Protecting the Delicate Skin around Your Eyes

WOMEN’S WORLD

New York-based dermatological surgeon and associate at the renowned Manhattan Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery clinic Dendy Engelman is convinced that it is never too early to start using an eye cream to protect the delicate contours around the orbital bone.

“The skin around the eye is the thinnest and most delicate on your entire body,” Engelman told a group of beauty specialists during a recent luncheon organized by the U.S. direct-sales beauty line Nerium International during a presentation of the brand’s new Anti-Aging Eye Serum, which combines the power of while lily extract and Brazilian ginseng with a patented antioxidant formula to reduce puffiness, lighten dark circles and target signs of aging around the eye area.

“Women — and men — as young as 20 can show aging in the eye contours, so I always tell my patients that if they want to invest in only one anti-aging product, they should start with an effective eye cream or gel.”

But according to a recent study by the Mexican Society of Cosmetic and Laser Dermatology (SMDCL), while most Mexican women use creams and moisturizers to protect and nourish their faces, less than 20 percent use any products especially created to care for the delicate skin around their eyes.

“Almost every cosmetic and beauty cream company produces complementary eye creams that are especially suited for the eye area,” said Engelman, who flew in from New York especially for the Nerium presentation.

Most women will buy a day and/or night cream, but forget to purchase the eye cream, she said.

The reason for the neglect can be financial, since eye creams are usually more expensive than face creams.

But there is also a lot of misunderstanding among women as to the importance of using an eye cream, Engelman said.

“Many women think that eye creams are just more-expensive moisturizers in a smaller package,” she said.

“For most serious beauty-care companies, that is not the case.”

Engelman said that eye creams are formulated specifically for the skin around the eye, so they tend to be thicker and contain more oil than a regular facial lotion.

Moreover, she said, they have active ingredients aimed at the problems we see around the eyes, such as puffiness and early signs of aging like fine lines, wrinkles and dark circles.

“The skin around the eyes is the most delicate and fragile, and this is one of the areas where the initial signs of aging are most notable,” she said.

In addition to being thinner, the skin around the eyes is more fragile and more prone to dryness, and is one of the fastest giveaways to a night without sleep or other poor lifestyle choices.

Eye creams can address some of these issues on both a short-term and long-term basis by helping to restore skin’s elasticity and reducing that swelling and irritation that can cause bagging and dark circles.

Engelman said that the skin tissue under and just above the eye is less than one-10th as dense as the skin on the rest of your face and has essentially no pores or follicles to protect it.

Consequently, she said, eye creams are an important product for a woman’s daily beauty routine.

She said that the cream or gel should be applied gently, using your ring or pinkie finger and tapped on rather than smoothed on since the pulling of the skin can cause tissue tearing or breakdown.

She also said that you should be careful not to allow the product to enter the eye itself, which can lead to irritation.

The thicker consistency of eye creams — as opposed to regular facial creams — keeps them from wandering into their eyes and also helps eye makeup stay on.

But in addition to moisturizing and nourishing the skin around your eyes, Engelman said that eye creams and gels can protect skin from tearing and irritation which can lead on to other health issues.

In fact, the sensitive skin around the eye is also where about 10 percent of all tumors and abnormal skin growths take place, even though the area represents less than 1 percent of the body’s exposed skin.

“A good antioxidant-based eye cream such as Nerium’s Anti-Aging Eye Serum will protect the skin of your eye contours and slow the appearance of aging,” Engelman said.

“Your best defense against the appearance of early aging is an eye cream that you apply faithfully morning and night.”

WHAT’S NEW

 A Gift for Dad
Just in time for Father’s Day — which falls Sunday, June 19, this year, in case you were wondering — Buchanan’s 18 Special Reserve whisky has launched a nationwide campaign to promote pops everywhere through a dad appreciation crusade. As it turns out, here in Mexico, people will go to extremes to celebrate their moms, but often forget to acknowledge their paternal precursors. In fact, the good folks at Buchanan’s pointed out during a press conference to announce the campaign, that according to a recent Queremos Comer poll, on Mother’s Day, restaurants in Mexico City receive nearly 10,000 reservations, but on Father’s Day there are half as many reservations. Buchanan’s wants Mexicans to show a little more tenderness to Dad by taking him out on his day. And, of course, a good bottle of Scotch whisky would make a great gift.

Skin Indulgence
A couple months ago, Dior relaunched its extraordinary Prestige Le Crème face cream, a prodigiously rich cream endowed with the replenishing powers of rose de Grandville nectar to nourish, pamper and transform sensitive complexions while irrigating every layer of the skin. Le Crème’s formula boasts a dynamic enfleurage process to capture the molecular power of the nectar in a concentrate that is 40 times more intense to plump skin, increase radiance and harmonize contours with a sensuous cocoon effect that wraps skin in voluptuous comfort. Now, Dior has upped the beauty ante with a lighter textured version of Le Crème, Prestige Le Crème Texture Légère. Developed especially for hot and humid climates, Le Crème Texture Légère is endowed with an exclusive Skin Breathe technology that combines the power of the Rose de Granville with the lightness of a breeze. Evanescent upon application, La Crème Texture Légère delivers an exceptional dual regenerative and skin-perfecting action combined with 24 hours of hydration.

And to give your face an extra surge of moisture at night, there is Dior Prestige Le Nuit, which is twice as concentrated in the Rose de Granville nectar. Dior Prestige Le Nuit helps to regenerate the deepest layers of the skin and helps rebuild a harmonious and resistant cellular architecture that is firmer and more resilient to the wear and tear of life. It can be used alone or under Le Crème. Both products offer overnight and long-term results.

Loving Fragrance
Building on its already-mega-popular Love Is On collection, Revlon has released a new fragrance, appropriately named Revlon Love Is On. Promoted by the brand as “a sensual fragrance that women like and men consider irresistible.” Love Is On has key notes of fresh and luminous aromas of Italian lemon combined with sweet berries mixed to convey the excitement that triggers the feeling of attraction. And in keeping with the essence of love, Revlon bottled this sensuous elixir in a heart-shaped flacon.

In addition to the new fragrance, the Revlon Love Is On collection has also added a delicious selection of glide-on HD matte lip colors and a cash of beauty tools (including a big and soft all-purpose contour makeup brush).

Revlon has also totally revamped its Luxurious Colorsilk Buttercream permanent hair color line by adding a nourishing blend of argon oil to its lush mango, karité and coconut butter formula to leave hair shiny, soft, luxurious and ultra-healthy. Revlon Luxurious Colorsilk Buttercream hair color is available in 15 long-lasting, natural-looking, shades in Mexico.

Healthy Eating
And to keep you healthy on the inside, Hellmann’s has introduced a new lighter version of its classic mayonnaise developed especially for the Mexican market. Hellmann’s Mayonesa Clásica + Limón has 47 percent less fat than regular mayonnaises and is enriched with lime juice and Omega 3s to provide taste and nutrition without extra calories.

THE NEWS