This Is The Most Important Place To Use Eye Cream And You're Probably Missing It

As it turns out, eye cream can be an important and effective addition to your daily skincare routine, regardless of age. While many people tend to assume that it's primarily intended for older adults, everyone can benefit from eye cream to some extent. That's because the skin around your eyes is the thinnest and most delicate part of your face (via Forbes). According to Dr. Craig Kraffert, a board-certified dermatologist and president of Amarte Skin Care, this makes it more "vulnerable and prone to allergic reactions than other facial skin."

Since you're constantly using the muscles around your eyes to blink, squint, and smile, the skin around this area tends to get quite a workout, which can cause dryness and a loss of collagen and elasticity over time. In fact, this can lead to the formation of what is known as crow's feet, or small wrinkles around the creases of your eyes. Using eye cream on a daily basis, however, can help address these concerns, while also reducing the appearance of puffiness, pigmentation, and dark circles around the eyes.

That being said, it's also important to know how to apply eye cream the right way. According to experts at Shape, you should apply eye cream by taking a small dab of cream with your finger and gently patting it into the skin around your eyes, starting with the inner corner of your eyebrow and moving sideways and upwards. Then, gently pat the cream into the area under your eyes.

"I recommend applying eye cream with your ring finger, which provides the least amount of pressure on the skin," Dr. Caroline Robinson, the founder and CEO of Tone Dermatology in Chicago, told Shape. It's also important to apply eye cream to the outside of your eye near your temple, moving upwards. If your product can also be used on the upper lids of the eye, you can carefully tap it onto your lids, making sure to stop just above the eyelashes.