Extreme crepey & wrinkled under eyes at 28! What can I do? (Photos)

Hi there,
Thank you for sharing your photos and concerns — I can understand how distressing this change feels, especially at your age. The skin around the eyes is among the thinnest and most delicate areas of the face, making it very sensitive to both topical products and environmental factors.

From your description, it sounds like your recent increase in retin-A strength could have triggered irritation or barrier disruption, which can temporarily make fine lines and crepiness appear more pronounced. Retinoids are powerful but can thin the skin’s surface layer and dry it out if introduced too quickly, especially in such a sensitive area.

Here’s what I would recommend:
Pause the retin-A on the under-eye area until the skin has calmed.
Rehydrate and repair the barrier with a gentle, fragrance-free eye cream containing ingredients like ceramides, peptides, and hyaluronic acid.
Avoid tugging or rubbing the area and use only lukewarm water to cleanse.
Protect the area daily with sunscreen, as UV exposure can rapidly worsen crepiness.
Once the irritation resolves, consider professional options such as low-dose under-eye filler, platelet-rich plasma (PRP), microneedling with growth factors, or non-ablative laser treatments to restore elasticity and collagen support.

Most importantly, the changes you’re seeing are reversible with proper care and time. Try not to be too hard on yourself — this reaction is not uncommon and can significantly improve once the skin barrier heals.

We have had excellent success in smoothing the appearance of under eye crepey skin with Morpheus eight. Morpheus eight is radio frequency micro needling. If you are looking for a non-surgical approach with minimal downtime and risk, this may be worth investigating. Thank you for your question. Sincerely, Dr. Josep

Hello dear tegen1,I'm doctor Hong, from Fresh Clinic,Seoul Korea. So sad to hear that.
Based on picture, not only under eyes area, but nasolabial folds, Indian bands and middle of face look a little bit sagged (lose of skin elasticity). May be you have has some drastic changes in your life caused stress, that lead to those facial changes as well. Honestly, in this stage, it not easy to fix it by non-surgical approach. However, if you do not considering the surgery, I would recommend you Thermage for eyes and face overall.

A pinch blepharoplasty procedure that removes skin along the lash line with a TCA peel of the lower lids will smooth out your lower eyelids. The procedure can be done under local in the office.

Hello T,

I would recommend the injection of EZ Gel, it is made 100% from your own blood. Albumin and fibrin rich plasma are injected, the growth factors, stem cells, and exosomes help to regenerate the skin around your eyes. Another treatment that would help is fractionated CO2 laser. With either treatment, the most important aspect is that you choose your treating physician expert carefully. With respect to your use of retin a, patience is best. You should start with the weakest forumulation, and use it 3 nights a week before bed. It should be the first skincare product put on your skin after washing. If you use any other skin care, make sure that the retin a has had time to dry. Once your skin tolerates the weak retina for a few weeks (no redness, peeling, or dryness) then you may add another night per week. Eventually you should get to using it everynight. Good luck and be well.
Michael A. Persky, MD
Encino, CA. USA

It sounds like the Retin A you are using may be too strong for your skin. I encourage you to visit with an experienced aesthetician or dermatologist near you for an evaluation. Product selection for your skin type is key. We always recommend using medical grade skin care products like Transform MD and wearing sunscreen every day.

You've got a few options in this situation.
First, being on good products - SPF, vit C, and retinol - for long-term prevention and improvement is important.

To help correct this, you could consider laser resurfacing (CO2 or Erbium), microneedling, chemical peels, or even fillers (HA or PRF).

Discuss with a local plastic surgeon or dermatologist for help.