There’s no need to introduce them: dark circles under the eyes, often accompanied by their good friends, the bags, are notorious. Not only do they make us look tired and worn out, but they also make us look older. In short, there’s absolutely nothing good about those dark circles and what’s even worse, they cannot take a hint and can be extremely difficult to get rid of.

extremely difficult to get rid of. Photo: Istock.

There are various factors contributing to the appearance of dark circles. Here are the most common ones.

Age. When we get older our skin tends to get thinner as collagen and fat levels decrease. And the thinner the skin, the more transparent it becomes exposing the dark blood vessels under the skin surface and making our skin look darker.

Fatigue. Not getting enough sleep affects our skin, making it pale and exposing the dark blood vessels. Sleep deprivation can also lead to excess fluid under the eyes, resulting in puffy eyes.

Genetics. If members of your family tend to develop dark circles, you might follow in their footsteps.

Pigmentation. Very common in dark skinned individuals due to increased melanin levels. 

Allergies. An allergic reaction involves the production of histamines, which could dilate our blood vessels and make them visible on the skin surface.

Sun. An overexposure of the eye area to the sun could trigger pigmentation and darken the skin under our eyes.

trigger pigmentation, sun exposure. Photo: Istock.

 

What can be done?

• Creams containing Dermostatyl-DM can act as melanin suppressors and thus improve the appearance of dark circles caused by overproduction of melanin.
• Look for creams containing ingredients that lighten the skin, such as vitamins E and C, as well as retinol.
• Place cooled-down tea bags over your eyes. The tea has the ability to treat inflammation, meaning it can decrease the darkness under the eyes and ease puffiness.
• If you tend to rub your eyes either due to allergies or other reasons, stop. Over-rubbing your eyes can result in thicker, darker skin.
• Protect your eyes with sunglasses to avoid sun damage. It’s important that your shades have a UV light protective lenses.
• Any cold compresses could help reduce puffiness and more importantly, shrink those vessels right back to their natural size to eliminate dark circles. Try wrapping ice in a towel or stick a wet towel in the fridge for a few moments until it cools.
• In the meantime – conceal! Use a good concealer to camouflage the dark circles.

 

What can be done? Photo: Istock.