Best Ways to Get Rid of Dark Circles

You’re brushing your teeth in the morning and you notice the dark circles under your eyes. Later in the day you are washing your hands and see that the dark circles are still there. As you complete your bedtime routine you notice that the dark circles have not gone away throughout the day and you are ready to do something about them. We want to introduce to you what really are those dark circles and what can be done about them.

Causes of Dark Circles

Dark circles under your eyes affect people of all ages, races, sexes, and skin types and occur when the area below your eyes looks darkened; typically blue, purple, brown, or black in color depending on your natural skin color. Though dark circles can occur in anyone, they are most commonly found in the elderly, people with a history of dark circles under their eyes, and people with darker skin tones. The darkening of the skin is usually not a medical symptom or a cause for concern. Causes for dark circles under your eyes can happen for various reasons, but the most common causes are:

1. Aging – As you get older the skin below your eyes begins to loosen and thin revealing more of the blood vessels to be seen.
2. Genetics – Scientific studies have found that dark circles run in families.
3. Dermatitis – Eczema and contact dermatitis cause the blood vessels under your eyes to dilate becoming more visible through your skin.
4. Rubbing your eyes – Rubbing your eyes causes your blood vessels to become irritated or break causes swelling.
5. Hyperpigmentation – Excess exposure to the sun causes your body to produce more melanin and thus your skin darker.
6. Lifestyle factors – Lack of sleep, stress, excessive alcohol use, and smoking can all cause dark circles under your eyes.

Non-Clinical Treatment

Understanding why you develop dark circles under your eyes can aid in the care of eliminating the dark circles under your eyes. Begin to address the dark circles under your eyes with these non-clinical treatments for a less invasive approach:

1. Sleep more – You should get at least 7 hours of sleep each night for your body to relax and repair itself so shadows don’t appear around your eyes.
2. Cold compress – Apply a cold spoon or ice to your eyes to shrink enlarged blood vessels in your eyes.
3. Cucumbers and Tea bags – Place cucumber slices on your eyes to help alleviate puffiness because of the vitamin C and use tea bags to increase circulation because of the caffeine and antioxidants.
4. Massage – Massages around the eyes help improve circulation to heal the skin.

Clinical Treatments

If you are still dealing with dark circles after trying the non-clinical treatments your dermatologist has access to other treatments to alleviate your skin of the dark circles under your eyes.

1. Topical creams and bleaching agents – Vitamin C and hydroquinone (a bleaching agent) can be applied directly to the skin and will lighten the appearance of the dark circles under your eyes.
2. Chemical peels – Alpha-hydroxy acid is applied to the skin under your eyes to reduce the pigmentation of the skin.
3. Laser therapy – Pulsed dye and diode lasers procedures resurface and tighten the skin under your eyes.
4. Injections – Hyaluronic acid gel (a tissue filler) can be injected to increase the volume and smooth out your skin. Platelet-rich plasma can be injected to repair the skin around your eyes by speeding the growth of blood vessels and strengthening collagen in the skin.
5. Eyelid surgery – Blepharoplasty is when excess fat and skin are removed from around your eye area.

If you have an interest in ridding yourself of the dark circles under your eyes, have questions about the non-clinical or clinical treatments please reach out to us by phone at 801.590.3714 or contact us online.