1. Yes
2. If you go out an buy a specific "eye cream", I will find you and hunt you down.
3. We all have issues around our eyes that bother us: dark circles, hollowness, puffiness, lines and lax skin. Cosmetic companies know our complaints, so they sell right to our weakness--and we all cave and buy the next "miracle cream." So now, you just have lots of eye creams sitting in your bathroom because you don't use them--because they don't work.
4. EYE BASICS: you need a moisturizer and sunscreen. Last I checked, the moisturizer I use on my face can be spread to the area surrounding my eye, so that's what I use (same with my sunscreen). So what about the eye issues we all have....
5. DARK CIRCLES: this can be attributed to genetics, allergies, lack of sleep and thinning of the skin under the eye, which allows more of the vasculature to be seen, causing a dark hue. There is no cream that will help. You can combat this with lasers and fillers, but it is truly a difficult problem to solve.
6. HOLLOWNESS: FILLERS! I love fillers for hollow areas under the eye--they make you look awake and refreshed. Fillers in the eye region are done in the office, and you should expect swelling and possible bruising for a few days after the procedure. This is a great place to fill because the product usually lasts for a year (if not a little longer)!
7. PUFFINESS: this can be due to allergies and lack of sleep, but often it is because we have fat pads around our eyes that start to protrude forward as we age. You can add filler above this area, which can blend the eye region beautifully. If you aren't a candidate for filler, that means you are ready for surgery to have those fat pads removed (blepharoplasty)! I have great colleagues who can treat this in their office (outpatient procedure) and you will not regret it---the change is spectacular!
8. LINES/LAX SKIN: you can't totally stop aging, and it often shows around our eyes first. We use botox/dysport for lines that are apparent when you smile (crow's feet), which relaxes the muscle around the eye to reduce the appearance of those lines. For lines that are etched in, or for skin that is lax, the best treatment is laser. My go-to is a CO2 laser for skin resurfacing that causes the body to deposit new collagen, which causes our skin to become more firm, have a smooth texture, and decrease the lines.
Ok, so as a dermatologist, I recommend using a sunscreen and moisturizer around the eye--you don't need something that says "eye cream"--just use what you already have at home. For those of you with any of the issues above, come see me at IndyDerm and we can chat. Have a great day!