Photo Credit: Ivan Samkov via Pexels
At some point in your life, you’ve likely run into a friend, family member, or co-worker and been told that you “look tired.” It’s one thing when this is a true statement after a lousy night of sleep, but getting this comment after a solid night of sleep can be especially painful. While they’re likely trying to be sympathetic, the statement can come off as “You don’t look good right now.”
When people say that somebody looks tired, they usually are referring to your eye region.
“The eye’s weak structure shows the effects of aging, hereditary factors and stresses faster than any other area of the face.” Writes Toronto Plastic Surgeons, a clinic that offers eyelid surgery in Toronto. “This can, unfortunately, lead to a person looking older and more tired than they really are.”
Your eyes are the window to your soul and the first part of your face people notice whenever you go out. Unfortunately, no amount of makeup and concealer can hide the tiredness of your eyes if your brows’ shape makes the overall appearance of your eyes droopy because of aging. Good thing you can have a brow lift in Melbourne from really great plastic surgeons.
But besides actual sleep deprivation, what are some causes that can lead to eyes looking tired?
Allergies
This reason is especially true during the spring and summer months. Histamine, a chemical released from allergens, dilate our blood vessels, which increases blood flow around the eye region. Furthermore, allergies can cause itchiness. When we scratch and rub around our eyes, it can cause inflammation, puffiness, as well as swelling. It can also lead to water pooling under the eyes, as well as dark circles. Allergy medication, antihistamines and cold compresses are your best solution in allergy-related swelling.
Wearing a face mask can be helpful during allergy season. It would block out the allergens and protect you from the inconveniences and allergic symptoms.
Strain
In our modern digital culture, our lives are found within our screens, whether it be phone, tv, or our computer screens. This has been especially true during the pandemic, where so many of us have been working remotely via computers and phones for eight hours or more a day.
While we stare at our screens, we often squint our eyes and focus our attention on the small font words appearing on our devices. This can lead to eye strain, which aggravates dark circles. Additionally, while we focus intently on watching our screens, we are 66% less likely to blink. Blinking helps create necessary moisture in our eyes, which can dry out if we go too long without blinking. This gives us the appearance of strained, red eyes. It’s advisable to take several short breaks away from a screen, even as short as 30 seconds, every 20 minutes to help re-focus your eyes.
Strain can also come from a lack of proper vision, so semi-frequently getting your eyes checked to see if you need glasses or prescription changes is also a good idea.
Aging
As much as we hate to admit it, aging causes changes to our bodies and appearance. Collagen and elastin are the proteins that keep our skin looking soft, supple, and tight against us. As we begin to age, our bodies begin to slow collagen production by roughly one percent a year after the age of 20. When these proteins stop generating, our skin begins to thin and loses elasticity. This can give the appearance of sagging skin (including drooping eyelids) and bags under our eyes.
The skin around the eyes is one of the most sensitive and the thinnest skins in the body. And often, veins may appear on them, making you look overly fatigued. Fortunately, you can help avoid the appearance of dark circles by using moisturizing eye creams daily. However, even if you don’t see any dark circles yet, it’s still advisable to make a daily habit of moisturizing the area underneath your eyes to prevent signs of aging.
