Not only is skin the largest organ in the human body, it is one of the most complex. Containing millions of pores, glands, ducts and nerves, skin can be just as vulnerable to damage as it is protective of your insides. Accordingly, there many causes of skin wrinkles, including wrinkles that appear under the eyes.
Smoking
In “The Eye Care Revolution,” Robert Abel asserts that smoking is a significant cause of wrinkles under the eyes. Abel explains that skin is chiefly comprised of collagen, which grants skin its elasticity. Smoking constricts blood vessels, which decreases blood circulation in the skin, causing collagen breakdown. The result is skin that is substantially less pliable. When the skin stretches and contorts making facial expressions, it is less resilient, resulting in wrinkles.
Sun
In the article “Beauty Rx” in the magazine “Out,” Anne Marie O’Connor implicates sun exposure for the presence of wrinkles under the eyes. This is due to the fact that the sun's UV rays promote aging by inciting cell degeneration, dryness and collagen breakdown. This renders the skin less pliant causing a leathery appearance typical of those who sunbathe often. Stating, “sun exposure is a major cause of wrinkles,” O’Connor insists that you wear sun block cream with an SPF of at least 15 daily. According to O’Connor, those who expose their skin to too much sun also exacerbate skin wrinkles by habitually making the same facial expressions, such as squinting. O’Connor notes that a dermatologist in New York named Bradford Katchen endorses the use of Botox to correct such issues, although O’Connor also says that Botox, a low concentration of the toxin that causes botulism, “will leave you with a somewhat bland, surreal Stepford Wife-like appearance.”
Muscle Tension
One of the effects of Botox is that it reduces muscle activity. In the book, “Beautiful Skin of Color,” authors Downie, Cook-Bolden and Taylor state that doctors noticed that patients with eye spasms frequently had wrinkles under the eye that disappeared with the application of a small amount of Botox, which reduced muscle movement. Downie, Cook-Bolden and Taylor assert that this is evidence of the fact that muscle tension results in wrinkles. The authors rationalized this stance by explaining that skin wrinkles when muscles contract and therefore, when muscles contract repeatedly or remain contracted due to tension, the skin is less likely to recover from the resulting wrinkles. Downie, Cook-Bolden and Taylor proclaimed that this not only causes wrinkles under the eyes, but also in the forehead and between brows.
References
- “The Eye Care Revolution: Prevent and Reverse Common Vision Problems”; Robert Abel; 2004
- “Out”; Beauty Rx; Anne Marie O’Connor; April 1999
- “Beautiful Skin of Color: A Comprehensive Guide to Asian, Olive, and Dark Skin”; Jeanine Downie, Fran Cook-Bolden, Barbara Nevins Taylor; 2004
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