How to Get Enchanting Eyes
How to Get Enchanting Eyes
Forsyth Woman - March 2014
Read original article in Forsyth Family
This time of year, even with the official start of spring less than a month away, we may find ourselves feeling down, or maybe even a lot older (when we’re not), and looking it, too. Time waits for no man ... or woman. Inwardly, we may start to feel aches and pains we never had before and due to little exertion. The passing of time is also evidenced outwardly by the skin on our bodies, especially our faces. Does the face peering back at you from the mirror look tired, worried, or angry, when you’re not? Take another look in the mirror - a good long look - and you’ll likely see why.
The effects of aging are typically first noticeable around the eyes, where skin is delicate and thin. Men and women alike are equally affected, and until the fountain of youth is found, there's no escaping aging. Having also heard this observation echoed by friends and co-workers lately, I asked Winston-Salem’s premier Cosmetic and Dermatological Laser Surgeon, Dr. Anne White of Carolina Laser & Cosmetic Center, for some advice on how to address the signs of aging.
“It is often said we are hot-wired to the eyes of the opposite sex,” said Dr. White. “They are one of the first things we notice when we meet someone new. Think of the importance we put in our society on looking each other in the eye. The eyes are also the first place where we start to notice the signs of aging. The things that help make our eyes bright and beautiful - bright irises and clear whites, vibrant brow and lash color, full defined brow, and firm, smooth, clear skin - are the same things that change the appearance of our eyes as we age. The brow descends and skin thins, creating upper-eyelid ‘hooding,’ giving a tired look to the face. Crow’s feet, that ‘number 11’ furrow in the brow, lower-lid fine lines and dark circles appear. Not to worry! There are many options available to reverse or slow the visible signs of eye aging.
Here are the most common eye-area concerns and what can be done to address them with no or little downtime."
“Hooded” or heavy-looking eyelids:
On one end of the spectrum, hooding can be treated with topical treatments like Vivierskin TMR. “We call TMR Serum ‘Botox in a bottle’; it’s that effective in tightening delicate eye area skin,” said Dr. White. Another option is the filler Sculptra, used to lift the brow by adding volume to the temple area. Eyes by Thermage and Ultherapy rejuvenate and brighten the eye area by stimulating collagen formation, noticeably tightening and toning the eyelids, reducing eyelid hooding, softening crow's feet, and improving the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Both are non-invasive procedures, do not disrupt the surface of the skin, and one skin-tightening eye treatment is usually all that is needed.
Worried brow or “Number 11’s”:
Botox and its fellow anti-wrinkle medications, Dysport and Xeomin, work by relaxing the muscles of facial expression, smoothing the “11” between the brows, crow’s feet and lower-lid fine lines. Made from purified proteins, they last three to six months. The treatment is non-invasive, with virtually no recovery time necessary, so you can resume your normal activities immediately after treatment.
Crow’s feet, fine lines and dark circles:
Sun damage is the #1 cause of wrinkles, so it’s imperative to wear appropriate sunscreen and moisturizers, and avoid squinting by protecting your eyes with sunglasses. Dark circles are typically caused by thinning skin - due to loss of fat and collagen as we age - or hyperpigmentation triggered by chronic eye rubbing, sun exposure, genetic factors, and clusters of fine telangiectasias or tiny dilated blood vessels. Smoking and lack of sleep are also culprits. While prevention is the best plan of attack, some of us need after-the-fact assistance. Lasers, fillers and topical therapy are some of the modalities Dr. White uses to treat wrinkles and dark circles. Fillers like Restylane plump this area to smooth wrinkles and hide the dark circles. (Of note, Dr. White was the very first physician to bring Botox and fillers like Restylane to the Triad, having trained in Canada with Dr. Jean Carruthers, shortly before Botox was initially FDA approved.) Vivierskin Platine Eye Crème is the triple crown of problem-solving, reducing the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and dark circles. “Our patients love it—we call it ‘magic in a jar,’” said Dr. White. For deeper wrinkles, laser skin resurfacing is a minimally invasive cosmetic procedure used to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, sun damage and other skin irregularities. “Nothing eliminates crow’s feet like the Er:YAG or erbium:yttrium-aluminium-garnet laser. There is some after-procedure downtime to this treatment, and for patients’ eye safety, this procedure is only used when the skin can be pulled down below the orbital rim.”
Lastly, some other simple ways they can brighten your eyes are by using Latisse to fill in, lengthen and darken eyelashes and eyebrows, and by using permanent make-up to add color and the appearance of dimension to eyelids and brows.
As you can see, there are many easy ways to fend off the effects of age and help address eye-area concerns, before and after they arise, with the help of Dr. Anne L. White and Carolina Laser & Cosmetic Center. To schedule your initial consultation or next visit, or for more information about Carolina Laser & Cosmetic Center, call 336.659.2663 or visit www.CarolinaLaser.com. Carolina Laser & Cosmetic Center’s beautiful state-of-the art facility is conveniently located near Hanes Mall at 145 Kimel Park, Suite 140 in Winston-Salem.