The Culprit: The eye area is full of muscles, so every smile, frown, and squint causes the skin to wrinkle up. As collagen deep in the skin decreases over time, those wrinkles don’t go away. If your skin is dry, they may be more noticeable.

Treatment Strategies: Use an eye cream, either in the morning or at night. Choose one with ingredients that are proven to protect collagen, recommends Heidi Waldorf, a dermatologist in New York City. (Skip plain eye creams that only moisturize, since they don’t do much to help wrinkles.) For daytime, go for one that contains peptides to stimulate collagen growth and antioxidants to fight collagen breakdown. Be sure it contains a sunscreen. If you prefer to use eye cream at night, pick one with retinol, which many doctors consider one of the best ingredients to reduce the signs of aging.

Makeup Strategies: Keep wrinkled skin free of concealer, as it can settle into lines and make them more noticeable. Draw attention elsewhere by applying three tiny dots of eye highlighting cream at the inner corners of your eyes and along the tops of your cheekbones, says Matin, a makeup artist in New York City. Tap into the skin with a fingertip. As for shadows and liners, stick with matte.

RS Picks

Murad Essential-C Eye Cream SPF 15, $65
To Buy: www.murad.com.

Roc Retinol Correxion Eye Cream, $20
To Buy: At drugstores.

Smashbox Photo Op Under Eye Brightener, $18
To Buy: www.sephora.com.