Methods for improving the quality of skin in the periorbital zone

Anna Margolina , Candidate of Biological Sciences (USA)

Polina Shteiman , director of Magiray сosmetics™ (Israel)

Eyes are the mirror of the soul. It is very important to cherish the “light of eternal youth” in your soul for as long as possible , because from a psychological point of view, this directly affects a person’s appearance and self-perception.

As you know, the first signs of aging of the skin around the eyes appear at a young age, since the delicate and thin skin in this area quickly reacts to any problem - be it lack of sleep, problems with blood circulation, trophism or metabolism.

In addition, the skin of this area is in constant motion under the influence of facial expressions, because the eyes are one of the most expressive parts of the face. Just blinking is about 10 thousand movements a day! Add to this laughter, crying, winking, squinting - and you get a complete picture of the stress the skin around the eyes experiences.

Since the skin around the eyes is thin and stretches easily, improper care and poorly chosen medications can further aggravate the condition of the skin in this area. All products intended for the periorbital zone can potentially get into the eyes, and therefore increased safety requirements are imposed on such drugs.

Hydration

The skin around the eyes is devoid of sebaceous glands and has a thin protective stratum corneum. Therefore, one of the main factors influencing its condition is moisture content. It is especially important to take care of hydration in the summer, when the skin is exposed to hot, dry air, and in the winter, when heating is on in the houses. When moisture content decreases, the skin becomes dull, lifeless, and fine wrinkles appear on it.

On the other hand, the skin of the eyelids, due to the peculiarities of its anatomical structure, easily accumulates moisture and becomes swollen. Therefore, when using moisturizers, you need to keep this feature in mind. A moisture-locking product applied at night can cause puffy eyelids.

To moisturize the skin around the eyes, proteins and amino acids are used, which bind water well but do not cause occlusion, as well as hyaluronic acid and natural moisturizing factor components.

Types of wrinkles around the eyes

Superficial wrinkles occur due to a decrease in the elasticity of the stratum corneum as a result of its dehydration. This type of wrinkle is easily eliminated with adequate hydration.

“Crow’s feet” are rays of wrinkles radiating from the corners of the eye. These include both expression lines and wrinkles caused by damage to the structural components of the skin by UV radiation. Mimic, or dynamic, wrinkles appear due to the fact that when contracting the muscle shortens and wrinkles the skin, and when relaxing it returns to its original position and “pulls” it back with it.

In young women, the skin is elastic, it quickly responds to muscle movements and returns to its original state after they relax. With age, such exercises become more difficult, and folds appear on the skin more and more clearly.

The first commercial drug aimed at eliminating dynamic wrinkles was Botox, which contains botulinum neurotoxin type A. Today, Botox is no longer the only injectable drug containing this toxin. In addition, there are currently a number of peptides that can have a botulinum-like effect. The first such drug was the Argireline peptide (INCI: Acetyl Hexapeptide-3). Other peptides that have similar effects are now available. However, those wrinkles that appear as a result of damage to collagen and elastin cannot be eliminated with Botox or its cosmetic analogues.

Restoring elasticity

Research shows that restoring the elasticity of the stratum corneum through careful hydration can significantly reduce the appearance of fine lines around the eyes. However, when there is significant destruction of the supporting structures of the skin, these simple measures are not enough.

The biggest danger to the skin around the eyes is ultraviolet radiation. The sun's rays, especially the long-wavelength part of the ultraviolet spectrum, or UVA radiation, can penetrate the dermis and damage the skin's main structural proteins, collagen and elastin. Both of these proteins are important for maintaining youthful skin, but in the eye area, damage to elastin is most important.

The elastin molecule contains a high percentage of hydrophobic amino acids, such as isoleucine, proline, glycine, etc., which give it special strength. In this case, elastin molecules are twisted into short spirals that can unwind and twist again almost an unlimited number of times. For example, the elastin of the aorta twists and unwinds with every heartbeat, maintaining its elasticity and ability to return to its previous position throughout a person’s life. In the same way, the return of the skin to its previous position after each smile or other facial movement is ensured by elastin, while collagen gives the skin density and elasticity.

With prolonged and repeated exposure to UV rays, elastase is activated in the skin, destroying elastin. As a result, elastin loses its ordered structure and turns into clusters of amorphous protein. Another reason for decreased skin elasticity is impaired elastin synthesis. Lysyl oxidase, an enzyme that requires copper ions, takes part in the synthesis of elastin, as well as collagen. With age, this enzyme becomes less active.

