In Some Cases What You Might Perceive As Dark Circles Under Your Eyes Might Not Be Dark Circles At All
As noted above, dark circles has become a universal phrase people use to describe a multitude of issues. Sometimes, what people might perceive as dark circles has nothing to do with pigmentation of the skin. Instead, it could be related to shadows left on the skin due to puffiness or, to the contrary, hollowness. Shadows might also be the result of the general structure of ones face.
Additionally, since we know the skin around the eyes is very thin, and therefore shows whats underneath, its more prone than other parts of the body to appear darker, Icreamwala said. Again, that doesnt necessarily have to do with the skins pigmentation.
Below are the common factors that can contribute to the look of darkness under the eyes without actually changing the color of the skin:
Allergies
Individuals who are affected by the dreaded allergy season may find they develop darkness under the eyes as a result.
Theyre called allergic shiners, Zamani said, because they look like youve been popped in the eye twice.
Under-eye darkness that happens to certain allergy sufferers has to do with the blood vessels under the skin around the eyes, which is the thinnest skin on the face, Icreamwala said.
Taking an antihistamine and getting a good nights sleep can help reduce the appearance of dark circles under the eyes during allergy season, Zamani said.
Dehydration
Puffiness
Volume depletion
General aging
Are Dark Circles Permanent
For many patients, dark circles can be treated through improvements in lifestyle. For example, patients who prioritize a good nights sleep, hydrate or protect against eye strain tend to see the appearance of dark circles dissipate over time. However, patients who suffer from chronic under-eye circles may not see improvement through just changes in lifestyle alone. In particular, patients who are dealing with allergic reaction will likely need some sort of medication to reduce the appearance.
In the case of patients who have a genetic predisposition to dark under-eye circles, darker pigment under the eyes can be difficult to eliminate. Additionally, patients who develop dark circles due to the natural aging process are unlikely to see under-eye circles disappear on their own. However, there are means to reduce the appearance of dark circles through in-office procedures and changes to skincare routines. For some patients, certain skincare products, moisturizers and vitamins can help to reduce the appearance of dark circles and, for others, dermal fillers or mesopeels may help to reduce under-eye discoloration. Mesopeels are particularly beneficial for patients who are looking to reduce the effects of pigmentation, melanin, and sun exposure on the skin surrounding the eyes.
The Skin Under Your Eyes Is Very Thin
The skin underneath and around your eyes is much thinner than the skin on the rest of your body. On average, its about 0.5 mm thick, while the skin on other parts of your body is around 2 mm thick. Because it is so thin, its much easier to see blood vessels underneath, making your skin appear darker in that area. But why are dark circles worse at some times than at others, and what causes them to appear in the first place?
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Home Remedies Can Help
The best way to manage eczema around the eyes is to keep the skin in the area highly moisturized.
- Avoid drying face washes. Choose leave-on emollient products that keep the skin moisturized while they cleanse it.
- Avoid fragrances. Many skincare products contain added fragrances. Choose products that are fragrance-free.
- Use gentle products. Ask your dermatologist for recommendations for gentle moisturizers. These will keep skin moist and free from irritation.
- Wear sunscreen and sunglasses. Sun exposure can make the skin on your eyes more sensitive and lead to eczema outbreaks. Aim to limit exposure.
- Avoid triggers. If you know certain allergens or products trigger an outbreak, steer clear of these. Stick to tried-and-true favorites that you know dont irritate your skin.
Unfortunately, eczema is a persistent skin condition that is tricky to treat. For some people, eczema subsides over time as they get older. Other people, however, may have to deal with the condition throughout their lifetime.
As more information is gained on the condition, more effective treatment and symptom management options are becoming available. A combination of the above treatment options and preventative measures works best for most people.
What Is Causing The Dark Circles Under My Eyes
Dark circles have a variety of different causes. And despite what some people think, fatigue isnt one of them. Besides alcohol and lack of sleep, illnesses also cause these circles to appear. The combination of a fair complexion and thin skin if often the culprit.
