SLEEP AND YOUR PEEPERS: A Lack of Undereye Luster
Feb 21, 2012 Posted by Corrie Shenigo
Oh sleep, delicious sleep. Why do you not want to play nice-nice with me? Why do you avoid me, wreaking havoc on my emotional stability and make me look like I’ve been raised by wolves? Don’t you know that I need you. I love you. I have to have you in my life? I will not be ignored, Dan… I mean… sleep. I will not be ignored.
But seriously, I’m tired. And this little bout with lack-of-sleep, paired with my aforementioned struggles with under-eye baggage, circles and all around puffiness has got me down. So once again, I drag you, my trusty readers, into my own personal drama and hope you can relate. And I know you can.
So off we go… into the daring world of cosmetic fixes to rid ourselves of this horrible affliction and bring back our bright, shiny, puff-free peepers.
The good editor of a recent Elle magazine article fetchingly entitled “Bright Future,” became my immediate enemy by sharing the news that, in 2012, the British medical journal BMJ published a study that basically said that when we’re not getting enough sleep, we’re not as pretty.
(Oh… stop yourself, you Evil Queen. No amount of validation from your magic friend can counter that news and you know it.)
And to add insult to injury, the beauty tome went on to expound that test subjects were rated as being less attractive after being forced to stay awake for 31 hours versus when they were viewed after getting a good nights sleep. In fact, according to NY-based Dr. Dennis Gross, M.D., “Stress or lack of sleep can put your body into fight-or-flight mode, [which means that] our brain leaches every single molecule of oxygen it can from the blood, so a darker, more deoxygenated blood flows through our veins and is most visible in the transparent skin under our eyes.” Oh… and guess what else? You’re good friends nicotine, alcohol and caffeine permanently weaken these veins, causing “capillaries to leak iron and blood cells into the undereye area.” (Dr. Gross, we can never be friends. I’m just sayin’.)
You: So what can I do? [sipping cocktail.]
Me: Well, for starters, put down that martooni.
Seriously though, there are a few things that you can do (outside of avoiding alcohol, nicotine and caffeine) to help stop this vicious cycle of undereye circles. But first let’s pinpoint where your circles come from… it might be that a lack of sleep, stress, and your party-girl lifestyle aren’t to blame – it could be allergies. (*sniff.) Our bodies are wondrous multi-talented machines, and one such talent is that the histamines that are released after being exposed to allergens cause blood vessels to dilate, resulting in puffiness and more prominent dark circles. So if your daily dose of Claritin isn’t cutting it, then no amount of teetotaling or zzz’s is going to help. If you suspect that allergies are causing your undereye angst – then invest in a good air filter for the bedroom and check with your doctor for other options.
Elle’s article also suggests that do this little experiment to check if your problem isn’t simply a matter of pigment: gently pull down on your lower eyelid. If the dark circles move with the skin, then circles are likely caused by pigment in the top layers – in which case you might want to review our little article on pigment fixes.
If your undereye baggage is indeed due to a strong cocktail of sleeplessness, stress and after-work mayhem then the answer may lie in boosting the circulation, which in turn can brighten the eye area by reducing puffiness and flushing out pooled, oxidized blood. There are any number of undereye serums and creams that deliver their illuminating super-powers to this problem area – I mentioned one of my own faves TEAMINE a while back. The good editors at Elle also suggest “ultra-gentle undereye massage” with a gadget like Clarisonic’s Opal, and also getting more exercise – particularly cardio.
DIY-er’s might also try Vitamin K, which helps protect blood vessels from breaking and also helps them heal if they do. Annnnddd... while caffeine is still you enemy… it seems that topically it “cause blood vessels to constrict so that they’re less noticeable.” Do NOT use your morning coffee as a pick-me-up face splash. DO try steeping two green tea bags for about 5 minutes, letting them cool and tossing them under your peepers for about 15 minutes once a week. You can also try an oral supplement of vitamin C and green tea to help strengthen the vascular walls over time.
Those of you who don’t understand the words “over time” and “DIY” – never fear. This is the modern age and the modern age isn’t one to let you suffer without a quick fix courtesy of your good doctor. We’re all well aware that gravity isn’t exactly our friend, and as we age, the bouncy, light-reflecting pillow of fat and collagen between our lower lash line and our cheekbone gradually thins (making the dark veins even more apparent) and slides down our faces, producing major shadows. Suddenly you’re looking into your magic mirror, sobbing “What the hell happened!?! Who am I?!?” To which your good doctor hands you a tissue and explains their own brand of magic: fillers. Injectible fillers (and your trusted doctors skilled hands) can smooth and plump the area so that the light bounces uniformly off the are, concealing gravities wicked ways by acting as a subdermal concealer. So talk to your doctor about other options, put down that cocktail… and for goodness sake… get some sleep. And that is your undereye bedtime story. Nighty night!
