advice: can a cream for hemorrhoids help you tackle the signs of aging?
the drugstore brand preparation h temporarily constricts blood vessels to soothe inflammation and discomfort in the anus and lower rectum. it works similarly for facial wrinkles, but the effect isn't permanent.
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reality tv star and billionaire entrepreneur kim kardashian uses the hemorrhoid cream, preparation h, to tighten her under-eye wrinkles. getty
dear asking for a friend,
there’s apparently a trend that has women putting preparation h under their eyes to erase wrinkles. is this a thing?
signed,
wrinkled
dear wrinkled,
nothing sparks a beauty trend quite like a high-profile celebrity divulging a secret strategy — especially when it involves a common drugstore product that costs about $10.
reality tv star and billionaire entrepreneur kim kardashian uses the hemorrhoid cream, preparation h, to tighten her under-eye wrinkles, according to her longtime makeup artist mario dedivanovic who shared his kardashian beauty techniques in a master class training session in new york city.
according to insider, he discussed everything from proper foundation application to the best tips to keep eyeliner in place, but social media took off with his surprising recommendation for smoothing skin under your eyes: the popular hemorrhoid cream that was introduced to bottoms in 1935. now, tiktok users are promoting the cream as a beauty hack for under-eye puffiness — with mixed results, shape magazine reports.
hemorrhoids are swollen veins in your anus and lower rectum, and considered similar to varicose veins, notes the mayo clinic. hemorrhoids — which affect three out of every four adults — can be painful, itchy and cause some bleeding. preparation h works by temporarily constricting the blood vessels to soothe the inflammation and discomfort.
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but is it really a good idea to put it under your eyes?
a bit of folklore and a bit of science
the author of beyond soap: the real truth about what you are doing to your skin and how to fix it for a beautiful, healthy glow, dr. sandy skotnicki is a dermatologist and founder of toronto’s bay dermatology centre and an assistant professor in the department of medicine at the university of toronto. she is also a recognized expert on skin allergies.
“it’s interesting because i’ve been a dermatologist almost 23 years and this was big in the ’90s as well,” she says of using preparation h for under-eye fixes. “everything that’s old is new again. it’s a bit of folklore and there is [also]a bit of science to it.”
from a science point of view, skotnicki says the main active ingredient in the formula is phenylephrine which causes vasoconstriction, where blood vessels constrict so that blood flow is slowed or blocked. and when you apply preparation h under your eyes, there is a similar shrinking of fine lines and wrinkles — but it’s not permanent.
“you get an immediate kind of shrinkage, reducing the appearance of your wrinkles, but it’s not long-lasting,” she says. “makeup artists might do it before you have a show or walk down the red carpet or for your wedding, things like that.”
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and if you’re trying out the trend, be careful which formulation you use, because one contains a steroid that you don’t want to put under your eyes on an ongoing basis, she cautions.
preparation h shouldn’t be part of a regular skin care routine
the bottom line, though, is preparation h should not be a part of your regular skin care routine.
for temporary relief of under-eye wrinkles and puffiness, skotnicki suggests other options that have the same cooling and restricting of tissue, like putting cold cucumber, or black tea bags that have been soaked in cold water under your eyes — there’s the cold and also the caffeine to help constrict blood vessels.
“if you have puffy eyes, you’ve got a bit of retention of fluid there, so a cold compress can have the same effect,” she says. “i would much rather people put some tea bags under their eyes than use preparation h.”
taking care of your skin is always a good thing, she says, but there are other options than hemorrhoid cream, including eye creams that are formulated for the delicate eye area and sunscreen. there are also lifestyle factors that can impact your skin such as lack of sleep, smoking, eating salty foods and going without sunglasses so you’re squinting more in the sun.
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“there’s nothing wrong with trying to age a little bit more gracefully,” says skotnicki. “and it’s different for every woman.”
karen hawthorne is a toronto-based writer.
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