Look Years Younger

BRIGHT EYES

Good health is reflected in the eyes, as it is in the skin, and it is important to look after the eyes and the skin surrounding them. For sparkling eyes as well as healthy teeth, fluoride is an essential part of your diet. Foods rich in fluoride are seafood, watercress, spinach, cabbage, egg yolk and porridge oats.

The skin under the eyes is thinner than on the rest of the face and there are very few subaceous glands. As a result, this area is prone to dryness and crows’ feet, or expression lines appearing.

Fine Lines (Crows’ Feet)

Caused by constant facial expressions, fine lines are more commonly called laughter lines and are found particularly on a fairly dry skin. They appear with age and exposure to UV rays, and my be aggravated by poor eyesight or rough handling when applying or removing cosmetics.

TREATMENT

Use a good eye cream (Guinot Age Logic Yeux or LongueVie Yeux), which plumps out the tissue temporarily. Take care not to apply too much as this may cause swelling and irritate the eyes. Always apply with the ring finger, using a gentle tapping movement, to prevent stretching of the skin. To reduce lines around the eyes try an eye cream with AHA (alpha hydroxyl acid – natural acids found in fruit, milk and sugar) – try Mayerling’s eye cream. Whilst AHA’s are a very effective anti-aging method, care must be taken to use SPF as AHA’s make the skin sun sensitive.

DARK CIRCLES

Dark circles may be caused by:

*  Anaemia

*  Liver disease

*  Tiredness due to lack of sleep

*  Poor elimination of waste from the body, creating a build up of toxins in the system

*  Too much sugar and starch in the diet

*  Lack of fresh air and exercise

*  Smoking

*  Genetic Factors

TREATMENT

If you smoke – here’s another reason to quit! Smoking increases the carbon dioxide and lowers the oxygen content of the blood. Deoxygenated blood shows up with a blue tinge under the skin particularly on the under-eye area, which is very fine.

Detoxify – reduce starch (cakes, bread, cereals and sweets) which also increases carbon dioxide content in the blood. Regular facials with lymphatic massage around the eyes will help to drain away toxins and fluid through the lymphatic system.

SWOLLEN EYES

This could indicate a medical condition that causes fluid retention, and is often related to kidney problems or a sluggish lymphatic system. The skin around the eyes may have been overstretched and the contours dropped, or fatty deposits around the eyes may have caused them. A night cream may have been used which is too heavy, or it could be from an allergic reaction. In some cases, the condition is hereditary.

TREATMENT

Use cold compresses on the eyes to cool and soothe. If you suspect a medical condition may be the cause of your swollen eyes, seek medical advice.