Advice about preventing eye wrinkles sometimes borders on the bizarre. I have known people who tried to prevent eye wrinkles by maintaining a stoic expression, with the belief in mind that habitual squinting and other facial expressions can cause a wrinkle.

In a recent report from the American Association of Dermatologists, the cause of wrinkling, sagging and other signs of aging was identified as free radical damage. Free radicals are molecules naturally present in the cells of the body. They perform some vital functions, such as the destruction of intercellular bacteria.

But, because of their reactive nature, they can get out of control and damage the cellular membrane. According to the recent report, radicals damage collagen, an important protein responsible for the skin's firmness. If they keep going down this destructive path, the can eventually damage DNA strands, which leads to cancer.

The study found that aging skin cells produce more free radicals than necessary, so we see more wrinkling and sagging as time goes by.

How is all of this relevant to preventing eye wrinkles? There is a way to control free radical production and prevent the damage.

Antioxidants control free radicals. They allow them to do their necessary jobs, but then stop them.

Antioxidants are present all over the human body, but when researchers see that increase in free radicals in the skin's cells, they see an accompanying decrease of antioxidants.

So, to help prevent eye wrinkles, you want to take your vitamins and look for a cream that contains powerful and effective antioxidants.

Another good way to prevent eye wrinkles is to avoid things that cause free radicals to form.

Cigarette smoke and UV radiation from the sun are two of the biggest culprits.

That's why wearing sunglasses, large enough to protect the corners and the area beneath the eyes, is one of my recommendations for preventing eye wrinkles, but look for an effective lotion, too.

There is a new compound on the market called H-EQ10. The components are not new, they are primarily vitamin E and coenzyme Q10, but the manufacturing process is different, so the antioxidants can penetrate deeply preventing and repairing free radical damage.

But, if you really want to prevent eye wrinkles, there's another effective compound to look for. It's called Functional Keratin.

Normally, it takes one molecule of an antioxidant to stop a single radical. Functional Keratin is referred to as an enzymatic antioxidant, because one molecule of the patented protein complex stops millions of free radicals.

That could be the "final answer" for preventing eye wrinkles. It could also be the end of Botox injections.

If you're young, I applaud you for trying to learn how to prevent eye wrinkles, now. But, if you have older friends or relatives that are already showing some of the signs of age, tell them about the creams that I've mentioned here.

Functional Keratin has been shown in clinical studies to "fade" wrinkles, too.

So, it's effective for preventing eye wrinkles and repairing damage that has already been done. What more could you ask for?