Dark Circles Under The Eyes With Wrinkles

Your eyes contribute to the expressive nature of your face, so when dark circles and wrinkles appear, you might feel you look older or more tired. There are a number of factors that can cause these conditions, and some of them are preventable. Knowing to treat these under-eye problems can help you to reduce symptoms.

Expert Insight

The anatomy of the under-eye skin can explain why wrinkles and dark circles occur. "The skin around the eyes is the thinnest on the body," said Dr. David E. Bank, an associate professor in clinical dermatology at Columbia University/Presbyterian Hospital in New York, writing for the Glamour website. "There isn't as much collagen and elastin there to begin with, which means once you start acquiring some sun damage, it's one of the first areas on the face to wrinkle."

Causes

While a number of factors can influence your likelihood of developing dark under-eye circles and wrinkles, the two chief contributors are heredity and age. If your family members have dark under-eye circles, you probably will too, according to the Mayo Clinic website. Aging causes your skin to become thinner, which can bring blood vessels closer to your skin and cause dark circles. Thinning skin also gives in to gravity's pull, resulting in wrinkling. The eyes are often the first area on the face to experience wrinkling, according to "The Doctors Book of Home Remedies for Women." Other causes of under-eye circles and/or skin wrinkling include allergies, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and pigmentation irregularities, according to the Mayo Clinic site.

Prevention

While you cannot fight the inevitability of aging or genetics, there are steps you can take to minimize wrinkling and skin thinning that leads to under-eye circles, according to "The Doctors Book of Home Remedies for Women." Always wear sunscreen around the eyes to protect against sun damage; wearing sunglasses and a hat also can help. If you experience dark circles as a result of allergies, taking an antihistamine can help to reduce blood vessel swelling. Apply cool compresses made from a washcloth dipped in cold water to the face for 10 minutes to reduce swelling.

Treatment

Over-the-counter eye creams might counteract the effects of dark circles and lines. Look for creams that contain active ingredients such as retinoids, peptides and antioxidants, according to the Glamour website. These ingredients help fight inflammation that can lead to wrinkling. Your physician might prescribe a tretinoin cream that helps to stimulate cell turnover, reducing wrinkling and encouraging the area under the eye to appear plumper. For a temporary fix, try a product that contains humectants, which draw water into the skin and temporarily plump it.

Fillers

In addition to topical treatments and home remedies to fight wrinkles and dark under-eye circles, there are injectable fillers that can fight wrinkles and dark circles simultaneously, according to The New York Times. A plastic surgeon or dermatologist injects the filler, which contains ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, into the skin to "plump" the affected area. The skin becomes thicker, which reduces the appearance of crow's feet and dark circles by putting more distance between the skin and the blood vessels that cause dark circles. While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of fillers in treating facial wrinkles, it has not specifically approved them to treat dark circles.