Beyond the Blepharoplasty: Eye Care Is Having a Major Moment – Latest Fashion Trends & Style Tips June 27, 2025 at 05:30PM
📰 Beyond the Blepharoplasty: Eye Care Is Having a Major Moment
✨ Fashion Insights & Trends:
Just a few years ago, I would have had no clue what a "bleph" was. Now, it's something that my friends and I regularly reference wanting, (half) jokingly, in casual conversation. In case you're not quite as vain as we are: It's short for blepharoplasty, a cosmetic surgical procedure on the eyelids that can correct drooping, excess fat, hooded lids, puffiness and wrinkles around the eyes. (It can be done on either the upper or lower eyelids, or both.)
It may just be that we're in our mid-30s and confronting the realities of aging — but it's also hard not to notice (for the pop-culturally clued-in, at least) that celebrities like Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber, Blake Lively, Jennifer Lawrence, Taylor Swift and Zoë Kravitz all seem to have, uh, set their sights...higher over the past several years. (I'll leave you to Google the before-and-afters yourself.)
"The eyes are truly having a moment in the beauty industry — and it makes sense. They're the first thing people notice about us, and often the first area to show signs of aging," says Dr. Ashley Brissette, a board-certified ophthalmologist at Kelly Vision in New York City and the founder of Daily Practice by Dr. B, an eye-focused skin-care range. "From dark circles and puffiness to fine lines and dryness, the eye area reflects everything from our sleep habits to our stress levels. My patients constantly tell me they want their eyes to look brighter, more awake, more youthful — but that starts with keeping the eyes healthy, not just covering up imperfections."
"I do think there is a new focus placed on ocular aesthetics. I see it with the popularity of lash extensions and eyelash growth serums, as well as the popularity of eye drop products like Upneeq which lifts the eyelids, and Lumify which is a drop to 'take the red out,'" adds Dr. Diane Hilal-Campo, a board-certified ophthalmologist in Oakland, New Jersey and founder of Twenty/Twenty Beauty. "There has always been an interest in cosmetic blepharoplasty, but the interest in these other aesthetic offerings is new in recent years."
Of course, the surgical route isn't for everyone, and so consumers, medical providers and brands alike are in search of new technologies and treatments to target the eye area. And it's not just about coping with droopiness, wrinkles or dark circles: There's a new focus on eye health as well.
Yes, the eyes are officially having their wellness moment.
Eye Wellness Education
"Most people don't realize that, just like we have routines for our skin, hair and overall wellness, we need an eye-care routine to keep our eyes looking bright and feeling comfortable long-term," says Dr. Brissette. "The eyes are constantly exposed to screens, makeup, environmental stressors and aging, yet they're often overlooked in daily care."
Dr. Hilal-Campo agrees that most people overlook eye care, especially if they don't have vision problems. But getting regular eye exams and taking eye care seriously can prevent serious medical problems from arising later in life. She was inspired to create her own eye-health-focused skin-care brand after having seen a "dramatic increase" in patients coming to her office because of "complications from their eye makeup and beauty habits."
In-Office, Non-Surgical Procedures
Dry eye disease is one of the most basic and common concerns Dr. Brissette encounters in her practice, but, "For years, the only option we really had to offer was artificial tears — temporary relief that didn't address the underlying causes." Recently, technology has come a long way, and many of the in-office treatments for dryness can also offer "cosmetic improvement to the eyelids and overall eye appearance," she notes.
At Kelly Vision, Dr. Brisette offers her patients LipiFlow ($1,200), a "thermal pulsation treatment designed to unblock the meibomian glands — tiny oil glands along the eyelid margins that often get clogged, leading to evaporative dry eye." By combining gentle heat and massage, the treatment can clear blockages and give a year or longer of dry eye improvement, which can in turn reduce eyelid puffiness, she notes.
View the original article to see embedded media.
