advance

Lisa

[WinglessOne]

Hi @lisabrooksy ! I'm in my 50s and my undereye skin started getting crepey in my 40s. My eyes do get puffy, mostly due to allergies, lack of sleep, and side sleeping. (I've been trying to train myself to sleep on my back, but that's not always possible thanks to my various physical ailments, plus I fall asleep better on my side.) But I also have some age-related displaced fat pads causing eye bags. 

Eye bags: if yours are due to normal aging (displacement of fat pads under the eyes as our facial structure changes with age), you can’t do much about them with topical skincare products. You’ll need to see a board certified dermatologist or speak with your primary care doctor about in-office/clinic procedures to address those bags. I mean sure, you could try that Peter Thomas Roth cream that tightens everything up ( Peter Thomas Roth Instant FIRMx® Temporary Face Tightener 3.4 oz ), but the effect is very temporary—PTR claims up to 8 hours I think, but I suspect it’s closer to 3-5 hours—and not really a longterm solution. That’s the kind of product you’d use for a special event, if you want to hide your undereye bags. 

If your bags are due to lack of sleep, the usual go-to solutions are cold compress (refrigerated eye patches/masks, cool metal spoon or other metal object, etc.) and topical skincare products that contain caffeine, like The INKEY List Caffeine De-puffing + Dark Circle Eye Cream 0.5 oz/ 15 mL . When I get allergy-driven puffy eyes, I do a cold compress and take an antihistamine pill. 

Crepey skin: have you ever used vitamin A (the retinoid family) on your face? There are some gentle low-percentage retinol and retinaldehyde (aka retinal) products that can strengthen the undereye skin and help it look les crepey over time. I use Avene PhysioLift Eye Cream around my eyes: it contains 0.05% retinal. Avene also sells a very similar product called RetrinAL Eyes that I think contains the same % of retinal but costs a few bucks more. (I use another stronger Avene RetrinAL product on the rest of my face.) Another option is Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Advanced Retinol + Ferulic Triple Correction Eye Serum 0.5 oz/ 15 mL  . I think The Inkey List makes a retinol eye cream but I've never tried it... The INKEY List Retinol Eye Cream 0.5 oz/ 15 mL . 

If you go the vitamin A route, start out using it just 1-2 times a week for a while because this family of ingredients can be irritating and/or drying, especially if overused right out of the gate. See how your skin tolerates it first, then increase usage if you want to 2-3 times a week, and keep gradually increasing use until you're at a comfy-for-you frequency. (Doesn't have to be daily.) Don't use it twice on the same day. And don't bring any vitamin A product all the way up to your lower lash line. (I also keep it off my eyelids.) 

Something else that used to help my crepey undereye skin is Biossance Peptide Brightening & De-Puffing Eye Gel + Squalane 0.5 oz / 15 mL  . It contains no vitamin A and I didn't notice much de-puffing while using it, but it did reduce crepey texture. I haven't used it in a few years and don't know if Biossance has reformulated it since, but that might be another option to consider.