A Fresh Perspective on Wrinkle Prevention

My patients that have ocular surface concerns such as dry eyes; the selection of eye cream is not so simple. Certain ingredients and actives can cause the eyes to feel more dry and itchy. Eye cream can also cause contact lenses wear to become dry and uncomfortable. I've formulated an entire collection of EYE CREAMS that are EYE SAFE. For this particular question, I'll create an EYE SAFE EYE CREAM routine for you to level up your anti-aging routine.  

First, Understanding Your Unique Eye Needs

The Challenge for Contact Lens Wearers

In order for a contact lens to work optically and comfortably, there needs to be a healthy tear film that can continuously wet the lens upon each blink. Ever apply something on the face or eye area and those contact lenses just start to dry out? No fun. When it comes to eye cream, finding the right EYE SAFE EYE CREAM is not just a luxury—it’s a necessity. I level this up with a proven eye cream routine that has been tested with hundreds of my patients with SENSITIVE EYES. 

Preventing Wrinkles Without Compromise

First off, the eye cream need to address something nobody every talks about - THE EYELID SKIN BARRIER. This is the topmost layer of the eyelid skin sandwich per se. The very top layer is the STRATUM CORNEUM, and within that - is the lipid layer. To make a simplify -  the STRATUM CORNEUM needs hydration while the LIPID LAYER needs oils. In general my patients get eye creams because they sound fancy or they sound like they will work fast -  instead of truly understanding the how and why behind the ingredients. Below you'll see blending of my eye creams. I'm blending to address 1) the anatomy of the eyelid skin barrier; and 2) the formulations of the eye cream. Blending eye creams allows my patients to make adjustments to their ratios. Keep reading.

Eye Safe Eye Cream Routine for Sensitive Eyes

For all the blends below, this is the guidance I give my patients:

1) Just use a VERY THIN LAYER. Eye cream doesn't work by applying more. The eyelid skin can only absorb what it can absorb. And the eyelid skin epithelium can only regenerate as fast as it can regenerate. Applying a lot of eye cream is just wasting it.

2) Apply the eye cream ONCE A DAY before bedtime. If after 7-10 days, 1X a day doesn't feel like it's enough, try 2X a day. Make sure the morning application is a very thin layer as well.

3) Start with the SET 50:50 RATIO. Modify the ratio as follows. If the eyelid skin is dry, flakey, red - increase PM Eyelid Butter. If the eyelid skin is dull looking, increase the paired eye cream.

4) A blend is completed once the paired eye cream is COMPLETELY EMPTY. Once you've completed all blends, you'll start the rotation all over again. You will be feeding your eyelid skin an abundance of beautiful, healthy ingredients.

5) THE GOAL. Get to know your eyelid skin so that you can become your own expert. I want you to modify your eye cream so that it's completely customized for your needs.

Blend 1: PM Eyelid Butter + AM Eyelid Gel

• • PM EYELID BUTTER - oils: ceramides, fatty acids,cholesterol
  • AM EYELID GEL- hydration, probiotic, actives

This is the most tolerable combination for those starting out. Mix 50% We Love Eyes PM Eyelid Butter with 50% We Love Eyes AM Eyelid Gel. The AM Gel is formulated with active Moth Bean Extract, Vigna Aconitifolia Seed Extract. Derived from the seeds of the Moth Bean plant, the extract is a powerful natural, plant-based anti-aging ingredient that targets fine lines and wrinkles while soothing the delicate eye area. It is used as a RETINOL ALTERNATIVE in skincare. 

Blend 2: PM Eyelid Butter + Shrubtox

• • PM EYELID BUTTER - oils: ceramides, fatty acids,cholesterol
  • SHRUBTOX- hydration, probiotic, actives

Enhancing repair is the emphasis of this blend. Mix 50% We Love Eyes PM Eyelid Butter with 50% We Love Eyes Shrubtox Active Hyaluronic Eye Glass. This blend harnesses the power of 5 actives in a hyaluronic acid base to target collagen, fine lines, and wrinkles.

• Adipofill'in™ - restores lost volume and plumpness in eyelid skin which has suffered from structural aging
• Antarcticine®- stimulates the formation of collagen to restructure the eyelid skin, improve firmness and elasticity, reduce wrinkles, and protect from dehydration and barrier damage
• SYN®-COLL - boosts collagen production and protects against collagen degradation
• SYN®-HYCAN - boosts hyaluronan production and improves collagen fibrillogenisis
• SYN®-TACKS - restores DEJ (dermal-epidermal junction) function by boosting the synthesis of hemidesmosomal proteins

Blend 3:  PM Eyelid Butter + Urbaneyes

• • PM EYELID BUTTER - oils: ceramides, fatty acids,cholesterol
  • URBANEYES- hydration, probiotic, actives

Most of my patients with dry eyes are too sensitive to add Vitamin C to their beauty routine. It can be harsh! Here, this blend emphasizes radiant renewal with Vitamin C. Blend 50% We Love Eyes PM Eyelid Butter with 50% We Love Eyes Urbaneyes. Urbaneyes Hyaluronic Defense Eye Glass delivers:

• Corum-Et-Vc™ - is a new generation of stable vitamin C derivative that provides superb whitening effects, serves to promote collagen synthesis, and protects DNA damage 

My Application Tips

I'm not a stickler when it comes to the eye cream application. Just no tugging and pulling. Use clean fingertips and apply thin layers with a gentle tapping motion. To help absorption, I have my patients use EYE'MASKING and/or FOCUSED EYE ROLL. Just some useful tools to lock in those beautiful ingredients and encourage absorption (respectively). For my sensitive skin type patients - I always have them perform a patch test on their inside wrist (overnight, leave it on) to check for allergy.

The Science Behind an EYE SAFE EYE CREAM

An effective EYE SAFE EYE CREAM protects your eyelid skin barrier, meibomian oil glands, and tear film function  . . . while actively targeting the signs of aging. It’s not just about the actives; it’s also about how the formulation interacts with your eyelid skin, the eyelids, and the ocular surface. Each of my eye creams has a purpose outlined in my Eye Creams Collection page.

About the Founder, Optometrist 

I’m Dr. Tanya Gill, OD and Founder of We Love Eyes. Super frustrated by the eye creams on the market - I decided to make my own to help my dry eye, blepharitis, MGD patients. All ingredients are eye safe, researched, and safety tested. How I run patient care and my eye care routines are designed for one thing only: happy eyes. Find your happy place and visit  We Love Eyes. Here's the link to my beautiful EYE CREAM COLLECTION.

• EYE SAFE EYE CREAM
• SENSITIVE EYES
• We Love Eyes PM Eyelid Butter
• P.M. Eyelid Butter
• We Love Eyes AM Eyelid Gel
• A.M. Eyelid Gel
• Moth Bean Extract
• Vitamin C Eye Cream
• We Love Eyes Shrubtox
• We Love Eyes Urbaneyes
• wrinkle prevention
• eye cream for contact lens wearers
• anti-aging eye cream