We’ve all been there, you wake up in the morning and there they are…those nasty dark circles that make you look like you have 2 black eyes. But there seems to be no rhyme or reason for them, sometimes we get them when we don’t get enough sleep, and sometimes when we get plenty of sleep. So where do undereye dark circles come from, and how do we get rid of them?The causes might surprise you. Some people think they’re merely caused by exhaustion or a night out on the town. If you’re like me and have small kids at home, a good night’s sleep is a rare commodity. Surprisingly, those aren’t the only times I have dark circles. They seem to come and go regardless of how much sleep I get. So what else can cause them? There are basically 2 reasons for dark circles: weak or broken capillaries, and skin discoloration.
Weak or Broken Capillaries:
- Sneezing from a cold or allergies. Have you ever noticed that your eyes look red after a sneezing fit? Your eyes get red from the little capillaries that burst from the force of a sneeze. So it shouldn’t surprise you that the capillaries under your eyes break too.
- Rubbing your eyes. Since the skin and capillaries under your eyes are very fragile, rubbing them even a little can cause the capillaries to weaken, leading to leakage and then dark circles.
- Vitamin K deficiency. This is a very important vitamin that helps keep the integrity of veins and capillaries, and also aids clotting when they leak or break.
- Vitamin A deficiency. The skin under your eyes is very thin and delicate. Vitamin A is an antioxidant that aids in repairing the skin under your eyes so that it’s not as easy to see the capillaries that lay right beneath the surface.
- Medications. Some medications, like Prednisone, cause capillary leakage due to blood vessel dilation or fragility. You’ll need to speak to your physician if you suspect that your medication is causing dark circles, because it might be a sign that it can cause capillary or vein leakage elsewhere in the body.
- Smoking. This can cause both thinning of the skin AND capillary leakage. Unfortunately, smoking can also cause long-term damage. It can permanently cause veins and capillaries to weaken (not only under the eyes).
- Illness. Some illnesses cause the blood vessels to dilate or leak. And since the capillaries under the eyes are some of the weakest in the body, you’ll notice it there before anywhere else.
Skin Discoloration:
- Natural (or hereditary) darkened pigment. People that are darker skinned are more prone to this, but anyone can have a darker pigment under their eyes.
- Sun exposure. Some people are more prone to darkening under the eyes from sun exposure. This happens the same way as a normal tan, except there aren’t many ways to prevent this other than wearing UVB protectant sunglasses.
- Smoking. This is a double whammy, since it can cause the issues listed above with the capillaries, as well as uneven pigment in the skin, often beneath the eyes.
- Medications. Some medications, like Minocyclene, can also cause skin discoloration. Again speak to your physician if you suspect that this is the issue.
- Dark shadows from puffiness or other natural facial features. OK, I know, this doesn’t exactly fit in this category. But shadows can cause you to look like you have darker circles than you already do. Other common causes of shadows are folds in the skin due to aging or hereditary features.
So now that we know some of the things that cause the dark circles, how can we get rid of them? There are only a few things we need to concentrate on: strengthening the capillaries, dissipating pooled blood and lightening uneven pigmentation.
- Take vitamin supplements that contain vitamins K, A and E, as well as antioxidants like grape seed extract. This will help strengthen the blood vessels, and will help even out the skin tone.
- Get your allergies in check. Don’t forget to take your allergy medication, even if you’re feeling a little better. Just one sneeze or bad cough per day is enough to cause those tiny little capillaries to break.
- Cold compresses can help shrink the blood vessels back to normal size, reducing the appearance of darkness, as well as reducing inflammation and puffiness.
- Sleep with your head above your heart. This will encourage the pooled fluid and blood to clear.
- Vitamin K and Vitamin C can be used topically to help strengthen the capillary walls and prevent future darkening.
- Apply Arnica or Cucumber can be used topically to reduce swelling and keep dark circles from looking worse.
- Vitamin E and Vitamin A (Retinol) can be used topically to help heal and strengthen the skin under the eyes to keep dark circles from appearing as bad. Retinol is also known for evening out the skintone, so it can help lighten the darkness from an uneven skintone.
- Use caffeine to constrict the blood vessels and keep them from leaking. There are a multitude of products on the market that contain caffeine, or you can try cool black tea bags (not herbal tea bags because of their low caffeine level).
- Sunglasses with UVB protection, since those are the rays that darken the skin.
First and foremost, try to figure out why you have dark circles and start with the appropriate treatment. In my case, a combination of vitamin deficiency and allergies are probably the culprits, so I use a product from BeautiControl that contains caffeine, vitamins, cucumber and arnica. Only you know your body well enough to figure it out, but feel free to ask me questions. I’m always here to help.
Guest Author Bio – Christine Grudecki
A mobile spa consultant, Christine has had training as a skin care professional and works with clients to help create and maintain beautiful looking skin. She is also the owner of PMICreations Mobile Spa & Gifts, as well as the author of the Spa Blog, which ranges in subjects from skin care to health to relaxation, and everything in between. You can also check out her Facebook Fanpage and Tweets for tidbits of inspiration and advice.
