| Every day, consumers are inundated with marketing | | | | companies' clever advertising traps. |
| targeting one of our greatest fears: aging. Cosmetic | | | | For Your Eyes Only: The Cause of Puffiness, Dark |
| companies promise to make you look younger | | | | Circles and How to Prevent Them Standing in front |
| through regular application of their new age-defying | | | | of the bathroom mirror this morning, did you mistake |
| cream packed full of an active compound taken from | | | | yourself for a raccoon or a panda? It is easy to do |
| some exotic plant extract. By playing on our fears of | | | | with those undeniable black bags lingering below your |
| growing old, using slogans with scientific sounding | | | | puffy, swollen eyes. You have been working long, |
| terms and rare sounding ingredients, and throwing | | | | hard hours at the office and you haven't been taking |
| around the word 'research', we are hooked into | | | | care of yourself quite the way you should. Puffiness |
| believing that youth is really available in a jar. But how | | | | and dark circles, both of which add years if not |
| can a person be sure these products will really be | | | | decades to your appearance, are the price many of |
| effective in preventing or reversing the aging | | | | us must to pay for abusing our bodies. The following |
| process? Consider the following points before buying | | | | points are the causes and remedies for those |
| into industry promises | | | | unsightly rings and unwanted puffiness, and in so |
| The Bitter Truth | | | | doing, take years off your physical appearance in |
| Unfortunately, most of the claims and promises made | | | | seconds. Cause #1: Lack of Sleep and Sleeping |
| about products in the cosmetic industry are untrue. | | | | Positions |
| Nearly 80% of the anti-aging products on the market | | | | As obvious as it may sound, the real perpetrator of |
| do not live up to the claims made about them. That | | | | under-eye circles and puffiness is too little sleep. Not |
| means only one in five of all products will actually | | | | simply for the sake of your appearance, but also for |
| produce the kind of results they advertise. The only | | | | your general health and well-being, try to get seven |
| way you can be sure you are using an effective | | | | or eight hours of quality sleep each night, as most |
| anti-aging product is to do your homework. Look for | | | | doctors recommend. Puffy eyes are also often a |
| product comparisons done by unbiased consumer | | | | symptom of water retention in the body, thus some |
| testing organizations and online consumer forums | | | | dermatologists recommend sleeping with your head |
| with feedback from real people, not paid bloggers. | | | | slightly elevated to prevent water pooling underneath |
| Do Some Research of Your Own | | | | the eyes. |
| One of the most effective sales gimmicks cosmetic | | | | Cause #2: Dehydration and Poor Diet |
| companies use to market their anti-aging products is | | | | Let's face it. Many of us don't eat as nutritious of a |
| the use of words and phrases that are supposed to | | | | diet or drink as much water as we really should. |
| establish scientific credibility in our minds. Through the | | | | Foods high in salt and fat make up the majority of |
| use of such expressions of '6 out of 10 users say', | | | | what we eat and eight glasses of water often come |
| 'Clinical research shows', or 'Laboratory tests conclude | | | | as an afterthought. However, adequate hydration and |
| that', we are led to believe their promises and pay | | | | lowering our salt intake are essential in the prevention |
| huge sums of money for what are actually glorified | | | | of under-eye puffiness and dark circles. Lowering the |
| moisturizing products. | | | | sodium in your diet will further reduce the amount of |
| Before you buy anything, do some of your own | | | | water your body retains. Drinking plenty of water not |
| research on the company's 'clinical evidence'. Find out | | | | only flushes toxins and impurities from our system, it |
| if the research was done by the company's own | | | | also decreases the likelihood of water retention. |
| laboratory (which is often the case) or if the | | | | Similarly to getting enough sleep, reducing your salt |
| research they have used was actually done by a | | | | intake and drinking plenty of liquids are things which |
| scientifically or academically reputable institution. A | | | | should be done to promote overall health and |
| useful source of information is your dermatologist. He | | | | longevity. |
| or she is familiar with the products available and will | | | | Prevention through Clinically Researched Treatments |
| be able to help you sift through the evidence and | | | | To bolster the benefits of adequate sleep, hydration, |
| research (or lack thereof) on a particular product, | | | | and a healthy diet in preventing puffiness and dark |
| ingredient, or technology before you decide on any | | | | eye circles, you may want to consider adding a |
| particular anti-wrinkle treatment. | | | | research proven eye treatment to your skin care |
| Get Ingredient Smart | | | | regiment. There are a multitude of products available, |
| Another marketing gimmick used by big cosmetic | | | | so remember to look at the active ingredients and |
| companies to plug their anti-aging products are the | | | | technology behind the products. |
| use of 'extracts', 'essences' and 'infusions' from | | | | Stem cell-based products are the latest technology |
| exotic-sounding plants, herbs, or berries. This may | | | | breakthrough being used in anti-aging products. Voss |
| make the product sound more exclusive and | | | | Laboratories' Amatokin implements cutting-edge |
| luxurious, but beware. The effectiveness of these | | | | rejuvenation and cell regeneration properties through |
| ingredients is doubtful. Before deciding on an | | | | derived from the use of stem cells. Astara's Botanical |
| anti-wrinkle cream, look up the active ingredients | | | | Eye Treatment features wild yam and arnica as its |
| used to market it. Is there any unbiased clinical | | | | active ingredients. These have been clinically proven |
| research to suggest it works? Examine the other | | | | to have anti-inflammatory properties which are |
| ingredients. Do they interact with each other in a | | | | important in reducing puffiness and swelling. In |
| negative way, reducing shelf life and perhaps | | | | partnership with major Germany universities, Barbor |
| counteracting effects of the active ingredient? And | | | | has formulated its HSR Lifting Eye Cream using the |
| most importantly, are any of the ingredients known | | | | active ingredients multitendyn and phytic acid. Both |
| to be harmful to your skin? Armed with this | | | | ingredients are known to improve elasticity and |
| knowledge, you will be less likely to fall into the big | | | | combat the effects of free radicals. |