The skin around the eyes stretches easily every time you apply makeup or rub your eyes. The skin also stretches when the facial muscles around the eyes move. Therefore, the destruction of elastin by UV radiation, especially at an age when its synthesis decreases, leads to the fact that the skin around the eyes begins to quickly lose its freshness, and then sag, forming bags and folds.

In addition to such obvious measures as protecting the skin around the eyes from the sun, it is necessary to use products that improve the condition of elastin in the skin and prevent its destruction. These include plant extracts that inhibit the enzyme elastase, and biological peptides that stimulate elastin synthesis or improve its structure.

For example, as it turned out, ordinary cucumber extract has the ability to inhibit elastase, slowing down the destruction of elastin. No wonder this vegetable has long been considered an excellent remedy for rejuvenating the skin around the eyes. The elastase enzyme is also inhibited by acai berry extract, which, along with this property, also has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Among the peptides, it is worth highlighting the decorinyl peptide, which is able to perform the functions of the decorin protein, helping the proper organization of elastin and collagen fibers, as well as the GHK-Cu tripeptide, which stimulates the synthesis of both collagen and elastin.

Eyelid hyperpigmentation

Pregnant women, as well as women taking hormonal contraceptives, sometimes develop severe pigmentation of the skin of the eyelids. Likewise, this problem can occur in people with highly pigmented skin. Darkening of the skin of the eyelids is a serious aesthetic drawback, since the face looks much older even in the absence of pronounced wrinkles.

Until recently, the main culprit of such hyperpigmentation was considered to be the pigment hemosiderin, which is formed during the destruction of hemoglobin in the blood. It was believed that when vascular permeability is impaired, hemoglobin leaks into the skin and creates an accumulation of hemosiderin. However, recent histological studies have shown that when the skin of the eyelids is overpigmented, it usually shows signs of inflammation along with an increased content of melanin. It is known that inflammation that develops in the skin in response to UV radiation or other damaging influences can stimulate skin melanocytes, causing hyperpigmentation. With an increase in the level of estrogen, which themselves stimulate the synthesis of melanin, the risk of developing such pigmentation increases significantly.

Because the very thin and delicate skin around the eyes tends to age faster than skin on other areas of the face, to eliminate unwanted hyperpigmentation, you need to choose whitening products that are gentle on the skin. In such cases, hydroquinone and glucocorticoids (hydrocortisone, which is part of a number of bleaching agents) are unacceptable.

Hydroquinone damages pigment cells, and with them all other skin cells, which can accelerate aging of the skin under the eyes, and hydrocortisone can worsen skin atrophy. It is better to choose products with arbutin, a plant analogue of hydroquinone, which has a slightly different structure and therefore acts more gently.

Lightening the skin around the eyes can also be done using plant extracts; moreover, many of them, along with lightening agents, exhibit other beneficial properties. In particular, licorice extract contains glabridin, which inhibits the enzyme tyrosinase, and liquiritin, which changes the distribution of melanin in the skin. In addition, licorice stimulates collagen formation and has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Raspberry extract contains ketones that inhibit melanin synthesis and salicylates that reduce inflammation. Wild yam has a brightening and anti-inflammatory effect, it also stimulates the synthesis of collagen and elastin. Shiitake mushroom extract has a brightening and anti-inflammatory effect, stimulates collagen synthesis.

Shadows under the eyes

Dark shadow under the eyes occurs due to the thinning of the skin and the reduction of fat pad in the area, as both the accumulation of fat and its disappearance create problems. Usually, when looking at a person, we first of all pay attention to the eyes - and if we see pronounced shadows under them, then it is on this area that the gaze focuses first. Therefore, no matter how good your facial skin looks, the presence of shadows under the eyes can greatly ruin the first impression.

Today, the main method of restoring the thickness of the fat layer under the eyes is fat injections under the skin - the so-called lipofilling, when fat cells are taken from the patient himself (most often this procedure is carried out simultaneously with liposuction). And although lipofilling is considered a safe and effective method, not everyone decides to undergo it. Therefore, the cosmetic industry is constantly searching for substances that can act on adipose tissue - either to prevent its thinning or to stimulate an increase in the thickness of the fat layer.