Some of the more common causes of dark circles under the eyes include:
- Heredity. Dark circles under the eyes can appear in childhood, and are often an inherited trait. Some children will outgrow them, but others will not.
- Allergies. Nasal congestion can dilate the blood vessels that drain from the area around your eyes, causing them to darken.
- Sleep deprivation is the most common cause, and the easiest to prevent, but
- Oversleeping can also cause dark eye circles.
- Eczema
- As we get older, our skin becomes thinner.
- Iron deficiency can prevent the blood from carrying sufficient oxygen to eye tissues.
- Minor trauma that causes the appearance of a black eye
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Treatment For Sudden Dark Circles Under Eyes
You can decrease the appearance of dark circles under eyes and decrease swelling through making use of cold compresses over your eyes. You can cover a bag of frozen peas in a wash fabric or you might use cooled tea bags and these can be use as cold compresses. For dark circles that emerge from allergies and nasal blockage, you can treat them with saline wash which are offered at many pharmacies. Saline washes works to rinse out the nasal passages and ease blockage and minimize darkness around the eyes.
Several under eye cream aids in reducing dark circles. Be sure that the eye creams you will purchase contain vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin K. All which contributes in minimizing the look of dark circles under your eyes. Other creams that have retinol content are said to be efficient also.
Your Bone Structure Could Be To Blame
Surprisingly, your circles could have nothing to do with your actual skin it could simply be the way your face is shaped. “When people have deep tear troughs under their eyes, the shadowing and indentation can cause the appearance of darkness, but it’s not actually from pigment or veins,” says Dr. Katz. If this is your personal dilemma, Dr. Katz says fillers from a certified pro can even out the eye area.
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What Are The Potential Complications Of Dark Circles Under The Eyes
Complications associated with dark circles under the eyes vary depending on the underlying cause. It is important to contact your healthcare provider when you have unexplained dark circles under the eyes, particularly when they are accompanied by other symptoms or occur after a head or facial injury. Once the underlying cause is diagnosed, following the treatment plan outlined by your doctor can help reduce any potential complications including:
Surgery For Dark Under Eye Circles
For some patients, dark under-eye circles are a severe enough issue that they may seek a surgical procedure to treat their condition. In this case, a patient would work with a plastic surgeon, who would likely insert surgical implants of fat or synthetic products into the tear trough area to help make the area under the eyes appear more youthful and full. However, as surgery under the eyes can require ample recovery time and put patients at risk for unwanted side effects such as blurry vision, nerve, or muscle damage, most patients prefer to rely on non-invasive techniques to rejuvenate the eye area.
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How Should I Treat My Puffy Eyes And/or Dark Circles
After pinpointing the cause of dark circles or puffy eyes, the next step is to craft a treatment plan. Read below for different tips and decide which one suit you best.
Treatment Method 1: Make an appointment with an allergist or ENT doctor
Dark circles are often referred to as allergic shiners. Allergic reactions hinder blood from flowing properly, thereby expanding and darkening the veins that drain from the eyes to the nose. An ENT doctor can help alleviate dark circles by testing for the conditions that are causing the problem. For example, if you suspect allergies are to blame, he or she may perform an allergy test.
Your ENT might also look for swollen adenoids. If found, he or she may prescribe a medication to help reduce the swelling and break up sinus congestion so that you can breathe normally from your nose.
Treatment Method 2: Use Almond Oil
Stop by your nearest health food store, general nutrition store or vitamin shop and pick up a bottle of almond oil.
Dabbing almond oil under your eyes works to moisturize, nourish and reduce inflammation.
Note: If you have a nut allergy, DO NOT use almond oil.
Treatment Method 3: Take a sinus decongestant medication
Preventing your sinuses from swelling is key to healthy-looking eyes.
