Michelle's dark eye circle

I sensed trouble in the air as Michelle walked hurriedly into my office without an appointment. Well, Michelle is a close friend of mine and she has a successful career and an appearance that make her peers envy.  She came looking for me for an “emergency”. She is due for a photo shoot and she has dark eye circles from her previous weeks of hectic schedule working on a project. “You have got to get rid of this dark eye circles and make me look stunning,” she said with a grin.

Well, dark eye circle is not something uncommon, but it is truly embarrassing problem. It makes people appear tired and it steals the gleam in the eyes. It remains one of the problems that rattles around our brain albeit us trying hard to ignore it. 

Why, oh why do we have dark eye circle? The causes are many. Some people have it because of the underlying inflammation at the nasal sinuses; while some others get it because of hereditary pigment problems. More often than not, people get it because of the loss of the tissues around the under-eye area or the so called tear trough. The skin under eye thins out in the same time. When light shines, a deficient tear trough would be cast dark hue making it darker than the surrounding tissue.

Well the loss is part of aging. We cannot stop aging, but we certainly can prevent causes that accelerate it.  Unhealthy eating habits, lack of rest, smoking and drinking are some of the shenanigans that we so badly adore which may affect the tear trough. Peering on screen (computer or the television) for long hours is one of the culprits too. Logic tells us that if the cause for it is lacking in underlying tissue, a quick fix, though not permanent, will mean to replenish the under-eye tissues, giving it volume to prevent hue from building up at the eye trough.  This can be done using ultrafine needles which leave mosquito sting-size marks.

Two sessions of under eye hyaluronic acid injections later, Michelle was seen beaming with big smile. “I know you can fix this,” she said while looking satisfactorily in the mirror. “Stop the fags and the effect of the injections will last even longer,” I nagged like a grandmother.

“I will try, but no promises,” as she walks out of my office feeling chirpy as usual.

by Anna Hoo

Eye skin care 3

Now, you have cleaned your entire face.
It’s time to apply the eye serum/gel.

Aim: Prevention/Repairing

 

Tips:

1.      Preferably in serum form for better absorption.

2.      Choose a product which is oil free to prevent clogged glands around the eyes that can lead to styes, milia, oil seeds and other ocular problems.

3.      Avoid products packaged that will require “dipping” fingers into a jar to prevent contamination.

4.      Be familiar with the common active ingredient in the eye serum/gel.

Common active ingredients are :

 

Antioxidant:

Vit C, Retinol, Vit E, Resveratrol

Wrinkle reduction:

Retinol Palmitate, Vit C, Ferrulic acid, Acetyl hexapeptide-3

AHA, BHA

Pigment reduction:

Vit K derivative

Puffiness reduction:

Caffeine, Bisobolol, Lecithin, Cucumber extract

 

The Key is: You need to know which eye problem that you suffering now to allow you to select the right eye care.

                                                                                                          by

                                                                                                          Anna Hoo

Eye Makeup Removal Demonstration

Proper way to remove Eye Makeup





Special thanks to Zoee for live demonstration


                                                                                                                by
                                                                                                                Anna Hoo

Eye skin care 2

Eye skin care 2

Choosing the right eye care product is not an easy task. One should take extra care and effort when choosing the eye care product.  Products that contain gentle, non-irritating compounds that target the specific problem are ideal choices. 

What are the necessary eyes care that you need around the eye?

Generally, the eye area will need:

1. Cleanser
2. Aging prevention serum (dryness, wrinkles, pigmentation)
3. Hydrating Moisturizer
4. Protective Sunblock

Cleanser:

Eye make-up removal

Tips:

To remove waterproof mascara, choose a makeup remover which is oil based (e.g. mineral oil or plant oil).

If you wear contact lenses (and don’t wear waterproof mascara), avoid oil-based removers, which can leave a coat of film on your contact lenses.

If you have sensitive skin, try fragrance free products that are definitely oil-free and alcohol-free.

Most non-waterproof mascaras can be removed using a mild facial cleanser and water.

How to use it:

• Soak the cotton wool in the make-up remover and place it over the eyelids.

• Wait 5 to 10 seconds for the make-up to softens, then gently stroke the eye lashes from base to tip to remove the mascara.

• Then stroke softly from the inside to the outside of the corner of the eye. Repeat this process until all make-up is removed.  

• Use a cotton bud soaked in the remover and gently wipe stubborn make-up away, especially eyeliner around the lashes.

• Now you can cleanse your whole face with your skin specific cleanser. 

                                                                                                   By
                                                                                                   Anna Hoo

Eye Skin Care 1

Eye Skin Care 1

The eye is a very delicate area on the face. If you do notice, the skin around the eye is not the same as the skin at the rest of the face. It is special in a particular way that:

1. It has minimal sebaceous glands (oil producing gland), which makes it very prone to dryness.
2. The skin over that area is thin and at times, you may able to visualise the blood vessels underneath the skin.
3. The blood vessel lies superficially, very close to the surface of the skin.
4. The skin is prone to movement, easily getting wrinkles in the process, compared to other areas of the face.
5.  There is minimal amount of subcutaneous tissue (the fat and other packing cells underneath the skin) which can lead to prominent tear trough and bulged eyes.

One of the areas that give away one’s age is the eyes. Therefore, if you want to keep looking young, you will need to start taking care of your eyes at a very young age. Try neutralizing or reducing the aging factor and you will see aging process creeping up onto you face slower than your peers. 

Fortunately, the area around the eye can be given individualized attention it deserved. There are a myriad skin care products ranging from eye makeup removal, eye serum and eye cream from various brands in the market to help you achieve this. Now, here comes the real question. How to select the skin care product that best suit your eyes?

Normal aging signs around the eye area (Volume loss) 

Age 20-25 Years old

Age 25-30 years old

Age 30-40 years old

Age 40-50 years old

Age 50 years old and above

                                                                                                         By

                                                                                                         Anna Hoo