Severe under eye wrinkles/dark circles!
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Sun Feb 05, 2012 10:08 pm

Hello, I'm only 22 years old and I have sever under eye dark circles and wrinkles. I have had dark circles all my life, but they seem to be getting worse with age. Similarly, under each eye, I have one giant wrinkle that I've had all my life, however, now there seems to be two under each eye, and it looks horrendous when I smile.

Could anyone please recommend any creams/treatments/surgical procedures that may rectify or aid with this issue? Thanks in advance.

I have been using Obagi Clear (hydroquinone) for about 2 months now, with no difference. I've also got hyperpigmentation around my mouth and forehead due to sun damage for which I'm using the Obagi and I have yet to see a difference.

free skin care · Mon Feb 06, 2012 12:17 am

Are you sure that'd be called a wrinkle, or is it just a natural fold?

Please be careful with the harsh treatments under your eye. If its not working, which I'm inclined to think it won't for dark circles, which are different from other types of hyperpigmentation, please consider discontinuing its use. There's a danger of causing further damage to the surface of that delicate skin, when the darkness may be the result of something happening beneath it.

I'm no expert but I'd also suggest Tanaka massage, in case its due to some kind of sinus-related or other congestion. It sounds like it might be if these lines/wrinkles are doubling. Again, please try something as non-invasive as this before resorting to more serious measures!

And finally, the gelatin eye treatment has helped people with less severe conditions, but you might want to at least try it since its so easy. Its in the diy recipes list.

Mon Feb 06, 2012 1:22 am

Yes, it could be a natural fold since I've had it since birth pretty much.

free skin care · Mon Feb 06, 2012 7:27 am

Many people have had success with facial massage thickening the skin around the eye, there are several threads on this over on the DIY board.

Has your dermatologist said the hyper-pigmentation is post inflammatory, melasma or sun damage? Is the pigmentation rooted in the epidermis or dermis? I am quite surprised Obagi has been recommended for dark circles and a genetic skin fold TBH. Why did you choose hydroquinone, were the safer alternatives ineffective (vit C, Retin-A, lactic acid, etc.)?

Do you consistently meet or exceed all your government's recommendations for healthy eating and lifestyle? At your age I would expect you to be able to improve skin quality and circulation simply by lifestyle modification - daily physical activity, no smoking, limited caffeine/ soda/ alcohol, oily fish, fruit and veg, no sugar or white carbs etc.

Mon Feb 06, 2012 7:48 pm

Firefox, I don't smoke or ingest any form of caffine. I mostly drink water or apple juice.

Also, my doctor was the one who recommended obagi. I had used Differin for dark circles, but no avail. I used Tazorac for the whole face but it made my skin worse. Now I did have fillers under my eyes since the area was really hollow. It certainly did help, but the wrinkles and natural folds are still there and seem to be getting deeper

free skin care · Tue Feb 07, 2012 7:03 am

I worked for a derm for years, and trust me, I saw him make recommendations for skin care products from our esthetician section that made me cringe. It was apparent it was more about him making money than anything.

HQ will do nothing for undereye darkness unless it's related to sun exposure discoloration. Otherwise, it won't improve it. Your discoloration is most likely hereditary.

Wed Feb 08, 2012 7:46 pm

I use and love Avene Eluage under my eyes. Does wonders for crepiness.

free skin care · Thu Feb 09, 2012 8:07 am

roxthefox wrote:

Firefox, I don't smoke or ingest any form of caffine. I mostly drink water or apple juice.

Also, my doctor was the one who recommended obagi. I had used Differin for dark circles, but no avail. I used Tazorac for the whole face but it made my skin worse. Now I did have fillers under my eyes since the area was really hollow. It certainly did help, but the wrinkles and natural folds are still there and seem to be getting deeper

Are you consistently meeting or exceeing the rest of your government's recommendations for healthy eating and lifestyle?