Currently, ingredients are emerging that can increase the thickness of adipose tissue. These include, for example, palmitoyl isoleucine, or lipoamino acid. The principle of its action is to stimulate proteasomes - protein complexes that destroy toxins. The result is detoxification of adipose tissue, which leads to an increase in the activity of stem cells in it and to an increase in its thickness. We can say that lipoamino acids remove obstacles to the normal functioning of adipose tissue.

Comprehensive care

Caring for the skin around the eyes is an important and challenging task. The skin in these areas is very sensitive to toxins, as well as substances that destroy the protective moisture barrier, so an unsuccessfully chosen cream can only worsen the skin condition. The texture of the cream is also very important - it should be well absorbed and easy to apply so that the skin around the eyes does not stretch during the application of the cream. Therefore, it is so important to create products that would have the necessary multifunctionality, while at the same time being safe, non-toxic, easy to apply to the skin and quickly absorbed.

An example of such a cream is a new eye cream based on natural emulsifiers from wheat, containing biologically active peptides, amino acids, natural oils and minerals, natural moisturizing factor components and retinyl palmitate in an effective concentration. The cream contains, in particular, palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7, a new ingredient that reduces inflammation and also increases skin firmness and elasticity, and dipeptide-2, which stimulates lymph flow, reducing puffiness and preventing the formation of dark circles around the eyes. Another peptide, palmitoyl oligopeptide, stimulates the production of collagen and hyaluronic acid in the skin, smoothing out fine wrinkles and increasing skin elasticity. The effect of the peptides is enhanced by hesperidin methyl chalcone, which normalizes capillary permeability, preventing puffiness and the appearance of dark circles. We also included in the cream the amino acids serine, glycine, glutamic acid, lysine, arginine, threonine and proline, which are the building blocks for the main skin proteins - keratin, collagen and elastin. In combination with retinyl palmitate and peptides that stimulate collagen synthesis, a complex of amino acids ensures rapid regeneration and renewal of the skin.

Another example is a serum with biopeptides, gamma-aminobutyric acid and shiitake mushroom extract. Gamma-aminobutyric acid, which is part of the serum, is a natural amino acid that has the ability to relax expression lines, like acetyl hexapeptide-3 (Argireline). Two biopeptides included in the serum - palmitoyl oligopeptide and palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7 - stimulate the synthesis of collagen, elastin and glycosaminoglycans in the dermis, increasing the firmness, elasticity and water-holding capacity of the skin. Shiitake mushroom extract lightens pigmentation, stimulates collagen synthesis, soothes inflammation and increases the overall vitality of skin cells. Ginseng extract also has a complex effect, including a brightening effect.

Moisturizing ingredients include hyaluronic acid, honey, rich in natural polysaccharides and sugars, and hydrolyzed collagen and elastin of marine origin. Fragments of collagen and elastin not only help create a moisturizing film on the surface of the skin, but also stimulate the synthesis of the skin's own collagen, and also create a lifting effect, tightening the skin and instantly improving its appearance. Thanks to the complex action of ingredients, the serum restores the skin's moisture balance, smoothes wrinkles, reduces the appearance of dark circles under the eyes and brightens the skin.

An excellent example of effectiveness and multifunctionality are non-injection filler serums based on hyaluronic acid of different molecular weights (from 50 to 1,000 KD), amino acids and extracts of plant sprouts rich in stem cells and phytoestrogens. This basic formula of serums provides not only complete multi-level hydration of the skin, but also stimulates regeneration processes. Serums are available in three types - with vitamins and minerals, with collagen and with arbutin. Thus, a serum with arbutin allows not only to moisturize and tighten the skin, but also to reduce unwanted pigmentation.
And finally, it is worth mentioning a moisturizing cream for skin revitalization, containing blackcurrant oil in nanocapsules, a complex of amino acids, natural moisturizing factor components and other active ingredients. The cream is interesting because it contains palmitoyl isoleucine, a lipoamino acid that helps reduce the negative effect of thinning the fat layer under the eyes.

Preparations containing multifunctional ingredients that act on several factors of skin aging at once can not only significantly slow down the process of aging of the skin around the eyes, but also reduce the severity of many symptoms of aging - increase skin elasticity, eliminate fine wrinkles, lighten pigmentation and reduce dark circles under the eyes.

The beauty of your facial skin starts with small details, so don't forget to take good care of your periorbital area. Correcting the quality of the skin around the eyes creates the visual effect of bright, vibrant eyes, which immediately leads to rejuvenation of the entire face.