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Jane Moir

THEY MAY BE the windows to the soul, but after a few late nights and general neglect, your eyes can quickly degenerate into the puffed,  saggy mirrors of a hectic lifestyle.

But Hong Kong has plenty of treatments to give your eyes a boost. On the down side, most people  under-invest in eye care, or  get their daily routine wrong.

Experts say their clients tend to look at the big picture rather than singling out their eyes for special treatment.

'What they always think is, 'I'm going to have a facial and [therapists] will do the eye area,'' says Anna Orvay,  owner of the Sense of Touch spa. 'They don't think it's worth paying for a half-hour treatment for such a small area of the face.'

The result, at the least, is likely to be fine crepe-like lines that appear under the eyes. And these can actually be  reduced, unlike wrinkles elsewhere, which are pretty much with you for life.

Most eye treatments  aim to boost moisture to ease these lines. Masks can also help  moisture penetrate the skin. Elemis Day Spa, for example, offers a 30-minute Japanese Silk Booster therapy (HK$680) that's packed with silk protein to seep into the eye area.

The treatment starts with a good cleanse and is followed by a mask  that mixes these silk proteins with a pro-collagen serum. The eyes are  covered while  you're given a reflex foot massage.  After half an hour, your eyes feel brighter, wider and more nourished.

Other treatments will do a gentle exfoliation around the  area to get the circulation going and improve the thin skin texture.

At Sense of Touch, a multi-vitamin eye treatment can be added to a facial for some special attention. After exfoliating around the eyes, a mask - packed with vitamins A, C and E as well as seaweed to firm the area - is applied. The eye treatment costs HK$300 and lasts 30 minutes.

Another option the spa offers is a Caci  machine that uses electric pulses or microdermabrasion treatments such as the Intense Diamond Peel (where wands with diamond tips are applied to the skin), to lift the muscles around the eye. One session  costs HK$150.

Most spas will offer an eye mask as a side order to a facial. At the More Than Skin Urban Spa, for example, an eye massage and mask can be  added for  HK$200. The spa also offers a Dr Murad eye mask for HK$550, which has a high concentration of vitamin C. The mask targets dark circles, puffiness and fine lines. 'You can help to improve the appearance and help to lift the skin tissue as well,' says the spa's  Annie Fung.

Intensive eye treatments can also help with general sagging - specifically, where the soft skin under the eyes begins to head south. At Feel Good Factor, a 45-minute eye therapy (HK$590) uses a mask packed with collagen serum or a brightening serum to minimise dry lines and give the skin more oxygen.

A one-off treatment may help in the short term, but the spa's senior therapist, Vikki Lam Lai-ping, advises clients to get their home routine in order. 'We recommend clients apply a cream every day, each time they clean their face,' she says. 'And if possible, use an eye mask once or twice a week.'

Prevention is vital, says Delphin Goichon, manager of the Grand Hyatt's Plateau spa. 'As soon as you reach the age of 20, it's very important to use an eye treatment,' she says.

The type of treatment varies, depending on your skin's needs.  In general, a hydrating eye cream works for everyone. Gels tend to target puffiness, and   don't offer as much moisture. Correct application of cream is also important. Slapping it on won't give the maximum benefits.

Goichon recommends applying cream from the inner side of the eyes outward. For anti-ageing products for the eyes, she says to do the reverse. Warming the cream in the hands first is also suggested, to enable it to penetrate the skin better.

Many women get confused between fine lines and wrinkles, she  says. A simple way to check is to put an index finger on your cheek and pull the skin. Fine lines will become obvious. The rule of thumb for wrinkles is to smile. These permanent fixtures become instantly apparent. Another mistake  is to buy the wrong eye cream or rub it in too aggressively, says Orvay. 'And don't put anti-ageing cream too close to the eyelids. You only need to put it up to the eye bone.

'Take at least half a minute to rub in the eye cream - a 30-second massage to help with the circulation. The lines will  soften in time.'

Orvay also recommends asking your therapist which cream suits you best. Unlike general stores, most salons  have samples for clients to try.

Home remedies are as important to the eyes as a rigorous cleansing routine.

For those restless nights when you know you're going to wake up with puffy eyes, Goichon recommends an eye pillow by the bed. These grain-filled cushions can be infused with essential oils and simply placed over the face.

Teabags and cucumbers have long been hailed as  fine natural eye remedies, but there are also gadgets that help, she says, such as liquid-filled eye masks that can be chilled or warmed before being placed over the eyes.

For puffy eyes, Orvay suggests putting the eye mask in the freezer for a few minutes, then  putting a tissue over your eyes before applying it. Alternatively, a mask can be heated in warm water for a few minutes before being put on the eye area. This helps with dark circles.



Feast your eyes