Living / 17 March, 2022 / My Baba
Skin Aesthetics’ Medical Director Dr. Qian Xu is on hand with her recommended skincare regime, including an overview of new product AlumierMD Eyeconic and how you can incorporate medical grade skincare into your daily beauty regime.
There are many factors contributing to the appearance of the eye area as we age. This area is also very delicate, which makes it tricky to treat.
Loss of collagen leads to lines and wrinkles. This is a normal part of the aging process and happens to our skin all over the body with time, however, because the skin around the eyes is so thin, wrinkles start to appear much earlier.
Loss of elastin leads to skin laxity and puffiness. Elastin is one of the important components of the skin which helps it to stay firm and elastic. The amount of elastin in the skin also reduces with age, leading to saggy skin. Saggy skin in the eye area then leads to the formation of puffiness and eye bags.
Hyperpigmentation around the eyes, leading to dark brown circles. Melanin, the pigment that gives our skin its colour, is more likely to accumulate in the skin around the eyes because this area is always exposed to the elements and most people do not apply SPF to this area. Over time, the build-up of melanin can darken the skin around this area, literally giving you dark circles.
Increased visibility of blood vessels under the skin. As the skin thins even more with aging, the small capillaries under the skin can become more visible. This is seen as a bluish, purplish hue under the eyes, making the dark circles even worse.
Lack of hydration leads to dull skin. Hyaluronic acid is the main moisturising component in the skin, and the amount of natural hyaluronic acid in the skin gradually reduces with age. This will make the skin look dull and worse the appearance of the fine lines.
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The AlumierMD Eyeconic Kit is great for anyone who wants to improve the skin texture around the eye area. Issues around the eye area such as dark circles, puffiness and fine lines are extremely common and quite challenging to treat because the skin around the eyes is very delicate. The Eyeconic kit contains two products that are specially formulated to target this delicate area with powerful ingredients that you wouldn’t normally find in eye products elsewhere.
In the morning, after the face is cleansed and dried, the AluminEye is gently applied to the whole eye area first before the other face products are applied. In the evening, after cleansing, the Retinol Eye Gel is gently patted into the eye area. This absorbs very quickly into the skin and then the AluminEye can be applied after, followed by the rest of the products for the face.
The AlumierMD Eyeconic Kit can be used all year round, but you should take care when the sun is very strong, as you would do anyway. Avoid direct sunlight exposure, apply sunscreen in the eye area, and wear sunglasses.
Medical-grade skincare is formulated based on scientific evidence and is proven to be effective in practice. In order to achieve these results, they need to contain a high enough concentration of active ingredients, which can make them more stimulating and give some people skin reactions. This leads to the other important aspect of using medical-grade skincare, and that is, you should use them under the guidance of an experienced practitioner. These products are not prescription-only products like most medications, but you do need a practitioner to recommend the right products for you, show you how to use them properly, and to advise you in case of any issues.
I often have to explain to my patients what order to apply their skincare products, so I’ve created an acronym that spells out CREAM to help the remember:
“C” is for cleanse. This is the first step of any skincare routine.
“R” is for resurface. By this, I mean exfoliation. The right amount of exfoliation is good for everyone. I believe using a gentle exfoliating solution as part of your skincare regime is the best because it’s less traumatic for the skin. This will help you maintain the glow in your skin.
“E” is for eyes. Apply your eye products before any face products because your eye area is more delicate, so you don’t want to accidentally apply the heavy face products in the eye area. If your area using the Eyeconic kit, always apply the Retinol Eye Gel before the AluminEye in the evenings.
“A” is for active ingredients. Any speciality serums such as retinol, niacinamide or vitamin C should be applied before the moisturiser so that they can be absorbed properly.
“M” is for moisturiser. If your face is feeling dry, then do use a moisturiser that’s suitable for your skin type. However, you might find that with continued use of medical-grade skincare, your skin will become less dry and you might reach a point when you will no longer need a moisturiser. So I always tell people that this is an optional step, depending on your skin.
“S” is for sunscreen. I think this is the most important step of all. Sunscreen will protect your skin from excessive damage from UV rays. If we are not protecting our skin to prevent future problems, then what’s the point of putting all this effort into improving it? Sunscreens should be worn daily, even on grey days.
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