The Eyes Have It!

Jacki Beemer, PA-C

The skin around the eyes is the thinnest and most delicate on the human body. Our facial muscles allow for a wide variety of facial expressions, and our eyes take center stage. Due to the pandemic, the only visible facial features we were able to share with the outside world for over a year were our eyes. I, for one, believe our peepers deserve more respect! From the simple daily protection of sunscreen and moisturizer to the prevention and correction of age-related issues such as dark circles, fine lines and bagginess, here are some products and procedures to keep your eyes on.

SKINMEDICA

Instant Bright Eye Cream

Dark circles? Sagging, puffy eyelids? Fine lines? The Instant Bright Eye cream combines the best ingredients from SkinMedica’s Lytera 2.0 Pigment Correcting Serum and HA5 Rejuvenating Hydrator plus new advanced ingredients to re-energize, brighten, and restore youthful, vibrant eyes.

Marine extracts work together to correct the appearance of darkness and shadows as well as support a healthy melanin balance to correct hyperpigmentation. Persian silk tree extract, St. Paul’s wort, and caffeine promote radiance and firmness. A hyaluronic acid blend moisturizes and leaves your eye area sleek and smooth. To provide long lasting protection, Vitis flower stem cell extracts prevent damage from free radicals in the environment.

Apply to the eyelids twice daily, and you will see improvement immediately after application. Consistent use will yield greater improvement over a period of 8 weeks!

Instant Bright Eye Masks

Late nights, poor sleep, stress—they can leave our eyelids looking baggy, dull and tired. These cooling gel patches hydrate the under-eye area for an instant refresh. Unique hydrogel technology reduces the appearance of puffiness to help your eyes look youthful and rested. Other key ingredients include baker’s yeast extract and golden herb extract to moisturize and rejuvenate skin, as well as golden root extract that provides potent antioxidants to refresh and protect your skin. Simply apply the single-use hydrogel patch below each eye, let sit for 15 minutes, remove, and go about your day with refreshed, rested eyes! The Instant Bright Eye Mask can be combined with any SkinMedica eye product to achieve results that suit your skin’s needs.

TNS Eye Repair

Have your eyes weathered a bit more damage over time? Does your skin trend towards dry and sensitive? SkinMedica’s TNS Eye Repair provides a number of benefits to the eye area including hydration, improvement of fine lines, wrinkles, skin tone, texture, and the appearance of dark circles PLUS protection from free radicals. This dynamic product combines their unique human fibroblast conditioned media with hundreds of growth factors, potent antioxidants and peptides plus vitamins A, C & E to help support the skin around the eyes. Apply twice daily underneath the eyes and around the outside corners of the eye area.

TNS Illuminating Eye Cream

This product combines the best of both worlds: improvement in the appearance of dark circles AND in the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, skin tone and texture. SkinMedica’s TNS Illuminating Eye Cream contains their TNS human fibroblast conditioned media and peptides which work together to combat textural defects like fine lines and wrinkles. In addition, other extracts work to reduce the appearance of dark circles and discoloration on the eyelids and around the eyes.

COLORESCIENCE

Total Eye 3-In-1 Renewal Therapy

Colorescience’s Total Eye 3-In-1 Renewal Therapy corrects, protects, and addresses a number of common eye complaints. Expect immediate improvements in brightness, puffiness, dark circles, and correction of imperfections after one application. A 100% mineral SPF 35 provides protection against UVA/UVB and other environmental stressors to combat skin aging. You will see overall improvement after 4 weeks of daily use in overall hydration, sagging, dark circles, puffiness, fine lines and wrinkles. All with a silky smooth applicator to soothe your tired peepers. Available in 4 different shades.

Sunforgettable Brush-On Sunscreen

We have all heard from our dermatologist about reapplying sunscreen to all exposed skin every two hours. But it is tough to follow through when our only options are greasy, eye-stinging, makeup-smudging lotions or sticky sprays. Colorescience has your solution: powdered mineral sunscreen. This small little tube is perfect for everyday use. A few quick swipes and swirls and you’re ready to go! The product blends seamlessly with your skin and is both sweat and water resistant. The Sunforgettable brush can also get those areas—the scalp and the eyelids—that we often miss or avoid with traditional sunscreen. This is perfect for kids, men and women. It is a very useful sunscreen to have on hand if you are an avid golfer as it provides easy protection without getting your hands greasy. Its size and feather-light weight also makes it perfect for airline travel. Available in SPF 30 or SPF 50 with four different shades.

Sunforgettable Total Protection Color Balm

Do you want that flawless, made-up appearance but lack the time, patience, and purse-space to wrangle blush, eyeshadow, and lipstick and all their accoutrements? Colorescience has what you’re looking for in their Sunforgettable Total Protection Color Balm. Choose between three deliciously-colored balms: berry, blush, and bronze. Gently spread the balm on your eyelids, cheeks, and lips. Lightly blend and you’re set! In addition to a pop of color, each Color Balm provides hydration and all-mineral SPF50 protection from UVA/UVB damage and other environmental aggressors.

Mineral Corrector Palette

This product proves that you don’t have to be a professional makeup artist to give yourself a flawless look. Those dark circles, that imperfect foundation blend will disappear in seconds with a few swipes from Colorescience’s Mineral Corrector Palette. The five skin-neutralizing shades can be mixed and matched to cover and camouflage red, brown, yellow, and dark blue discolorations. This is the perfect product to keep in your purse for on-the-go eye brightening and protection. And it provides SPF 20 protection, of course.

PROCEDURES

Neuromodulators (Botox, DYSport)

The sun and the aging process all take a toll on our eyes, leaving coarse crow’s feet and tired-looking eyes. Repeated muscle contractions from squinting and frowning can cause the skin around the eyes to furrow and fold. Over time, these lines become permanent, unwelcome guests on our faces. Neuromodulators like Botox and Dysport relax the muscles at the outer corners of the eyes. This lifts the brow, opens the eyes, and smooths out fine lines and wrinkles. Injections take minutes. Your results will appear over the course of a week. Expect results to last for 3-4 months. Better yet, the dosing is precise, so you can expect the same results from one treatment to the next. Dr. Sassmannshausen and all three Physician Assistants have been trained and certified to inject both Botox and Dysport.

Cosmetic Filler (Juvéderm, Restylane, RHA)

Unsightly under-eye bags and hollowed out areas under the eyes truly know no age. Injectable cosmetic fillers in the tear trough help to restore volume to this delicate area, providing a natural, rejuvenated look. Results can last 6-18 months. Both Dr. Sassmannshausen and PA Michelle have been injecting for over 20 years.