Do Eye Masks Really Work?

Eye masks or patches are one of those products that some of you may be looking at with a bit of doubt. Do they really work? Are they worth the cost, considering they are a one-time-use product?

â€œThe good news is that, even if the effect is momentary, under-eye masks and patches do work,â€ mentions Kaitlin Scharmann, a licensed medical aesthetician at ishonest in Austin, Texas. â€œIn fact, some dermatologists believe you should incorporate them in your regular skincare routine, not just save them for special occasionsâ€ The reason is that thanks to their targeted functions and concentrated ingredients, they work much faster than the under-eye cream you apply (or forget to apply?) each day or night.

Eye masks and patches are made with specific needs in mind, so finding one that fits what your skincare routine is missing should be fairly easy, provided that you know what to look for.

For Dark Circles:

â€œIf you feel like you always have dark circles; no matter how many hours of sleep you get, find eye masks or patches with ingredients such as tea extracts, vitamins C and K help to brighten or reduce the appearance of dark circles, water from extra-pure locations, and hyaluronic acid,â€ Scharmann states. You can actually get in localized injections at your dermatologistâ€™s office to help minimize dark circles.

For Puffy Eyes:

Find masks with cucumber as the main ingredient â€“ those pictures of ladies in spas with cucumber slices in their eyes are not wrong! â€œCucumber has wonderful hydrating properties â€“ it is incredibly high in water content â€“ and calms inflammation and irritation of the skin,â€ says Scharmann. Another great ingredient to look for is â€œarnica extract to brighten dark circles and dragonâ€™s blood (a red sap from the Croton lechleri tree and not as scary as it sounds)â€ which does wonders for puffiness and any redness you may have under your eyes after long days or a harsh makeup removal process. Caffeine is also a good ingredient to look for to literally â€œenergizeâ€ your eyes.

For Extreme Hydration and Wrinkle Smoothing:

Look for masks with collagen, glycerin, peptides, or retinol as the main ingredients. Retinol can be a rather harsh ingredient in high concentrations, so an eye patch or mask will have a concentration that does all the good without taking it too far. Keywords to look for in the packaging are also â€œrevitalizingâ€, â€œhydratingâ€, â€œrevivingâ€, â€œextra boostâ€, and â€œgelâ€.

Before you fill your cart with new masks to tryâ€¦