Skin Care

How To Reverse Multiple Signs of Aging

Learn tried-and-true techniques to getting younger-looking skin with our step-by-step guide

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The Sign: Dark Circles While typically associated with lack of sleep, dark circles under the eyes are actually caused by the loss of fat around the eye, a common side effect of aging. When you're young, fat is distributed evenly around your forehead, temples, cheeks and around the eyes. But as you age, that fat loses volume and shifts down, and your skin sinks deeper into the pockets around your eyes. Failing to clock in enough beauty sleep only makes this reality more visible and apparent, but there are other lifestyle culprits exacerbating the problem.

According to Shamban, diets rich in sodium and a cigarette habit can contribute to dark circles. Salt intake dehydrates your skin, as does smoking, causing water retention and blood vessel dilation underneath the thin skin surrounding your eyes. To minimize dark circles, reduce your salt intake, ditch the cigarettes and schedule tea time. The caffeine in tea bags helps constrict dilated blood vessels. "Wet a tea bag with hot water, let it cool and apply to the under-eye area for 15 minutes," Shamban advises.

When it comes to your skin care routine, focus on under-eye products rich in peptides. Retinol can be too harsh around the delicate eye area, so peptides are a good solution for more sensitive skin types. Regular use can reduce the appearance of dark circles and other telltale signs of aging like wrinkles and fine lines.

SEE NEXT PAGE: The Sign: Wrinkles

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