Don't Let Dark Circles Ruin Your Facial Features Part 2. Courtesy Kamau Austin.

In yesterday's post we explored the importance of having a clear facial image and the distraction of dark circles around the eyes. We also mentioned the high percentage of people who will have some bout with dark circles around their eyes in their life time.

We also gave two different reasons for dark circles around the eyes. Today we continue with our list of causes for dark circles around the eyes and some treatments to help with the unsightly problem.

3. Tiredness or Lack of sleep: When we are tired our eyes can look puffier and darkness under the eye can occur. The reason for this is that when we are tired out skin can look pale and this will tend to highlight any darkness in the eye area.

4. Age: As we grow older our skin becomes less elastic and thinner in some spots. One of the areas in which the skin can thin is the eye area. As with heredity, when the skin is thin in the eye area, blood flow, which has a bluish tint, can show through the skin.

5. Allergies or environmental irritants: When we have seasonal allergies or are exposed to chemicals or cleaning agents that make us sneeze or itch we tend to rub and scratch our itchy eyes. This can stretch and irritate the skin in the area of the eyes causes what are sometimes referred to as “allergic shiners” in the eye area.


6. Pregnancy and PMS: During pregnancy and PMS we have hormonal surges that can contribute to darkening of the area around the skin.

How can we treat dark circles? Dark circles respond well to treatment in some cases and concealment in others. If your dark circles are inherited chances are you will not be able to effectively eliminate them, although you may be able to conceal them. Some treatments that may be helpful are:

1. Drink more water: If thinning of the eye area is the cause for your dark circles then drinking more water may help. Water tends to make the skin plump up which will make increase the area between the blood vessels and the skin, making it less likely that the blood vessels will show through to the outside of the eye area.

2. Get plenty of rest: Proper sleep will reduce puffiness in the eye area. Make sure that you get between seven and nine hours of sleep per night. This will benefit your total appearance, and will be especially noticeable in your face and neck areas.

3. Eat right: Make sure that you have plenty of fruits and vegetables in your diet. It is recommended that we have 5-7 servings of fruits and veggies per day. This will help to ensure that you are getting all of the vitamins and minerals that our bodies requite.

4. Use quality topical treatments: There are many preparations on the market that claim to help dark circles. Some of them are effective while many of them are totally without merit. It is important, when choosing a cream to use in the eye area, that you be sure that the preparation will not harm the delicate skin in the eye region.

Make sure that the product contains peptides which have been shown to be very effective in combating dark circles. One product that we have heard of that contains a peptide complex and is effective in treating dark circles is Eyederma(TM). Eyederma(TM) contains Ocupeptide-3 and also Vitamin K which has been shown to be very effective in treating the skin. Eyederma(TM) is available from The Bodestore, http://www.bodestore.com as well as Amazon.

While there are several causes of dark circles under the eye they often respond well to treatment. Start addressing your dark circles and puffiness today – your entire face will thank you for it!

Don't Let Dark Circles Ruin Your Facial Features Part 1.

Tired and Run Down – Or Only Looking that Way?

Looking your best is important to you, but it’s hard to look your best when you have dark circles and puffiness under your eyes. Dark circles can make us look older and more tired than we really are.

It is reported that 9 out of 10 people will experience dark circles and puffiness in the eye area during some point in their lives. While most of us will be affected by this problem, the causes are not all the same.

Why do we suffer from dark circles? There are six major reasons that we may have dark circles and puffiness under the eye.

1. Medications: It is important to know how the medications you may be taking effect your body. If you are taking any prescription or over the counter medications that make your blood vessels open wider, or dilate, it can adversely affect the look of the skin in the eye area.

The skin in the eye area is thinner than skin on other parts of the body and any increase in blood flow will undoubtedly show through the thinner skin.