Claritin D or Allegra D are two popular medicines that elicit proper sinus drainage. Sudafed and Benadryl also work well to break up mucus in the sinuses and reduce swelling. All can be found at your local pharmacy or drugstore.
Can Eczema Cause Blindness
Eczema cant directly cause blindness. However, having eczema around your eyes increases your risk of eye conditions which can lead to blindness.
This risk increases the longer your eye eczema is left untreated. If youre experiencing an eczema flare-up around your eyes and start having vision problems you should consult your doctor ASAP.
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You’re Straining Your Eyes
Straining your eyes doesnt only hurt your vision. According to Parks, it can impact your under-eye appearance, too. When you struggle to see something and strain your eyes, your blood vessels enlarge under your skin and show through as dark circles more prominently, he explains, noting that it might be helpful to get your eye prescription checked to avoid further straining and, as a result, darkening.
Vbeam Laser Treatment For Blood Vessels Under Eyes
The Vbeam laser is an innovative skin resurfacing laser that is designed to reduce the appearance of redness and pigmentation of the skin. It is a pulsed dye laser which utilizes laser energy at a wavelength of 595 nanometers that passes through the superficial layers of the skin and is absorbed by the hemoglobin in the blood vessels themselves, and not the skin. In this way, the Vbeam laser can treat broken blood vessels, rosacea, acne, acne scars, and sun damage or pigmentation. The Vbeam is designed to be safe to use on patients with sensitive skin, and is often used in the treatment of rosacea and eczema. When applied to the under-eye area, the V-beam laser is able to reduce the size of enlarged blood vessels, which can help to reduce the appearance of dark pigment under the surface of the skin. Additionally, Dr. Green uses the newest V-Beam laser technology, the V-Beam Perfecta, which offers additional success in reducing the appearance of sun spots, discoloration due to sun exposure.
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Almond Oil And Vitamin E
Natural healing advocates suggest mixing equal amounts of almond oil and vitamin E and then, just prior to bedtime, gently massaging the mixture into the dark circles. In the morning, wash the area with cold water. Repeat the process nightly until the dark circles disappear.
Your doctor might offer a medical option, depending on their diagnosis of the cause of the circles under your eyes. That recommendation might include the following.
Why You’ve Got Dark Circles Under Your Eyes When You’re Not Tired
Weve all probably dealt with dark circles under our eyes at one point or another, and while its easy to blame them on a lack of sleep, thats only one of many factors that might be contributing to that pesky under-eye darkness.
When people talk about dark circles under the eyes, it seems to be a catch-all phrase, Dr. Shari Lipner, dermatologist at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian, told HuffPost. Some people are really referring to dark pigmentation in the under-eye area and some people are speaking about more puffiness or edema, bags under the eyes or just a depression, or even just wrinkles.
Lipner said its important to note that while some of those factors can definitely contribute to the look of dark circles under the eyes, they arent all the same thing. Lets break it down:
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So What Should You Do If Youve Got Darkness Or Puffiness That Wont Go Away
Its clear that under-eye circles can be the result of an array of different issues, so your best bet for addressing them is to see a dermatologist or your doctor. In rarer cases, Zamani and Lipner said dark circles could be symptomatic of more serious medical issues, like cardiovascular or kidney problems.
But, Lipner added, when a doctor or dermatologist diagnoses you, you can really be guided toward the right treatment depending on what the darkness is attributed to.
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The expert from Lenstore added there are other reasons why you might struggle with dark circles under your eyes.
She said: “Bags under the eyes are commonly associated with a lack of sleep, and appear as mild swelling or puffiness under the eyes, primarily as a result of fluid accumulation.
“They are predominantly a cosmetic concern and rarely ever are a sign of a serious medical condition.
“Though the most recognisable and familiar is a lack of sleep, eye bags can result from a wide variety of different causes.”
