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Why the eye area needs a separate treatment
Eyelid skin is the thinnest on the whole face, has few sebaceous glands and a weaker protective barrier. It loses water more quickly, dries out faster and reacts more visibly to tiredness, salt in the diet and lack of sleep.
This is also why the first lines appear here, and why strong preparations intended for the cheeks act too aggressively in this area. The Retix.C Eye set has lower concentrations and a different sequence than the facial variant.
Three preparations in the protocol
The treatment has a fixed sequence, and each preparation is responsible for a different stage.
Anti-ageing peel for the eye area
Ferulic acid 2.5%, citric acid 5%, malic acid 5%, lactic acid 4.5%, phloretin, retinol
A blend of acids at concentrations suited to the thin skin of the eyelids. It provides gentle exfoliation and prepares the skin for the following stages.
Vitamin C serum
Vitamin C 10%, ferulic acid
An antioxidant with a brightening effect that evens out skin tone and supports collagen synthesis. Ferulic acid stabilises the vitamin C and strengthens its action.
Nanostructural mask
Moisturising and regenerating complex
The step that closes the treatment. It intensively moisturises, calms irritation after the acids and cools the area, which is often felt to be the most pleasant part of the visit.
Indications, or what it helps with
The treatment can also be a first step for people who want to address the eye area but are not yet ready for methods that use needles. In that case, it is used to assess how the skin responds to retinol in this area.
What the treatment will not do
The eye area is where expectations most often diverge from what cosmetology can achieve. It is worth clarifying this before a course of treatment, not after it.
It will not remove bags caused by fat herniation. A bulging fat pad in the eyelid is a matter for a doctor, not for a preparation applied to the skin. The improvement concerns swelling and stagnation, not excess tissue.
It will not lift a drooping eyelid. Marked excess skin requires a surgical assessment, and a cosmetology treatment cannot replace it.
It will not fill in the tear trough. Shadows resulting from a loss of volume under the eye are a task for other methods, discussed by a doctor. More on the dark circles under the eyes page.
It will not stop ageing. The effect requires maintenance, and how long it lasts depends on age, the condition of the skin, sleep and photoprotection.
The treatment step by step
The first visit takes about forty-five minutes, including the consultation and assessment of the area. The treatment does not require recovery time, and flaking in this area is usually gentler than after the facial variant.
What the manufacturer's research says
The manufacturer of the preparation carried out application and instrumental studies, recorded in report no. 2019/09/0199. We present them with a reservation, because these are the manufacturer's own studies, carried out on a small group and partly based on the participants' self assessment, rather than clinical studies with a control group.
These figures describe how many study participants showed a given change. They do not translate directly into your result and are not a promise of effect. We discuss what you can realistically expect at the consultation, after assessing the eye area.
How many treatments and how often
The treatment is planned as a series, and the cosmetologist selects the number of sessions and intervals individually, after assessing the condition of the skin. In this area, more sessions are usually needed than on the cheeks, because the work is done more carefully and at a shallower depth.
We do not state the number of treatments in advance, because it depends on the starting point, tolerance to retinol and how the skin responds to the first session. The plan is created after it, not before.
Contraindications
In case of eye diseases, after ophthalmic procedures, and with dry eye syndrome, report this before the visit. Working in this area then requires extra caution or postponement, and we make the decision after a conversation.
The questions we are asked most often
Will the treatment remove under eye bags?
This depends on their cause. With swelling and lymphatic congestion, improvement can be visible. If the underlying cause is a fat herniation, meaning a bulge of the eyelid's fat pad, a cosmetology treatment will not remove it. We determine the cause at the consultation, before planning a series.
How does this differ from Retix.C for the face?
In concentrations and composition. The skin of the eyelids is several times thinner than the skin of the cheek, so the facial protocol is not used here. Retix.C Eye is a separate set of three preparations, designed for this area.
Does the skin peel after the treatment?
Usually gentler than after the facial variant, because the concentrations are lower. A temporary feeling of tightness and dryness for a few days is possible. During this time, gentle care and avoiding strong cosmetics in this area helps.
How many treatments do I need?
The cosmetologist sets the number and intervals after assessing the skin, because work in this area is done more carefully and usually more sessions are needed than on the cheeks. The plan is created after the first treatment, once it is known how the skin responds.
Will the treatment help with dark circles under the eyes?
It can help with shadows resulting from pigmentation and dehydrated skin. For shadows caused by volume loss, known as the tear trough, other methods are needed, and the decision belongs to the doctor. That is why we start by determining the cause.
I wear contact lenses, is that a problem?
Lenses are removed before the treatment and put back on only afterwards, once the skin has settled. Mention this when booking, so you can bring a lens case and solution with you.
I have dry eye syndrome, can I have the treatment?
Report this before the visit. Working in this area then requires greater caution, and sometimes postponement. We make the decision after a conversation, and with more severe symptoms we refer you to an ophthalmologist first.
Can I have the treatment before going out?
It is better to allow a few days' buffer. The treatment does not require recovery time, but temporary dryness and slight flaking in the eye area can sometimes be visible under makeup.
Can the treatment be combined with other methods for the eye area?
Yes, it can be part of a larger plan, but not on the same day as treatments using needles. The order and intervals are set by the person carrying out the treatment, and for medical treatments by both people involved in the therapy.
Before you decide
Consultation with a cosmetologist
For the eye area, determining the cause is the most important step. Shadows from volume loss, swelling and fat herniation look similar, but require completely different approaches. At the consultation, we discuss whether a cosmetology treatment makes sense here, or whether a medical assessment is more appropriate. The conversation does not commit you to having the treatment.
This material is for information and does not replace a consultation or an assessment of suitability for the treatment.