But seriously, I’m tired. And this little bout with lack-of-sleep, paired with my aforementioned struggles with under-eye baggage, circles and all around puffiness has got me down. So once again, I drag you, my trusty readers, into my own personal drama and hope you can relate. And I know you can.
So off we go… into the daring world of cosmetic fixes to rid ourselves of this horrible affliction and bring back our bright, shiny, puff-free peepers.
The good editor of a recent Elle magazine article fetchingly entitled “Bright Future,” became my immediate enemy by sharing the news that, in 2012, the British medical journal BMJ published a study that basically said that when we’re not getting enough sleep, we’re not as pretty.
(Oh… stop yourself, you Evil Queen. No amount of validation from your magic friend can counter that news and you know it.)
And to add insult to injury, the beauty tome went on to expound that test subjects were rated as being less attractive after being forced to stay awake for 31 hours versus when they were viewed after getting a good nights sleep. In fact, according to NY-based Dr. Dennis Gross, M.D., “Stress or lack of sleep can put your body into fight-or-flight mode, [which means that] our brain leaches every single molecule of oxygen it can from the blood, so a darker, more deoxygenated blood flows through our veins and is most visible in the transparent skin under our eyes.” Oh… and guess what else? You’re good friends nicotine, alcohol and caffeine permanently weaken these veins, causing “capillaries to leak iron and blood cells into the undereye area.” (Dr. Gross, we can never be friends. I’m just sayin’.)
You: So what can I do? [sipping cocktail.]
Me: Well, for starters, put down that martooni.
Seriously though, there are a few things that you can do (outside of avoiding alcohol, nicotine and caffeine) to help stop this vicious cycle of undereye circles. But first let’s pinpoint where your circles come from… it might be that a lack of sleep, stress, and your party-girl lifestyle aren’t to blame – it could be allergies. (*sniff.) Our bodies are wondrous multi-talented machines, and one such talent is that the histamines that are released after being exposed to allergens cause blood vessels to dilate, resulting in puffiness and more prominent dark circles. So if your daily dose of Claritin isn’t cutting it, then no amount of teetotaling or zzz’s is going to help. If you suspect that allergies are causing your undereye angst – then invest in a good air filter for the bedroom and check with your doctor for other options.
Elle’s article also suggests that do this little experiment to check if your problem isn’t simply a matter of pigment: gently pull down on your lower eyelid. If the dark circles move with the skin, then circles are likely caused by pigment in the top layers – in which case you might want to review our little article on pigment fixes.
If your undereye baggage is indeed due to a strong cocktail of sleeplessness, stress and after-work mayhem then the answer may lie in boosting the circulation, which in turn can brighten the eye area by reducing puffiness and flushing out pooled, oxidized blood. There are any number of undereye serums and creams that deliver their illuminating super-powers to this problem area – I mentioned one of my own faves TEAMINE a while back. The good editors at Elle also suggest “ultra-gentle undereye massage” with a gadget like Clarisonic’s Opal, and also getting more exercise – particularly cardio.
DIY-er’s might also try Vitamin K, which helps protect blood vessels from breaking and also helps them heal if they do. Annnnddd... while caffeine is still you enemy… it seems that topically it “cause blood vessels to constrict so that they’re less noticeable.” Do NOT use your morning coffee as a pick-me-up face splash. DO try steeping two green tea bags for about 5 minutes, letting them cool and tossing them under your peepers for about 15 minutes once a week. You can also try an oral supplement of vitamin C and green tea to help strengthen the vascular walls over time.
Those of you who don’t understand the words “over time” and “DIY” – never fear. This is the modern age and the modern age isn’t one to let you suffer without a quick fix courtesy of your good doctor. We’re all well aware that gravity isn’t exactly our friend, and as we age, the bouncy, light-reflecting pillow of fat and collagen between our lower lash line and our cheekbone gradually thins (making the dark veins even more apparent) and slides down our faces, producing major shadows. Suddenly you’re looking into your magic mirror, sobbing “What the hell happened!?! Who am I?!?” To which your good doctor hands you a tissue and explains their own brand of magic: fillers. Injectible fillers (and your trusted doctors skilled hands) can smooth and plump the area so that the light bounces uniformly off the are, concealing gravities wicked ways by acting as a subdermal concealer. So talk to your doctor about other options, put down that cocktail… and for goodness sake… get some sleep. And that is your undereye bedtime story. Nighty night!