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At this point, you’ve probably seen your favorite influencer preaching about self-care or getting their makeup done with some crescent-shaped patches under their eyes. Maybe they were gold or sparkly or iridescent. You had been intrigued. What do those do? you wondered, but ultimately didn’t care because they looked luxurious and a person wanted some.
My first experience with these little under-eye patches was years ago when a fellow bridesmaid tossed me a pair while we were preparing for a wedding. We were tired, and she said they’d make me look less so. I remember the slimy patches sliding down my face until I was annoyed enough to take them off, negating any potential results.
But here we are in 2023 with a million different under-eye patches on the market promising in order to hydrate, tighten, lift, plus soothe that sensitive bit of skin (while also staying in place). With the plethora of skincare options out there, many of which are not cheap, you want to know that will what you’re buying has a purpose beyond showing off your self-care practices on social media.
Do under-eye patches work?
“Patches are usually nice simply because they add an occlusive characteristic, ” stated Dr. Rachel Nazarian, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City. An occlusive ingredient within skincare creates a protective barrier to essentially help seal in the particular good stuff and keep out the bad.
She explained that while most associated with these patches have the same ingredients as her recommended eye creams , the thicker occlusive material of areas allows all those ingredients to penetrate deeper into the pores and skin and therefore have a more substantial effect.
When it comes to active ingredients, you would like to look for substances that are known to be safe on most skin, like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, plus peptides, Nazarian said. Those will help in plumping and hydrating the area. For depuffing and improving pigment, she recommends looking for caffeine and licorice root extract.
“Start along with the basics, ” she said. “I think the particular [eye patches] that address anti-aging or the ones that will are more collagen-stimulating tend to have a higher irritant possible. If you have sensitive skin, I would test them out someplace else before you apply all of them under your eyes. If you feel tingling or stinging after applying one, just abort. It’s not even worth it. ”
However , there are a few ingredients with higher potential for irritation whose benefit can be worth the particular risk, the girl said, like retinol. It’s still best to test individuals products on less delicate skin first and work your way up to regular use upon the eye area.
How to use under-eye spots
Although Nazarian believes in the potential benefits of under-eye patches, the downside is that most people don’t wear them long enough to see results.
“If you’re going to apply it and then take it off want two minutes later, I would say you’re probably missing the point, ” the lady said. Instead of just throwing them on while you do your make-up, she suggests finding several that you can wear overnight or at least for several hours with regard to the greatest efficacy. Otherwise, the penetration likely won’t go beyond your everyday vision cream.
Another important piece of advice from Nazarian is in order to understand the maximum potential of these products.
“You will not really be disappointed by an eye patch if you manage your own expectations as to what they can do, ” she mentioned. “They’re not going to fix the particular hollows below your eye. You’re not really going to get rid associated with that contour issue. But if you’re trying in order to manage wrinkles, if you’re trying to manage puffiness, if you are trying to manage even pigment, We think they’re phenomenal. ”