The Scientist: Amy J. Derick, M.D., head of Derick Dermatology in Illinois
The Answer: The area around your eye is very sensitive and the skin is very thin, so it makes sense that women worry about the potential aging effects of pulling on the lid to apply eyeliner. But it’s highly unlikely that a little liner is going to cause wrinkles.If you spend all day squinting at your computer or sleep all night squished against your pillow, there’s a much better chance that that is going to give you crow’s feet than if you spend 10 or 20 seconds gently pulling your lid taught and drawing on a line.
(Operative word is “gently”—if you’re pulling hard enough to cause repetitive irritation, you’re doing something wrong.) In fact, forgetting to wear sunglasses or simply smiling a lot is going have a greater impact on eye aging.If anything, it’s taking off your eye makeup where you should be careful. No matter how tough your liner is to wash off, don’t scrub. Use a non-irritating makeup remover to pat the color away without damaging your collagen.
