Dark Circles Under Your Eyes: Causes And Easy Treatments

Dark circles appear as darkened areas of skin under your eyes and are very common. They may also be accompanied by eye bags under the eyes. Dark circles do not always signal a medical condition. They can be caused simply by fatigue or tiredness. However, there can be other reasons for dark circles as well. This article discusses the causes of the appearance of dark circles and how to reduce them.

What Causes Dark Circles?

There are a variety of possible causes of dark circles. A few of them are listed below:

1. Fatigue:

You may not be getting a good night’s sleep during your exams or because you are a mom to a 2-month-old child. Your body speaks for you in the form of a gradual appearance of dark circles. Even oversleeping can cause dark circles to appear under your eyes. The reason is that the blood vessels in the under-eye area swell and accommodate more blood, resulting in the area’s discoloration.

2. Dehydration:

When your body is dehydrated, your skin signals this through its dull appearance. Your eyes also look sunken. This is because the under-eye area lies close to the underlying bone.

3. Advanced age:

As you age, your skin becomes thinner and less elastic. The fat pad beneath the eyes tends to wear out, and the blood vessels underneath the skin become more visible. This results in darkened under the eye area.

4. Too much sun exposure:

Exposure to sun rays can result in increased melanin production in your skin. Melanin is a pigment that darkens skin tone. Increases melanin production in the under-eye areas, ultimately causing the skin under your eyes to darken.

5. Genetics:

You may also inherit this condition in your genes. This inherited trait can be seen early in childhood. With time, these dark circles may get darker or may even lighten. (Rashmi Sarkar, 2016)

6. Eyestrain:

Staring and focusing on TV screens causes strain on your eyes. This results in the enlargement of blood vessels under the eye area, which accommodates a greater amount of blood, resulting in dark circles.

7. Anemia:

Anemia is characterized by lower levels of hemoglobin in the red blood cells. This results in pale skin, but the skin under your eyes turns darker. These dark circles vanish only when the anemia is treated. Treatment includes iron supplements, iron infusions, and adding iron-rich food to your diet. (Chitra S. Nayak, 2018)

8. Allergies:

In case of an allergic reaction, your body releases histamine to fight the invading allergen or irritant. This results in the appearance of symptoms such as redness, itching, irritation, sneezing, runny nose, etc. Histamine also causes the dilation of blood vessels, which appear as dark areas under the skin, resulting in dark circles under the eyes.

Easy Ways To Brighten Your Under Eyes

1. Stay hydrated:

Staying hydrated is the key! Consuming at least 8-10 glasses of water per day is advisable. Other fluids such as juices, milk, or tea can also keep you hydrated.

2. Apply a cold compress:

Apply a cold compress to the affected under-eye area. This provides a cold temperature to the area and helps shrink the dilated blood vessels and reduce swelling. You can also apply ice wrapped in a cloth to the under-eye area too.

3. Get your beauty sleep:

Sleep deprivation can cause your skin to look pale and make the dark circles more visible. So it is recommended to have a good night’s sleep of at least 8-19 hours per day. 

4. Apply a concealer:

You can also conceal the dark circles with a good makeup concealer until your treatment continues.

See Also

The Best Skincare Routine to Fade Dark Spots

Works Cited

Dark Circles Under Eyes. (2022, May 25). Retrieved from Cleveland Clinic: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/23128-dark-circles-under-eyes

Chitra S. Nayak, A. S. (2018). A Study of Clinicopathological Correlation of Periorbital Hyperpigmentation. Indian Dermatol Online J, 245–249.

Heger, E. (2020, October 01). 6 causes of dark under-eye circles, according to a dermatologist. Retrieved from Insider: https://www.insider.com/guides/beauty/what-causes-dark-circles-under-eyes

Rashmi Sarkar, M. M. (2016, January). Periorbital Hyperpigmentation: A Comprehensive Review. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. , 49–55.

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