Free Radicals: What they are and How they Cause Panda Eyes
Dark undereye rings – or more commonly known as Panda Eyes – have been attributed to free radical damage.
While Free Radicals are known to be harmful to skin health, do you know what they really are?
Free radicals are known to cause numerous skin and health issues. Without proper care to combat free radicals, they could actually speed up your skin’s natural ageing by damaging skin cells. In the long term, this would lead to the development of wrinkles, fine lines, eye bags and panda eyes. Free radical damage could also lead to a range of deadly diseases like diabetes, asthma, cancer and degenerative eye disease.
In this article, we’ll introduce how free radicals function and how free radicals damage your skin cells. But more importantly, we’ll highlight 2 easy ways to combat panda eyes.
What Exactly Are Free Radicals?
Medical News Today has meticulously explained the concept of free radicals. Fortunately for you, we’ve simplified their explanation for easy reading.
Simply put, free radicals are unstable and uncharged oxygen atoms. They are highly chemically reactive because lack enough paired electrons to form a full shell (4 pairs of electrons). The diagram above shows a free radical atom on the left – it lacks 1 electron to form a full shell.
Since the oxygen atoms are lacking in electrons, they sought to find other uncharged atoms to bond with. This process is called oxidative stress – which can damage the body’s cells.
Certain everyday activities produce free radicals – these include smoking, drinking alcohol, consuming too many deep-fried foods and air pollution.
How do Free Radicals cause Panda Eyes?
Free radicals affect our whole body, but free radical damage around our eyes is more obvious because the areas around our eyes are more reactive.
Unfortunately, there are only a few studies that explain the impact of free radicals in the formation of panda eyes. Regardless, we’ve done our research and discovered that free radicals affect tissue formation and blood flow around the eyes.
Surprisingly, the skin below and around our eyes is relatively thinner than other areas on our face. Thus, those areas are more prone to free radical damage. Free radicals disrupt the production of healthy tissues and blood flood in the blood vessels around the eyes. This causes the formation of dark eye rings that make you look tired and older.
2 ways to Combat Free Radical Damage around the Eyes
Thankfully, you can reduce the illusion of panda eyes with some easy DIY remedies. Here are 2 of them.
Invest in a Reliable and Effective Eye Cream
Get an eye cream that hydrates and promotes blood circulation. Not only will it reduce the effect of eye rings, it can also moisturize your skin and make you look less tired!
Apply the eye cream nightly before you sleep in a circular motion to give your eyes a gentle eye massage. Do this daily!
Eat more Nuts and Avocados
We’ve all heard that carrots are healthy eye foods that help improve vision. But nuts and avocados are richer in anti-oxidants which can combat free radicals in the body. According to Alcon, nuts and avocados are rich in vitamin E and can help fight off free radicals in the body.
