What are the causes and treatment for dark circles under eyes?

Dark circles under the eyes is a common problem that affects most people. It can lower someone’s self-esteem.as it can make someone look older and unattractive. For most people, fatigue is the culprit of these periorbital circles. However, it can appear due to a multitude of causes, ranging from age to genetics.

Extreme fatigue and lack of sleep is the most common cause of dark circles forming the under the eyes. Sleep deprivation makes skin pale. Thus, enabling blood vessels and dark tissues deep in your skin to show up. Moreover, staying before the regular bedtime causes fluid-up under the eyes and makes them puffy. Often, the periorbital circles under your eyes are shadows being produced by your puffy eyes.

Meanwhile, staring at your computer or television screen for extended periods can place considerable eye strain on your eyes. Such pressure forces the blood vessels further under your skin to enlarge, resulting in the skin darkening under your eyes.

Dehydration also contributes to the formation of dark circles. If your body is not getting its required water requirement, skin starts to look pale and sunken, mainly because the skin begins to get closer to the bone underneath.

If you are receiving too much sun exposure, chances are skin, not only under your eyes, will start to darken. Overexposure to sun’s rays triggers the body to release excess melanin, the pigment responsible for providing your skin with color, for combating damage from UV radiation.

Allergic reactions can also cause dark circles under the eyes. Such a response forces your body to emit histamines to act on foreign substances or bacteria. The compound then leads to various symptoms, such as extreme itchiness, wheezing, swollen lips, or tongue, and puffy eyes. It also leads to the dilation of blood vessels, allowing them to appear noticeable under the eyes.

Age is another factor that causes dark circles under the eyes to show up. Through time, skin gets thinner, loses fat, and gets deprived of collagen that it needs to maintain skin intact. As this happens, dark blood vessels underneath the skin become more apparent and appear to darken.

Lastly, heredity or genetics has a significant role in the development of periorbital circles surrounding the eyes. You can inherit the condition, which can be visible as early as childhood, and worsen as you age.

Fortunately, there are lots of home remedies that can lessen the development and appearance of dark circles under the eyes. Getting ample amounts of quality sleep is the first thing you should do to combat the issue. As you do so, try to raise your head up by adding extra pillows to lessen the risk of swelling under the eyes.

You might see other people placing Cucumber over the eyes as part of their beauty regimen. Well, Cucumber has high vitamin C and water content that aids in moisturizing and nourishing the skin, and quickly appeases tired eyes and reduces inflammation.

On the other hand, cold compress using ice bags or packs covered with a washcloth may help constrict blood vessels and lessen the appearance of dark circles. As a boost, you can use tea bags instead due to their medicinal properties. Boil tea bags in water, drain excess water, and allow them to cool down in the fridge for that cooling effect.

Over-the-counter eye products that have antioxidants may also help with periorbital circles. Look for ones that contain vitamins C and E for boosted effect.

Should the given home remedies fail, the best thing to do so is seek help from a dermatologist for appropriate medical treatment. They can prescribe bleaching creams that lessen hyperpigmentation, or those that contain tretinoin and hydroquinone as ingredients.

Other skin procedures may be required, if necessary. Chemical peels are one of the options you can consider. It uses alpha hydroxy acids that lighten hyperpigmentation around the eyes.

If the dark circles are caused by age, fillers are the best choice to combat the loss of fatty tissue and thinning of the skin. Hyaluronic acid gel or platelet-rich plasma are usually injected under the eyes.

If you want a less invasive procedure, you can opt for diode or pulsed dye lasers, to treat dark circles. Make sure to visit certified dermatologists for any medical procedure you want to take.

More Readings:

Periorbital dark circles (Wikipedia)

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