Dark circles under the eyes can make you appear tired and older than your actual age. It's no wonder that countless remedies are available. In fact, treatment options include everything from concealers to surgery. The good news is, with the right option you really can minimize or even eliminate dark circles under your eyes. Whether you prefer home remedies, over-the-counter products or more aggressive treatments, you do have choices.
Considerations
Many things can cause dark circles to develop under your eyes. But contrary to popular belief, dark pigmentation under the eyes is not always related to illness or loss of sleep. Some of the most common causes are heredity, allergies and dehydration.
It's important to keep in mind that the skin under the eyes is extremely thin. If your circulation is slowed your skin is likely to appear paler and dark vessels will be more pronounced. Not getting enough sleep can slow down your circulation. When you are suffering with an allergy the veins under the eyes can dilate, which makes them darker and more prominent. Smoking and drinking or eating a lot of salt can swell the blood vessels under your eyes with fluid, thus making the dark circles stand out. Even rubbing on the delicate skin under your eyes can cause the capillaries to break, which can result in a bluish tint to the skin.
Some of the basic steps to take to prevent dark circles include drinking lots of water, getting plenty of sleep and eating a diet that includes plenty of proteins, fish and fresh fruit and vegetables, as recommended by Eye Care Basics. The site also suggests that smoking should be avoided and salt intake should be limited.
Self Care
Numerous products can help prevent dark pigmentation from developing under the eyes, and several can help to minimize the problem. According to Web Health Magazine, advances in chemistry and formulation methods have allowed skin care manufacturers to produce high quality eye creams that can address an array of consumer concerns within one individual eye treatment, which includes the prevention of dark circles under the eyes.
Many concealers are made especially for the purpose of covering up dark pigmentation under the eyes. These concealers are specially formulated for the delicate skin under the eyes.
The website Care Fair website notes that determining the base of the concealer is important in getting the coverage you need. A yellow base is best for dark circles that are blue, purple or gray, but an olive based concealer works better for circles that are in red shades. A blue base is the best choice for covering dark circles that lean toward a brown color.
Two common home remedy treatments for dark circles include applying cucumber slices and applying used cold tea bags to the eyes. Other ideas suggested at the Planet Green website include applying a mixture of lemon juice, cucumber juice, and lanolin cream under the eyes for a period of 15 minutes; applying crushed mint leaves for 20 minutes; holding frozen cucumber juice cubes over the dark circles; and applying a mixture of pineapple juice and turmeric powder under eyes.
Significance
Dark circles under the eyes do not usually indicate a medical problem. However, if over-the-counter concealers and creams do not provide the lasting results you want your dermatologist may be able to help. If there is swelling and discoloration under just one eye, or if the condition worsens over time, you need to seek care from your primary physician.
Identification
After determining the cause of the dark pigmentation your doctor may suggest prescription creams or other treatments to reduce or eliminate the discoloration. The solution may be as simple as adding specific vitamins to the diet or adjusting the amount of sleep you get.
Dark circles under the eyes caused by hyperpigmentation can sometimes be remedied by lightening the skin. Chemical peels, laser treatments, injectable fills and fat grafts are used in other instances.
Aggressive Treatments
Mild chemical peels are the solution for some people with dark circles under their eyes. The peeling removes superficial layers of skin, which hopefully will contain the pigmentation causing the dark circles. Fat grafting is sometimes used when blood vessels are visible around the eye area. The online information site Eyes Dark Circles says that some dark circles respond best to laser treatments. But if the circles are the result of a depression, a filler may be the best option.
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