You might imagine that wrinkles under the eyes are an inevitable part of aging, and there’s nothing you can do to prevent it. But that’s not entirely true.

Wrinkles are a major sign of aging and do appear as you age, but you can push back the envelope of time and aging by taking certain preventative measures. 

To answer the question of how to prevent wrinkles, the question needs to be asked first – what causes wrinkles under the eyes? It’s not that hard to imagine that it’s related to your diet, lifestyle, and sleeping habits. 

Wrinkles under the eyes start appearing for many people from their 20s. But these are probably dynamic wrinkles that are caused by facial movements. Static wrinkles which appear later in life, are set into your face and due to loss of elasticity and gravity.

Let’s read on to see what causes wrinkles and how you can prevent them from appearing too soon. 

Dehydration

Yes, yes, you’ve heard it a million times before. And you are sick to death of hearing it. But you do realize that your body is up to 60% water and your skin is 64% water.

Thus, if you are walking around dehydrated, you are not doing your skin or body any favors.

It might seem like a simple thing to drink enough water during the day, but between meetings, work, chores, and other tasks, drinking water slips through the cracks.

Make drinking water a priority, especially if you are concerned about getting wrinkles under the eyes. It’s the most important you can do for your aging skin and your body.

In fact, staying hydrated affects the huge gamut of functions in the body, ranging from digestion, detox, and waste production, and oxygen delivery to the cells of the body.

Don’t neglect this important component of your day. Keep a bottle of water handy and refill it as often as you can.

Sleeping on Your Stomach or Side 

If you are the sort of person who likes to sleep on their side or stomach, which puts undue pressure on the skin on your face and around your eyes, then try to change this detrimental habit.

It might be a hard habit to break, but sleeping on your back is the best thing for the skin on your face. Remember that the skin around your eyes, and under your eyes is extremely delicate. You need to treat it with the utmost care to keep it wrinkle-free.

What causes wrinkles under the eyes? According to this 2012 study from the Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, sleeping on your side or stomach, causes facial imperfections, as it pushes your face and facial skin into the pillow. 

Sun Exposure

When you were in your teens or twenties, you never even gave a single thought to sun exposure or wrinkles. Life was good and smooth sailing then, wasn’t it?

Well, that ride is over. And now the importance of avoiding sun exposure cannot be emphasized enough. Stop walking around in the high noon sun without proper protection, i.e., sunblock with a UV index of at least 30, and a wide-brimmed hat.

Try not to walk around outside from the period of 10 am to 3 pm, and if you are going to travel to a tropical country, avoid sunbathing on the beach for more than 30 minutes at a time.

Protect your skin from the sun and it will repay you a thousandfold.

Smoking and Vaping

The human skin is malleable, that’s what makes it soft and pliable. But this also means that it’s vulnerable to repeated facial expressions. If you are a regular smoker or vaper, you might be getting smoker’s lips. 

That’s not all. Smoking and vaping are dehydrating for the skin, and cause skin damage.

As the Mayo clinic says, tobacco smoke has more than 4000 chemicals in it. All these chemicals damage collagen and elastin, which gives your skin its strength and elasticity.

You might have noticed this – the skin of a non-smoker is noticeably better than that of a smoker. 

If you are averse to quitting smoking, then ensure that you drink tons of water to flush those toxins out of your body and use an eye cream with Retinol as its primary ingredient daily!

You will also notice this if you tend to use a straw when drinking most of your drinks, where you purse your lips a lot. Again, frequent facial expressions that are repeated often enough set your face into that particular expression. 

That’s why your mother used to tell you not to frown so much, otherwise your face will start looking like that. 

Genetics

Somethings are beyond your control, like genetics. If your parents are still around, the wrinkles on their face will give you a pretty good sign of how your face is going to look in 20-30 years. 

It’s not an exact science, of course, like environmental factors, and lifestyle habits play a big role in what causes wrinkles. But if your mother doesn’t have a lot of under-eye wrinkles, it’s probable that you won’t either.

One thing to keep in mind. Skin that’s exposed to the outside environmental factors such as our face and the back of our hands are more likely to be affected by that, rather than genetic factors. 

Something to keep in mind next time you decide to go out with a coverup or a hat or sunblock on your face. Bad idea!

What Causes Wrinkles Under the Eyes – Mostly Lifestyle Factors

Hopefully, your question of what causes wrinkles under the eyes has been answered. As you can see, it involves changeable lifestyle habits. 

If you want to appear youthful and wrinkle-free for as long as possible, try to follow the rules outlined above. Drink enough water, stop smoking, stop sun exposure, and stop sleeping with your face against the pillow. 

Have wrinkles that you would like removed and your skin restored? Contact us today to set up a wrinkle removal appointment.