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Types Of Eczema Treatment Around The Eyes
There are three main types of eczema treatment around the eyes: corticosteroids, moisturizers, and Calcineurin inhibitors.
Using moisturizing creams may be great for relieving itching and dryness. And there are several options available both with and without a prescription. When the signs of eczema around the eyes are mild, this may be one of the most effective treatments.
When inflammation occurs around the eyes, in this case, you may use calcineurin inhibitors. This can be taken as tablets or applied as a cream to the affected area.
Furthermore, Corticosteroids can be used for both redness and inflammation. However, corticosteroid tablets only reserved that situation when side effects can be severe, including osteoporosis and diabetes.
Eczema Coping Tips Diet
In most cases, eczema isnt caused or made worse by diet. If you notice that your eczema seems to get worse after eating a particular food, you may be an exception to this. See your doctor or dietitian for proper allergy testing and dietary advice.Never self-diagnose or you risk depriving yourself of enjoyable and nutritious foods for no good reason. Unnecessarily avoiding certain foods can lead to nutritional deficiencies.
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How To Get Rid Of Dark Circles Naturally: Which Home Remedies Work
When it comes to treating dark circles at home, there are a few topical treatment options that can help. Though not all skincare products are created equally, there are some active ingredients in the world of health care and dermatology that are considered safe and affective in treating discoloration or dark pigment on the skin. A great starting point for many patients is to use a cold compress over the eyes to help constrict blood vessels, or eye gel masks, to calm the eye area. From there, many patients will compliment in-office treatments with routine skincare that can help to further improve under-eye results.
Microneedling To Treat Dark Circles
An excellent way to reduce the appearance of dark under-eye circles is through the use of microneedling, also known as collagen induction therapy. Microneedling is a non-invasive treatment option that uses tiny pinpricks to activate the bodys natural wound-healing processes, thus leading to increased collagen production and rejuvenated skin. Microneedling can be combined with platelet-rich plasma to use a patients own growth factors and nutrients to further nourish and revitalize the skin. As Dr. Green explains in her interview with RealSelf, Growth factors are what our cells use to heal and regenerate healthy tissue, so this procedure is great for the under-eyes, to correct superficial lines and wrinkles.
One of the most popular devices used for microneedling is Vivace RF Microneedling, which incorporates radiofrequency energy to simultaneously boost collagen and elastin within the dermis. Over the course of three treatments spaced four weeks apart, patients can see a brightening effect on the skin, as well as a reduction of fine lines and puffiness around the eyes.
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Eye Eczema Is Typically A Form Of Contact Eczema Usually Triggered By Contact Allergies To Cosmetics As Well As Sun Creams Contact Lens Solutions And Other Anti
Eye eczema or dermatitis is a skin condition thats on the rise among middle-aged women who have spent typically two decades applying eye cosmetics daily until eventually their skin developed an intolerance to cosmetics.
Cortisone and steroid creams are not suitable for use on skin around the eye area as the skin there is too delicate and the steroids are too harsh. So eye eczema treatment for this very common form of eczema are limited as non-steroid emollient creams used for body eczema are too heavy for
the delicate eye area.
Elaine Wright, 51, is a married civil servant from Castleford in West Yorkshire who eventually found a solution for her eye eczema in Hydrosil Dry Eye Gel, a light quickly absorbent gel containing a vine extract of cardiospermum, commonly known as a phytosteroid that can quickly relieve itchy, inflamed and irritated skin and is an effective natural eye eczema treatment.
Phytosteroids perform similar functions to chemical steroids but are naturally sourced from plants and can be used daily as opposed to only for limited periods of time. They can also be used on more delicate areas of skin as they are not as damaging are chemical steroids.
Elaine says:
Ive never had eczema even as a child, but a year and half ago I started to develop itchy eyelids. It started off as a mild irritation but over a few months developed into a constant excruciating itch that left my upper eyelids and the lower eye lid of the left eye red raw, swollen and very dry.