Eye contour, dark circles and under eye bags

The eye contour is one of the most delicate parts of the face and one requiring more specific care. This is a very delicate area, with very few sebaceous glands, which is prone to swelling and laxity. It is highly sensitive to environmental stress and as it ages it suffers an important decrease in collagen, elastin and proteoglycans. 

Dark circles and eye bags are also often grounds for concern. Dark circles occur when there is a darkening of the tissue around the eye due to excessive melanin production or a dilation of the capillaries close to the skin surface.

Eye bags are a build-up of liquid or fat below the eye. They can be vascular (circulatory) or brown (pigment-related). The appearance of vascular eye bags is caused by tiredness, stress, alcohol consumption, smoking and the adverse effects of medicines. Brown or pigment-based eye bags are known to worsen with exposure to the sun.

Lip contour

The skin on the lips is different to the skin on other parts of the body and is characterised by being very thin. The external and effectively protective layer of the skin, known as the stratum corneum, is extremely fine. It is basically a mucous membrane with neither sweat nor sebaceous glands. It does not have high melanin levels either. 

In other words, the lips are not protected. They do not receive moisture from the sweat glands and, because they are melanin-poor, are also more exposed to sun damage.

Neck and neckline

The skin on the neck and neckline is a commonly forgotten area which in fact requires specific care. It is thinner and more delicate than the skin on the face, has less adipose tissue and fewer hair follicles and sebaceous glands. It is very exposed to UV radiation. It shows early signs of moisture loss and the rupture of elastic fibres and collagen. It also reveals changes in microcirculation and is quick to show wrinkles, face and neck sagging, flaccidity, dryness and dark spots.