Simple Steps to a Nearly Flawless Face By Petra Guglielmetti

Treat

Great skin is smooth, even toned, and glowing. To get those results, first address your biggest concerns by treating them with targeted, proven skin-care ingredients. Creams and serums with retinol, salicylic acid, vitamin C, and caffeine minimize―and in some cases reverse―the following common issues. Make them part of your regular skin-care routine.

Under-Eye Circles

Lack of sleep can contribute to dark circles, but it’s rarely the main culprit.

• If yours are purplish blue and temporarily disappear when pressed firmly with a finger, they are probably caused by blood vessels that are visible through genetically thin skin. To combat this, apply daily a cream that contains caffeine, such as Topix Replenix Cream CF ($63, skinstore.com). “Caffeine temporarily constricts blood vessels to make them less visible,” says Heidi Waldorf, an associate clinical professor of dermatology at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, in New York City.
• If the darkness is brown, hyper-pigmentation (often caused by minor trauma, such as rubbing your eyes) is probably to blame. Every night, apply an eye cream with retinol, like RoC Multi-Correxion Eye Treatment ($25 at drugstores). This can lighten the area by sloughing off surface cells, but it also helps thicken thin skin, so it will benefit those with visible blood vessels, too.