For those specifically concerned about redness, there's OptiLight (starting at $2,000), an intense pulsed light (IPL) treatment that has been FDA-approved for dry eye and ocular rosacea. IPL has been used in dermatology offices for years for treating redness, rosacea and visible capillaries; but with this technology now being approved for the eye area, it opens up a whole new area of possibility.
"It targets inflammation around the eyelids and reduces the bacterial and vascular load that contributes to chronic dry eye," explains Dr. Brissette, adding that, on the aesthetic side, "It also improves skin texture, reduces redness and enhances the appearance of the eyes and under-eye area."
While dermatologists can, in theory, offer this treatment near the eyes, Dr. Hilal-Campo notes that patients seeking this for eye care should really visit an ophthalmology office. "Eye doctors use special lead shields to protect the eyes during treatment," she notes, adding that her patients "generally say they feel 50% better after just one treatment." (But it can take three to four treatments before some patients notice results.)
For her patients wanting a "lifted" effect in the eye area without surgery (or even injectables), Dr. Brissette turns to OptiLift (starting at $2,000), "a more targeted radiofrequency and dynamic muscle stimulation procedure that supports eyelid health and skin tone." This treatment can help to tighten eyelid skin, improve circulation and boost collagen while "simultaneously enhancing meibomian gland function to produce oil that lubricates the eyes," she explains. "It's ideal for patients with both dry eye and mild eyelid laxity or hooding."
View the original article to see embedded media.
These treatments can also be used in combination to target a range of concerns, and Dr. Brissette sees this as a turning point for in-office eye care. "This new wave of treatments is truly game-changing — we're now able to treat dry eye at its root, provide long-term improvements and give patients brighter, more refreshed-looking eyes at the same time."
For those concerned only with aesthetics, injectables can be helpful, particularly in younger patients, says Dr. Lesley Rabach, a double-board certified facial plastic surgeon at LM Medical in New York City. "These include small amounts of neurotoxin [like Botox] in the [outer] corner of the eye to reduce the crow's feet, and tear trough filler, which can be helpful at the beginning stages of lower eyelid aging," she says. Though, for the latter, not everyone is a good candidate.
"Patients with relatively small hollows and thicker skin" are ideal, she notes. "Undereye filler is not a substitute for surgery, and has certain limitations... If the bag is very large and the skin is thin, this will not be a successful treatment." Her go-to for this area is Restylane. "The risks are fairly minimized when using a cannula, which is the approach that we use in our practice."
In-Office, Surgical Procedures
Photo: Victor Boyko/Getty Images
"The eyelid skin of the upper eyelids and the lower eyelid bags are the most common first areas to show signs of aging," says Dr Rabach. She's noticed an increase in younger patients looking for surgical options, hoping to "rejuvenate the entire upper third of the face, which is rather beautiful and natural," she says. She credits both social media and an improvement in the medicine itself for making such procedures feel less daunting.
Where brow lifts once required large incisions with the potential for scarring, that's changed. "We now understand that brow lifting is more a repositioning of the underlying tissues without any removal of skin," she explains. "Incisions are one inch on either side, within the hair, and they heal remarkably well. The recovery time, as you can imagine, is also significantly reduced." (Hence why this type of procedure would appeal to a celebrity who can't take forever to heal before the next red carpet.)
View the original article to see embedded media.
She uses non-surgical treatments, including TCA (a CO2 laser "used to tighten the surface of skin"), alongside these procedures for the best results. "These are the absolute most up-to-date treatments that will permanently restore a youthful appearance of the ocular area," she says.
Even with all these advances, every expert consulted for this story agrees that the eye area is one where patients and practitioners should exercise extreme caution and restraint.
When it comes to surgery, "The surgeon must respect and maintain the natural anatomy of the patient specifically," says Dr. Rabach. "If the patient has a hooded upper eyelid, rejuvenating the upper eyelid must maintain that hooded appearance. If the surgeon removes too much skin, the patient's entire periocular area will no longer look like the patient."
