Can haemorrhoid cream remove bags from under your eyes? My girlfriend says it works. What do you think? - Front Office Girl
Your eyelids have the thinnest skin in the body, which means they reflect changes in fluid status (puffy vs. sunken) and venous blood flow (darker vs. lighter) most
readily. A sleepless night or too much dehydrating alcohol, and your eyelids will show it. Age and genetics also play the bigger role in whether you have eye circles chronically.
The haemorrhoid cream story began decades ago, when women would apply the original formula of Preparation H to their eyelids. It contained an extract of yeast that, in laboratory studies, has indeed been shown to promote skin cell growth. Rats were lacerated with a scalpel, wound chambers were implanted, the yeast substance was applied, and their wounds closed 30 per cent faster, d because of the presence of what turned out to be an epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulant. Would these findings translate to humans, with intact skin, just trying to look less old? Could it be that stimulating EGF in your eyelids might actually be bad for you? We didn't know, but that didn't stop determined people from self-experimenting. That's the history of science, and I guess, of cosmetics.
The sad part is that the formula changed long ago, when manufacturers failed to show that "active ingredient" in Preparation H did anything at all to relieve haemorrhoids. So the makers switched the formula to contain an astringent similar to rubbing alcohol, which shrinks the haemorrhoidal tissue, and sometimes a steroid to reduce swelling. Keep these newer haemorrhoid creams well away from your face, as the astringent can burn your eyes, and the steroid will eventually thin and weaken your facial skin, as well as promote the growth of spider veins. Which is probably not the look you're after.
