The last thing that you want to see in the mirror when you wake up in the morning is dark circles under your eyes. Failing to get rid of these pesky dark circles at the right time can make your face appear weary, sleep-deprived, and older than it actually is. Worst of all, dark circles can signal towards an overall poor health and other underlying health issues.
If you are reading this article, you have most probably taken cognizance of the issue and are willing to do what it takes to get rid of them. Let us therefore look at some of the primary causes of dark circles and how they can be treated in the best possible way.
Table of Contents
Causes:
Although the most common reasons of dark circles remain old age and fatigue, there can be a number of other causes, some of which are even hereditary.
#01 Sleep Deprivation and Fatigue
Dark circles under eyes are formed when the body doesn’t receive the correct amount of rest it needs. Adults on an average require an uninterrupted 7 to 9 hours of night sleep in a sleep-inducing bedroom environment. Practice ways to maximize your bedroom space and make it more sleep-friendly to ensure a restful night of sleep.
Sleep-deprived individuals can experience a skin that quickly starts to lose it hue, which leads to the reddish-blue blood vessels and dark tissues under the eyes to look more prominent. Major sleep disorders like insomnia and sleep apnea can increase your level of fatigue by depriving you of sleep. Follow these useful tongue, mouth, and throat exercises that will help you overcome sleep apnea.
#02 Old Age
The skin loses its elasticity as we grow old and the body depletes its stock of fat and collagen that help maintain the elastic and supple nature of the skin. This is primarily the reason that other facial features such as recessed cheeks and thin lips start to appear more conspicuous when you hit old age.
#03 Dehydration
When your body lacks enough water, the skin can become dry, dull-looking, and unevenly colored. The muscles, fatty tissues and blood vessels beneath the eyes droop to a point that the hollowness beneath the eyes experiences shadows that make it look darker.
#04 Skin Color
The color of the skin has a lot to do with the development of these dark circles under the eyes. People with a pale-looking skin can often experience these half-moons under the eyes due to the very thin layer of skin that surrounds their skin. However, most experts suggest that non-white people around the globe, such as Asians and Africans have a greater chance of developing dark circles due to reasons like uneven pigmentation due to sun exposure.
To those of our readers who do not experience any of these causes and are still wondering what causes dark circles under eyes, there also exist a number of other underlying causes such as smoking, thyroid, stress, poor diet, iron deficiency, allergies, etc. Dark circles in themselves do not lead to other serious health problems and do not require immediate medical attention. That said, the embarrassing symbols of ill-health should be treated before they become a permanent feature of your face.
Treatments
#01 Home Remedies
- Before we leap on to the more advanced medical treatments, let us understand how to get rid of dark circles in a natural way. To help contract the distended blood vessels under the eyes and reduce the puffiness, apply something cold on the area such as a cold compress or a tea bag.
- The latter is considered an ideal method of treatment due to the large amounts of caffeine and antioxidants present in tea that facilitate blood circulation in the area.
- Considering that you are already inclined to give your body the adequate amount of sleep, make sure that your head is slightly elevated to ensure proper circulation of the fluids.
- Include a lot of antioxidant- and protein-rich food in your diet to flush out the toxins and maintain the blood vessels under the eyes. Foods like tomatoes, water melons, leafy greens, cucumbers, etc., can have a lot of positive impact not only on your dark circles but also on your overall skin health.
- You can also rejuvenate the blood vessels and tissues under your skin by massaging the area under your eyes. Try using fluids like almond oil, honey, coconut oil, etc., as they are considered excellent for maintaining the lymphatic circulation necessary for the skin.
- Try creating a face mask using natural ingredients like honey, cucumber, coconut oil, lemon juice, etc., and leave it for 25 to 30 minutes. Wash it off gently with warm water and wipe it with a soft towel.
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#02 Medical Treatments
With the rapid advancement in the field of medical science, more and more methods have been brought into use to counter anomalies like this. Let us therefore try to understand how to remove dark circles with the help of medical treatments.
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Eye Cream:
- There exists a plethora of eye creams in the market, all of which claim to get rid of dark circles efficiently. However, shopping for skincare products on the internet can soon turn into a nightmare if you are not aware of the ingredients that you should be looking for. This is precisely the reason you should go through this handy guide on buying skincare products online.
- You should therefore ideally buy skatabeauty eye products that contain ingredients like retinol, hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, etc., that help in reducing puffiness, improve color, increase glow, etc.
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Blepharoplasty
- To get rid of droopy eyelids, and loose skin and muscles under the eyes, a surgical procedure called blepharoplasty can be taken up. This is however considered an advanced treatment and should be undertaken only in the supervision of certified ophthalmologist or oculoplastic surgeons.
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Glycolic Acid Peels
- These chemical peels are used widely for their ability to boost the production of collagen that lie beneath the eyes. Glycolic acid peels can also prevent redness of the eyes, and exfoliate dead skin cells from the lipids that hold them by penetrating deep into the skin layer, thanks to their small molecules.
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Bottom line:
Minor changes in everyday habits such as getting adequate sleep, covering your eyes in the sun, drinking a lot of water, avoiding nicotine, etc., are some of the ways in which you can prevent the dark circles from occurring at the first place. We hope that the causes and treatments that we mentioned above help you identify and treat them early on so that your face radiates nothing more than youth and good health.
