In America, the standard of beauty involves smooth, even skin with bright-looking, awake eyes. Both women and men experience dark circles under their eyes from time to time, especially early in the morning. Dark circles tend to make people look tired and worn out. Though having dark circles under the eyes is sometimes a natural occurrence, they can be reduced with the help of some healthy lifestyle habits and products.
Step 1
Sleep more. Go to bed an hour earlier or get up an hour later. Getting more sleep can help to reduce the appearance of dark circles under your eyes, according to the Mayo Clinic. The lack of sleep, over time, is a major contributor to puffy-looking eyes and dark circles under the eyes. Sleeping more can refresh you and reduce undereye circles.
Step 2
Place a cold compress or a bag of frozen vegetables on your eyes. Do this every morning to reduce the swelling and discoloration of blood vessels underneath the delicate undereye skin. The Mayo Clinic recommends wrapping 2 tsp. of frozen peas in a cloth and placing them gently over your eyes in the morning. The less swelling that you have under your eyes, the brighter your eyes will be and the more awake you will look.
Step 3
Clean out your sinuses with a saline nasal spray. Try this when you first wake up. In addition to lack of sleep, one of the most common reasons for dark undereye circles is nasal congestion, according to the Mayo Clinic. The Mayo Clinic explains that nasal congestion darkens the veins under the skin around your eyes. Using a saline nasal spray or nasal wash, which are available without a prescription in most drugstores, can reduce nasal congestion and restore a healthy glow under your eyes.
Step 4
Use a topical eye cream. Apply the cream every night before going to bed. There are literally hundreds of different eye creams on the market, many of which claim to reduce the appearance of dark circles under the eyes. According to "The New York Times," topical serums or eye creams that contain alpha-hydroxy acids and vitamin C can plump up the skin so that the delicate skin under the eyes doesn't look so puffy and dark. Consistency is key with these products, as you need to use them every night to see any results.
Things You'll Need
- A saline nasal spray
- An eye cream
- A cold compress or bag of frozen vegetables
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