Jelly rolls, crow's feet, laughter lines... Whatever you call them, wrinkles around the eye area are part and parcel of growing older. Though there's absolutely nothing wrong with them, fine lines and wrinkles are a point of insecurity for many.
There's a couple of things you can do for that at home. It starts with getting your basics right, i.e. your morning and evening skincare routine.
APPLY SPF TO YOUR EYE AREA TO PREVENT FINE LINES AND WRINKLES
Research shows that many of us are not sufficiently covering our eyelid region when applying sunscreen. This isn’t good news as 80% of skin ageing occurs directly because of sun exposure. So in your morning routine to reduce lines and creases underneath the eye is, make sure that you are applying your sunscreen right up to your lower eyelids so that you aren't getting collagen breakdown at an early age. Go as close as possible and try not to get any product in your eye. As a rule of thumb, use a sunscreen with a factor of 30 or 50.
You don't need a separate SPF around the eye area, but I'm going to caveat that. A lot of people do find that if you're using a regular chemical sunscreen and you're using it on the eye area, it can cause a bit of burning and stinging. To counteract any irritation, use a mineral sunscreen over a chemical one. To work out which is which - chemical sunscreens are typically less thick and often translucent, whereas mineral sunscreens may be thicker in texture and list zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide in the ingredients list.
If you can use your chemical sunscreen under the eye area without any issues, it doesn't matter and you're good using one product for the full face. But if your skin is sensitive, you might want to use a mineral product instead which is specifically devised for the eye area. Ensure you're applying your SPF generously onto your upper and lower lids and around the eye area each morning.
USE A RETINOL CREAM OR SERUM TO MINIMISE UNDER-EYE WRINKLES
It's the one ingredient proven to minimise the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles over time. It's worth including a retinol in your night-time skincare routine, so not only are you preventing collagen loss in the morning [by using SPF] but in the evening you're trying to boost collagen production around that area.
If you've used retinol before, you'll know that it can make skin quite sensitive and potentially sore and flaky if overused. The skin around your eyes is very thin and delicate so it pays to start slowly. Try incorporating a very gentle retinol product into your evening routine, starting off using it twice a week and then slowly increasing as your skin gets used to it. If you don't want to use too many things, you don't have to buy a separate retinol eye cream. A regular retinol moisturiser or serum will do.
These two tips go hand in hand. If you're using retinol in the evening, you need to be wearing SPF in the morning as retinol can make skin sensitive to sunlight and exacerbate fine lines. Adopt this approach for consistently for 12 weeks. If after 12 weeks you're not seeing enough of an improvement, then look at adding in a professional treatment.
BOOK A MICRONEEDLING TREATMENT FOR YOUR UNDER-EYES
Other options can include have a microneedling treatment under your eyes too help boost collagen. The treatment involves moving a needle-embedded tool across the face, which creates tiny wounds in the skin. As the wounds heal they stimulate the production of new collagen in the skin, making it appear plump and smooth.