Are you also one of the ‘lucky winners’ that got the panda look? Are your dark circles driving you crazy? Well, me too. I like to tell myself that I’ve learned to live with them, but I will still try anything under the sun to get rid of them.
I’ve read somewhere that about 90% of people have dark circles as number one on their complaint list about their appearance. In today’s post, I will try to get to the bottom of this problem and see if there is any hope for us.
What are dark circles?
I think we all know what dark circles are. But, just in case, here is a definition from Mayo Clinic: ‘Dark circles under your eyes happen when the skin beneath both eyes appears darkened. It’s different from bruising around one eye from an injury or redness and swelling in one eye caused by an infection.’
They make us look older and more tired than we actually are. Also, the colour can vary from yellowish to purple, brown and black. And sometimes they come with an extra gift – eye bags.
Why do they appear
There are many reasons why dark circles may appear. They usually are caused by a lack of sleep but not necessarily. For some people (like me), it can be genetic. And no matter how much sleep I get, I will always have dark circles under my eyes.
Some of the possible causes of dark circles are:
- Allergies
- Atopic dermatitis (eczema)
- Contact dermatitis
- Fatigue
- Heredity
- Skin pigment irregularities
- Rubbing or scratching your eyes
- Sun exposure
- Ageing
- Eyestrain
- Dehydration
Allergies
When you have an allergy, your body produces histamine to fight a foreign subject it deems a threat. These foreign subjects can be dust, pollen, cats’/dogs’ hair or many other things. Histamine then causes itchiness, redness and puffy eyes. Also, it causes our blood vessels to dilate, making them more visible.
Eczema
Eczema is a condition that makes your skin red and itchy. It can flare up at any time, depending on different triggers. One of the symptoms of eczema is the appearance of reddish or brown, or greyish skin lesions that can appear on the eyelids.
Contact Dermatitis
Contact dermatitis is similar to allergies. But it occurs as a result of physical contact with the rash-causing substance. Again, it releases histamine that can cause the appearance of dark circles.
Fatigue
Sleep deprivation but also oversleeping can enhance dark circles. Sleep deprivation can cause our skin to look dull and pale, enhancing the darkness of blood vessels under the eyes. Lack of sleep can also cause a build-up of fluid under the eyes, causing eye bags.
Heredity
Dark circles can be inherited and seen in early childhood. From then, they can either slowly disappear or worsen. Mine, for example, are inherited and, unfortunately, didn’t disappear.
Skin pigment irregularities
Irregular pigmentation or hyperpigmentation happens when the body produces too much melanin (skin pigment). It can build up under the eyes and give the appearance of dark circles.
Rubbing your eyes
By rubbing your eyes, you stretch and pull already thin skin around the eye area. It can cause tiny blood vessels under the skin to break, resulting in dark circles. It can also cause premature crows eyes or wrinkles.
Sun exposure
Too much sun exposure gives our body a signal to produce the skin pigment melanin. If our eyes are unprotected (by sunglasses), too much melanin around the eyes will cause a dark appearance in the eye area.
Ageing
As we age, our skin becomes thinner and has less fat and collagen. Thinner skin under the eyes means enhanced blood vessels under the eyes. So it looks like dark circles under the eyes.
Eyestrain
Looking at the screens for a long time can cause a strain on our eyes. And if our eyes are strained, blood vessels under them become enlarged.
Dehydration
Dehydration is never good for our bodies. But, regarding the dark circles, if we are dehydrated, our eyes can look sunken, and the eye area can look dull, which gives the appearance of dark circles.
Types of dark circles
Dark circles under the eye don’t have to be dark.
We can divide them into three groups:
- dark circles
- puffy bags under the eyes
- sunken under eye
Dark circles
Dark circles are usually a result of poor sleep or poor diet. Also, they can be hereditary or can be a sign of iron deficiency or some kidney or liver problems.
Unfortunately (for me), there isn’t a cream that will clear them. Creams might help make them only slightly lighter.
The only way to lessen the appearance of this type of dark circle is to sleep enough (7-9 hours a night), eat a diverse diet and drink enough water. Also, avoid straining your eyes with the screens and avoid smoking.
Puffy bags
Puffy bags can also be hereditary. And can be a sign of some health problems. But mostly, sleeping on a low pillow, too much salt and allergies are the ones that bring puffy bags under the eyes.
Sunken under eye
A sunken eye is also usually hereditary. And unfortunately, there isn’t a solution for this type. Except for proper care, you can’t do much to get rid of them. And by proper care, I mean wearing a good pair of sunglasses and using a good quality hydrating eye cream.
Products to try
The number one ingredient in eye creams is caffeine. That is because it stimulates blood vessels under the skin’s surface and temporarily makes them look lighter. But, it’s only a temporary fix as it’s not treating a problem in the long run.
Another great ingredient for lightening dark circles is, of course, vitamin C. I wrote about the benefits of vitamin C here. And its primary role is brightening. So obviously, if you put it on the undereye area – it will brighten it and make the dark circle look less visible.
There are a few more ingredients that might help with dark circles. They are hydroquinone, liquorice and kojic acid.
The Skin Nerd says: ‘Vitamin C, kojic acid and hydroquinone are all tyrosinase inhibitors. Tyrosinase is the enzyme in your skin in charge of looking after the rates of melanin in the skin (AKA pigment levels). Hence, when you limit tyrosinase, you are in turn limiting the chances of pigment being produced, so you can wave goodbye to dark circles!’
And liquorice is also skin brightening. So we can also often find it in eye creams or gels.
Professional treatments
There are a few different professional treatments you could get to help you get rid of dark circles.
They include:
- laser therapy
- IPL
- chemical peels
- blepharoplasty
- fillers
Laser therapy
According to Healthline, ‘Laser treatments use heat energy to vaporize damaged cells. The darker pigment under the eyes can be targeted. Along with lightening darker skin tones, laser therapy may induce new collagen formation.’
IPL
IPL, or intense pulsed light, works by targeting the pigment in our dark circles. It brings the pigment out to the surface. But if your dark circles aren’t caused by the pigment – this method won’t work for you.
Chemical peels
Chemical peels work similarly to laser therapy. They lighten the dark pigment under the eyes. Again, this won’t work if the pigmentation isn’t your problem. Chemical peels are usually done with one of the following acids: retinoic acid, glycolic acid or hydroquinone.
Blepharoplasty
Blepharoplasty is a process of removing the fat, usually on the upper lid. But it can also be used to remove the fat on the lower eyelid. So this method would work particularly well for under-eye bags.
Fillers
As you can guess, fillers are used to fill out the sunken under-eye. A healthcare provider uses a hyaluronic acid-based filler and injects it into the under-eye area.
Always do your research, and check with your healthcare provider if you want to try one of those procedures. Make sure that the person you give your trust to do treatment is well-reviewed and knows what they are doing.
Conclusion
Even though dark circles aren’t classified as health concerns, they can be annoying. I always recommend trying out the creams and active ingredients before going for professional treatment. And if you decide to go for professional treatment, check with your doctor which treatment they think would be best for you. And please do thorough research before you go for it, as I’ve seen too many treatments go wrong.
