If your eyes look dark like a raccoon, it may be caused by allergies, heredity, sun damage, thinning skin under the eyes or nasal congestion. In some cases, dark circles under the eyes can be reduced at home. Dark circles that are due to enlarged blood vessels under the skin, like allergies and nasal congestion, can be eliminated using home remedies, says the Mayo Clinic.
Gel Eye Mask
Freeze a gel eye mask and apply it to the eye area to help constrict the blood vessels underneath the eyes that are causing the eyes to look dark, recommends Jeannette Graf, an associate clinical professor of dermatology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.
If you don't have a gel eye mask, any cold compress will work, including a washcloth rinsed in cold water or a handful of ice wrapped around a T-shirt. Leave the cold compress on for five minutes to help reduce the appearance of dark circles under the eyes.
Antihistamine
If dark circles are due to allergies, take an antihistamine to brighten up the eyes for several hours, suggests Jolene Edgar in an article in "Real Simple." For best results, take the antihistamine before you are exposed to an allergen. You can purchase an antihistamine over the counter at the drugstore or grocery store. To permanently remove dark circles under the eyes, avoid the cause of the allergen when possible.
Saline Rinse
Rinsing out the sinuses with a saline rinse may help reduce dark circles under the eyes due to nasal congestion, says the Mayo Clinic. You can make a saline rinse at home with salt and water. Mix 2 cups warm water with 1/4 tsp. sea salt and stir until the sea salt dissolves.
Pour the solution into a clean nasal spray bottle and then carefully spritz the solution into each nostril. Allow the solution to sit in the nostril for several seconds, then blow your nose. Reducing nasal congestion with a saline rinse may help reduce enlarged blood vessels underneath the eyes.
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