IMO get a new dermatologist ... and accept the genetic skinfolds, I doubt anything short of surgery will eliminate those. You can definitely work on thinning or dehydrated skin and dark circles. But if they are worsening you must identify and address the root cause.

free skin care · Sat Jul 19, 2014 12:26 am

I have bad dark circles (have been getting worse for years), and have been reading up on this in EDS. Regarding vitamin K in gelatin, I can't find any scientific evidence online that gelatin contains vitamin K. If someone has seen this evidence, please post a link for us Smile

.

Meanwhile, I'm getting back into using vitamin C serum (home-made according to owndoc instructions) on all my sun-damaged skin, and here is an interesting study showing that the collagen-forming effect of Vitamin C might help with dark cicles: yay, hope!! http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19626722

Now I need to work out whether the L-ascorbic acid I'm using will be as good as the sodium ascorbate they found helpful.

free skin care · Sun Jul 20, 2014 2:15 pm

You are too young for medical procedures, but if the circles are severe and there is no physiological reason for that ( good sleep, kidneys are fine, etc.) then you can talk to a plastic surgeon about HA filler injections under eyes (for tear troughs).

Wed Jul 30, 2014 8:36 am

wow - i cannot believe what your derm has done to you. and hydro-q aside from obagi, which (if you are using the system i think you are, already has hydro-q in it? and fillers. i am going to sound like a mom here, but i do not care. listen to the wonderful advice that almost all of these women have offered you. my mother and sister both have very bad sinus problems, and they both have very bad under eye circles. your GP needs to refer you to an allergist and/or to a DR. who deals with ear, nose and throat issues. paying attention to what you eat, drinking a lot of water, and paying attention to getting enough physical activity are also important factors, as noted. someone mentioned vitamin c serum, and that's a great idea. it's also a a good idea to get enough vitamin c in your diet, or to take a vitamin c supplement. you also mentioned a dark spot or hyperpigmentation? using an MSM cream or making your own (as it is a dietary supplement in powder form), and adding it to your smoothies, if you were to drink them can help. so can kojic acid creams. i have a lot of hyperpigmentation, and i use cape fear's kojic acid cream to fade it. but i would not use it under my eyes!

free skin care · Wed Jul 30, 2014 1:28 pm

I have done all kinds of tests possible (allergy, sinus, kidney, liver, etc.). I eat tons of fruits, veggies, I drink plenty of water, no salt, almost no gluten, I exercise regularly, I take vitamins (C, multi, mag/cal, D, so on), I sleep well, etc. I use Vit C and Retin A under my eyes. But my dark cycles are still as bad as they were when I was a teenager. There is no physiological reason for them. My mom and my sister both have them.

Once all the physiological factors are ruled out, a consultation with a plastic surgeon/dermatologist will not hurt. The new generation of soft tissue fillers work beautifully, if performed by a skilled injector.

catinthehat wrote:

wow - i cannot believe what your derm has done to you. and hydro-q aside from obagi, which (if you are using the system i think you are, already has hydro-q in it? and fillers. i am going to sound like a mom here, but i do not care. listen to the wonderful advice that almost all of these women have offered you. my mother and sister both have very bad sinus problems, and they both have very bad under eye circles. your GP needs to refer you to an allergist and/or to a DR. who deals with ear, nose and throat issues. paying attention to what you eat, drinking a lot of water, and paying attention to getting enough physical activity are also important factors, as noted. someone mentioned vitamin c serum, and that's a great idea. it's also a a good idea to get enough vitamin c in your diet, or to take a vitamin c supplement. you also mentioned a dark spot or hyperpigmentation? using an MSM cream or making your own (as it is a dietary supplement in powder form), and adding it to your smoothies, if you were to drink them can help. so can kojic acid creams. i have a lot of hyperpigmentation, and i use cape fear's kojic acid cream to fade it. but i would not use it under my eyes!

free skin care · Thu Jul 31, 2014 10:11 am

You can try La Mer eye concentrate ,it's very good.

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