Anti-Aging Undereye Exercises

After age 40, the effects of the bad habits from your 20’s and 30’s seem to emerge overnight. All the late nights of studying, hanging out with friends, going to bed without removing makeup or skipping an eye cream give way to the tell-tale fine lines, crow’s feet, puffiness, bags and dark circles. Add in loss of elasticity and decreased collagen formation and you get this combination plus hooded eyelids. To help combat the signs of aging, and avoid the alternative of fillers or invasive procedures, I perform daily undereye exercises (or facial yoga) for 10 minutes to help promote microcirculation and strengthen the muscles. I do these on clean, dry eye area before cleansing and applying eye cream and use skin-friendly extra virgin olive oil to avoid tugging and pulling of the delicate area. Best of all, these can be easily done at home or while traveling for vacation or work.

1. The Typewriter

Using fingertips, start by gently tapping under the eyes and make a U-shape by moving back and forth up to the sides and the inner eyes, in sets of 10 three times

2. The Surprise Me

With mouth closed, open eyes wide by using the forehead only to lift the upper lids in sets of 10 five to six times

3. The Side Circle Massage

Find the small, hollow crevices on each side of the eyes with the index fingers. Gently make small, tight circles clockwise, then counterclockwise, in sets of 10 five to six times

Tip: Along with my pre-cleanse morning routine, I do an extra set of the “Surprise Me” face when I catch myself furrowing my brow while on my phone or laptop