Those dark circles under your eyes didn't necessarily appear because you stayed up too late or spent too long in front of the computer. Sometimes the culprit is as simple as aging or your genetics. No matter what the cause, you can fight back by making small changes to your daily routine.
Step 1
Use sunblock with an SPF of 30 or above every time you go outside to prevent black undereye circles that represent excess pigmentation caused by sun exposure. Ethnicities genetically prone to this type of pigment include Asians, Hispanics, African-Americans and those with Middle Eastern origins, notes board-certified plastic surgeon Brooke R. Seckel, who founded the Department of Plastic Surgery at Massachusetts' Lahey Clinic.
Step 2
Get tested for food allergies, which can lead to dark circles under the eyes, puffy eyes and creases in your lower eyelid, advise Peter D'Adamo and Catherine Whitney in "Allergies: Fight Them with the Blood Type Diet." Ask your parents about their food allergies; if you have one allergic parent, your chance of developing the same allergy is 33 percent, D'Adamo and Whitney note. That percentage jumps to 67 percent if both your parents are allergic.
Step 3
Take a decongestant to ameliorate nasal congestion, which can dilate the veins that run between your eyes and nose, MayoClinic.com notes. If those veins dilate, allowing more blood to flow through, the excess liquid may show up as black-looking circles beneath your eyes.
Step 4
Drink chamomile tea to help constrict the blood vessels beneath your eye, especially if you want to avoid a decongestant, recommend Bridget Doherty and Julia VanTine in "Growing Younger: Age-Defying Secrets for Women." Or steep two tea bags, letting them cool, then placing one over each closed eye for 10 to 20 minutes, the authors suggest.
Step 5
Drink more water and avoid caffeinated sodas and alcohol, which MayoClinic.com indicates may be the culprits for your dark undereye circles.
Step 6
Use two pillows at night to raise your head and avoid a buildup of blood in the vessels under your eyes, as advised by Mount Sinai (New York) School of Medicine Associate Clinical Professor of Dermatology Jeannette Graf in "Real Simple" magazine.
Step 7
Boost your consumption of dark chocolate, which contains flavonols, and fish and nuts, which boost your omega-3 fatty acids, to give your blood flow a boost. This may prevent your blood from pudding in dark circles, registered dietitian Lisa Drayer tells "Real Simple."
Things You'll Need
- SPF 30+ facial sunblock
- Decongestant
- 2 chamomile tea bags
- Extra pillow
References
- Dr. Seckel.com: Dark Circles Under Eyes
- "Allergies: Fight Them with the Blood Type Diet"; Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo with Catherine Whitney; 2005
- MayoClinic.com: Dark Circles Under Eyes
- "Growing Younger: Age-Defying Secrets for Women"; Bridget Doherty and Julia VanTine; 2002
- Real Simple: 7 Ways to Get Rid of Dark Circles Under Your Eyes
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