Preparation H for Eye Bags and Wrinkles?

Have you seen the beauty tips to use Preparation H for eye bags or puffy eyes or using Preparation H for wrinkles? It is a rather old and long standing beauty secret that you will see touted in YouTube videos and various beauty and beauty pageant message boards. Some celebrities also swear by it, and I have seen some before and after photos that look sort of impressive. But is it safe? Does it really work? Do you really want to put a hemorrhoid cream on your face or around your eyes? The answer is a bit mixed in terms of effectiveness, but ultimately I do not recommend it because it is not safe.

Using Preparation H for Eye Bags and Wrinkles

Preparation H is a hemorrhoid creams as is the similar HemAway.  These creams work on hemorrhoids by shrinking the veins in the anal area and they also tighten the skin.  Thus, the theory is that using such  a cream on other skin areas will have the same effect. But there are several problems with this.

First, the tip to use Preparation H for eye bags, puffy eyes, and wrinkles arose from an older formulation of the product that contained  the ingredient live yeast-cell derivative (LYCD), also known as BioDyne, which at least has been shown in clinical studies to promote burn wound healing. But hemorrhoid creams no longer contain LYCD and have not contained it in a very long time.  People still seek out Preparation H with Biodyne for beauty purposes, but it effectiveness for wrinkles, puffy eyes, and eye bags is sketchy at best and it shares some of the safety concerns addressed below. 

The current formulation of  Preparation h and similar creams  use phenylephrine or hydrocortisone. Phenylephrine shrinks the blood vessels, leading some to believe that it also will help with  puffy eyes, but probably not so much with wrinkles.  Hydrocortisone, is a steroid aimed to help with itching and inflammation. It too could in theory reduce eye bags and puffiness, but would not likely effect wrinkles. Some before and after photos on the web make it appear to work, but other reviews state that it really is not very effective.   In any event, using Preparation H on your face is not safe!

Safety of Using Preparation H for Your Face 

There are several issues with using Preparation H on the face.  First, even if putting a hemorrhoid cream on your face or under your eyes temporarily gives the area a tighter look, prolonged use of the drug can result in skin thinning and can make your skin more fragile.  It can also cause rebound swelling and enlarged blood vessels. So, what would seem to initially work, could actually make everything worse over time. Hydrocortisone is also a steroid, which can cause various issues with long-term use including problems with your adrenal gland.

Second, Preparation H contains multiple  ingredients that can cause eye injury and can irritate sensitive skin, which most facial skin and eye area skin is.  So if you accidentally get some of the cream in your eye, you could cause serious damage. Doesn’t sound like it is worth it does it? 

Using Hemorrhoid Cream for Wrinkles and Puffy Eyes, Don’t Do It 

So, the upshot of all of this is that it is not recommended to use Preparation H for wrinkles, eye bags, puffy eyes, or anything else on your face.  It’s effectiveness, if any, is minimal and its risks are high. Save your hemorrhoid cream for the other end of your body where it belongs!

What to Use for Wrinkles and Eye Bags Instead

Why anyone would want to use Preparation H on the face when there are lots or great beauty products that work better and are safer is beyond me. If you are budget conscious there even are some very affordable solutions. So, instead of using Preparation H for eye bags, take a look at my list of  products in the post the Best Cream for Eye Bags.