At-Home Topicals, Treatments and Devices
After years of having patients ask her for eye-area skin-care recommendations that wouldn't exacerbate eye irritation, Dr. Brissette "realized there was a major gap in the beauty industry: an eye-focused skin-care line," she says. That's how Daily Practice was born, centered on a three-step eye-care routine with eye safety as a key priority. "As an ophthalmologist, I understand the science behind the ocular surface and the importance of maintaining its health — so each formula is rigorously tested to ensure it not only enhances the skin around your eyes, but also protects your vision and comfort."
Dr. Hilal Campo's Twenty/Twenty also approaches skin care and color cosmetics through an eye-health lens, catering to her patients who have experienced issues with their traditional eye makeup and removers. So she formulated the products in her brand with gentle ingredients and removed known allergens. Hydrating ingredients are also used to maintain moisture in both the skin and the eyes.
"My products are safer, do not interrupt the homeostasis of the dry eye cycle, and do not push patients into becoming symptomatic," she says, adding, "We receive emails thanking us from customers who haven't been able to tolerate other eye makeup brands."
Photo: Courtesy of Dr. Dennis Gross
On the device front, Dr. Dennis Gross' SpectraLite EyeCare Max Pro mask (which provides LED red light therapy) has been around for years, as has the NuFace Fix Microwand ($195), a mini version of the brand's microcurrent device, which it claims can be used around the eyes for a lifting and firming effect. But there's newness in this category, too: Shark Beauty introduced its CryoGlow Mask, which combines LED technology with cooling metal "cryo" attachments for the undereye area, this year. It's already proven to be popular among influencers (including, yes, Alix Earle) and shoppers, ranking as a best-seller at Ulta.
According to Dr. Brissette, using LED devices around the eyes "can be okay, but it really depends on the design of the device and how it's used." She suggests using only FDA-approved devices that are intended for use around the eyes, but says that "red light therapy, especially in 630-660nm wavelength range, is generally considered safe." Dr. Hilal-Campo is a bit more wary: "We need to have good prospective studies with large numbers of people to study the effects of these masks on the eyes long term. Until then, if you must use them, please only use FDA-approved devices, and use shields or goggles for your eyes," she says.
Other at-home eye care tools lean more into heating and/or massaging the eye and orbital area to promote relaxation, prevent dryness and aid with "sculpting" or removing fluid. Our experts have mixed feelings when it comes to these.
"Some at-home treatments for dry eye and eyelid health — like heated eye masks — can absolutely be effective when done properly," says Dr. Brissette, who recommends the Blinkjoy Sleep Mask to her patients. But she also advises caution when trying these at-home options: "The eye area is incredibly delicate, and more isn't always better. I've seen patients unintentionally irritate their eyes, burn their eyelids or even poke or scratch the ocular surface while trying to do aggressive treatments on their own." So of course, always follow the device instructions, and don't overdo it.
Other high-tech gadgets, like TheraBody's Smart Goggles, don't get our ophthalmologist experts' stamp of approval, though. "I am concerned about [it]," Dr. Hilal-Campo says when I ask her. "I have not seen it or used it, however, it claims to massage the eyes and use vibration, as well as heat to the eyes and temples. I am concerned that the massage and vibration could raise intraocular pressure and cause glaucomatous damage to the optic nerves in susceptible people. For this reason I would not recommend it."
What she does recommend, though, are disposable, self-warming eye masks: "They gently heat up the oils in the meibomian glands, the glands that secrete oils into the tear film, unclogging glands, preventing styes and soothing dry eyes. They are disposable so bacteria, which is bad for the eyes, does not build up; they are wonderful." Plus, they're far more budget-friendly than any of the aforementioned tools and procedures.
Please note: Occasionally, we use affiliate links on our site. This in no way affects our editorial decision-making.
📌 Love fashion? Follow us for daily updates on our fashion blog! 🌟
🔹 #FashionTrends #StyleTips #OOTD #Beyond the Blepharoplasty: Eye Care Is Having a Major Moment
Comments
Post a Comment