You Had No Idea You Looked Old: PDRN and Your Eyes
This Science is Beauty article travels deep into the layers of the under-eye area. It delivers the key differences in why certain wrinkles and dark circles arise, what happens to collagen and fibroblasts, and how to decide if PDRN eye creams or injectables will work for you.
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SCIENCE IS BEAUTY
BY STAFF
On a quick trip to CO Bigelow for a rose bath wash, I stumbled onto an impromptu anti-aging conflict.
“These take care of those under-eye wrinkles and dryness” said the associate pointing to her under-eye area. This stopped the customer ahead of me mid-departure from the counter. Taken aback, she gently asked, “Why do I need these? Do my eyes look aged and dry? From the back, she looked a solemn 67- mostly because of gorpcore and hunching.
“I’m not sure how anyone’s eyes after 35 would not look aged and dried. Scrolling and bing-watching are surer bets to pre-mature aging than aging.”
Aside from the natural breakdown of skin that accompanies aging, cold and dry weather and climate wither the delicate skin structured around the eyes. Some aging is not as detectable to the naked eye as others. That is why it is not uncommon to be surprised by ‘sudden’ lines, crinkles, and dark(er) circles. They were forming in a deeper layer of cells when you were looking the other way.
THE SCIENCE
“The two main aging proteins that we know of, collagen and elastin, are basically disintegrating. Attenuation, disorganization, and fragmentation- akin to NYC scaffolding coming down. That means skin as young as 25 years old loses firmness and the ability to snap back into place. Why can’t more be made? Like the penny, fibroblasts, which produce ECM fibers, go into retirement.”
Your Eyes Are the Windows to Your Old. There are three major reasons eyes enter the anti-youth life stage before acceptance catches up. One is that the skin surrounding the eyes is thin. Then life gives you a promotion, aka aging. In either case, the third reason- the break down of collagen and elastin- causes crow’s feet and dark circles. Both signal the crypt-keeper.
Not all eye aging is created equal. Personal energetics determine which eye problem you are likely to see. Thin periorbital skin makes dark under eye circles appear more blue or purple because the vascular structure is more pronounced. This is especially true for people who closely identify with Vata energetics. Their skin is not only naturally thin, but they underproduce lipids and lose moisture.
“Vata energetics = The tendency to have dry skin and low appetite. The fats are just not there. Even the lipids that moisturize the epidermis and prevent water loss through the skin are produced in lower amounts.”
Crow’s feet are more likely to appear with Pitta dosha due to their behavioral and biochemical profile. Sensitivity to bright light increases squinting, stresses the skin at the inner under-eye areas. High inflammation also heightens production of MMPs (matrix metalloproteinases). These enzymes eat away at collagen and elastin, which partially make up the extracellular matrix (ECM).
A Solution. With the exception of the counter lady, more people are looking into eye treatments using polydeoxyribonucleotide. In beauty circle nomenclature, PDRN, which is the new biotech option for youthful eyes. A topical or injectable salmon or trout DNA extract (from sperm), it regenerates dermal cellular, barrier and collagen functions.
This is Why PDRN Works
PDRN can minimize skin‑related causes of dark circles and lines. To make more collagen for the ECM, PDRN activates fibroblasts. This thickens skin and reduces trans-epidermal water loss. That only works at deeper levels where the process starts, the dermis.
Because topical treatments like eye creams and serums smooth at the dermal surface (epidermal), issues return. Like The Substance (2025) IRL, the wrinkles may be worse once usage stops because concealment does not stop an ongoing decay process. For deeper restructuring of disintegrating particles, professionally-directed PDRN injection works at the skin matrix level.
“Real aging repair requires getting past the skin barrier to activate fibroblasts through their ADORA2A receptors. Because PDRN is a type of nucleotide, a specific pathway is awakened to “salvage” them through injections or similar delivery (ie micro-needles). Basically, PDRN is sustainability for your skin. Bonus Round: Caffeine also binds to ADORA2A, making green tea and coffee long-standing anti-aging candidates.”
This is Why PDRN Does NOT Work
Content Matters. Any product or method that is contaminated with impurities, meaning the spotlight ingredient is distorted, cheap, degraded, or mixed with a lot of impure ingredients, then you might look older in the long run. Eye creams or serums also need to be at a penetrable molecular size and have an efficacious concentration of their active ingredient to offset the amount of product that is not reaching its final destination. Only up to one half and as little as 30% of PDRN passes the skin barrier due to molecular weight. With PDRN, the concentration needs to be at least 0.5-1% of total product.
Importantly, PDRN cannot thaumaturgically cure underlying issues that trigger visible cosmetic eye aging. For dark circles, hydration, sleep, and nutrition are more valuable solutions for restoration, rejuvenation, and brightening. Also, stop scrolling! Constant eye movement in the same pattern overuses, thus weakens, orbital muscles. Just like biceps, weak muscles reveal loose skin.
There are other lifestyle changes that can be done, but they may or may not work depending on age and severeness of underlying disintegration.
Squint No More. Shield eyes from bright lights using sunglasses and hats. Also, take a minute break to close your eyes while working long sessions in front of computer screens. This is also healthy for the retina and cornea.
Dab Dab Dab. No matter how badly you want the cat-eye liner to come out, do not pull at your eyes to do it. Same goes for removing eye makeup. Gentle dabs prevent unnecessary irritation of keratinocytes when applying and removing makeup. Importantly, dab on eye creams and serums. Softly pressing product around the eye helps it descend into the skin barrier where it can do its job effectively.
Product Spotlight: When my turn came after this encounter, I was handed a stack of what I guess were the same samples. ‘Jackpot!’, I thought. Dennis Gross samples for old skin I’ve been waiting to try- the ones that fill in without needles. None of the product samples I got use the newish ingredient PDRN. The Ordinary released a 4% vegan bacterially-derived version that works by ordinary standards. It’s $10 for an eye cream that is outside of the CVS realm.
Our team tried The Ordinary PDRN-containting eye cream with positive results. After for 60 days of use, this cream was found to have immediate effects on the under-eye area in terms of wrinkles and sagging. The long-lasting effects are to be determined. (Image: AKJAM Publishing)
NOTE: The Magazine does not receive commission for the products included in this article. The products are chosen independently and results shared are from personal use.
READ MORE
Your eyes are the first places to reveal your age. Or that your skin is beyond it. How PDRN works and does not work for the multitude of eye aging, from crow’s feet to dark circles, depends on delivery.