I recently bumped into an old school friend who I haven’t seen in 20 years and even though she was wearing a face mask, I could tell that she has been taking good care of herself.

When I shared my opinion on how well she had aged, I was asked how I could tell when I could hardly see her face.

There are a few tell-tale signs that tend to give away one’s age and whether or not you’re taking care of yourself.

Some of the most obvious signs would be greying of hair, which many people simply dye away.

Then there’s skin pigmentation, which can easily be camouflaged by make-up.

Sagging skin, unless you go under the knife or inject a bit of filler here and there, might be a bit harder to hide.

But unless you have those great genes, it’s the eye area that will give your age away.

Taking good care of your eye are will help reduce signs of old age. Picture: Pexles

Here’s why the skin around your eyes ages and why it presents early signs of aging.

The skin itself around eyes is much thinner and more delicate than the skin on any other part of the body which makes it more susceptible to damage.

And you might not realise this but your eyes and skin around it actually does so much work on a daily basis.

We’re constantly blinking and of course emotional expression creates movement of the skin. Hence the term “smile lines” which doesn’t only form around the mouth.

Therefore it makes perfect sense that by the time you reach your thirties your eyes are the one area where age will start to show.

However there are practices one can put in place to slow down that aging process. Without any aesthetic beauty treatments like botox or fillers.

Moisturising

While moisturising is important for your entire skin, it’s the eye area that people tend to neglect the most. When it in fact needs more. The area is prone to dryness because it lacks oil glands.

Having said that, one cannot use just any kind of moisturiser on the area. The moisturiser you use on the rest of your skin can be too harsh for the sensitive eye area.

Look out for creams specifically made for the eye area.

A gentle touch

Always be gentle when touching the eye area. Whether you’re applying any eye product like eyeshadow or eyeliner or removing it, take great care in the way you do so. Never use too much pressure when removing products. Rather go over the area a few times with a gentler touch.

When applying a product use your ring or small finger and always gently dab the product into the skin.

Be gentle when removing makeup. Picture: Pexels

Get enough sleep

A good sleeping pattern is essential to maintaining a healthy body (and healthy mind). It’s fundamental to good health. One can always tell by just looking at someone’s eyes whether they're sleeping well or not. Dark rings and puffy eyes are a dead give away.

So unless you’ve been blessed with really good genes, taking care of your eye area is one sure way to hide your true age!