2. Heredity: If one of your parents or grandparents suffered from dark circles under the eyes there is a chance that you will also. Dark circles, like many traits run in families. The bluish tint that accompanies dark circles show through to the surface of the skin, if people whose skin is thin in the eye area. Thinner skin in the eye area is an inherited trait.

If your circles are causes by your genes chances are that they will not respond as well to treatments to alleviate them as they would if they came about from another source.

In the next post in this series we will explore the causes of dark circles and various treatments like rest, diet, and topical cremes like Eyederma Eye Treatment for Dark Cirles.

Alternatives to Face Lifts and other Facial Treatments -- Part 2

In the first part of this article series we mentioned why our facial skin wrinkles with age. A lot of this has to do with the lost of elasticity.

We also conveyed why facelifts are becoming so popular and how effective they can be. However there are downsides to facelifts like the costs involved and risks of surgery.

In this the second part of this article we will revisit facelifts in more detail. Plus we will mention a treatment for a stubborn problem which distracts from a beautiful facial appearance -- dark circles under the eyes.

An overview of the various other methods available

You should also be aware that repeated facial lift procedures tend to be less promising. Especially, as the facial skin ages, it becomes less responsive to treatments.

If you are reluctant to undergo this surgery but want to look younger there are alternatives to it. Most of these alternative treatments are non-surgical procedures and work on the surface layers of facial skin. Some treatments like Rejuvinol™ boast rich ingredients to moisturize and smooth out wrinkles.

Other popular alternatives to facelifts are...
- chemical peels
- external or resurfacing laser treatments,
- tissue augmentations,
- anti wrinkle injections (for example, Botox).

Some of these treatments can also be used in combination with a facelift to delay the aging of face.

One of the most effective surface treatments is laser resurfacing. It can help to reduce surface wrinkles from the face.

It involves the removing of the upper layers of the skin with the help of a laser. It is a non-surgical procedure and involves relatively less post-treatment care.

A chemical peel makes the facial skin feel smoother and reduces the appearance of wrinkles. It does this by removing the damaged surface layers of skin - as in laser resurfacing.

The recovery period is negligible for this treatment. However, patients are advised to avoid the sun and religiously apply sun block in order to safeguard the newly exposed skin from the harsh effects of sunlight.

A very popular alternative to a facelift operation is the injecting of collagen into the face. This is particularly useful to remove laugh lines from around the mouth.

Also they are quite effective against any deep naso-labial folds that might have formed in the mouth area. The collagen injected into the affected area raises the skin layer, plumping it out.

This action actually smoothes away the wrinkles and the result is a more youthful appearance. Usually, this procedure lasts only a few minutes. Its effects can last up to a period of 6 months.

Another highly popular 'injecting' procedure involves Botox (or botulinum toxin type A). These injections are used to treat the wrinkles appearing on the forehead and between the eyes. Also, botox can be injected both around the eyes (to reduce crow's feet) and around the mouth (to smoothen out laugh lines). A botox session is hardly 10 minutes long and its effects are apparent within a few days. The effects of this procedure last up to 3 or 4 months.

Botox should only be administered by licensed professional doctors.

Fortunately there are some less invasive products and procedures that can give results that rival the benefits of Botox and collagen injections.

Rejuvinol™ found at Amazon and from www.BODeStore.com, may be one of those products. Its makers market a powerful, advanced anti-aging formula. It has been touted for its amazing anti-aging and moisturizing qualities. They illustrate how it can help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and leaves skin firmer, younger-looking, more vibrant and healthier.

Other than wrinkles one of the most distracting facial features of many people are dark circles under the eyes. While lack of sleep may be the cause of temporary dark circles under the eyes, some people suffer from more permanent circles caused by discoloration and stress.

For persistent problems with dark circles around your eyes you may want to try a treatment specifically developed to alleviate this problem like Eyederma (formerly known as Ocuderm). Eyederma is a popular topical skin treatment used for its lightening properties.

If you would like to try this well regarded skin treatment you can try it out by picking up some at the BODeStore.com.