It’s one of the tell-tale sign of aging. They can be a stimulus for people to mention that you look tired or ask whether you are under-the-weather. Under eye dark circles are a common reason people come to see me. Their appearance of under eye dark circles can be embarrassing and unrelenting, and finding the reason is the best place to start when looking for a treatment. There are different reasons to develop under eye dark circles, including shifts and changes to the surrounding bone and soft tissue. With time these changes allow that area to reflect light differently and give a 5 o’clock shadow or under eye dark circles. Aside from nature and genetics, below are 5 things you may be doing that is exacerbating your under eye dark circles.
Rubbing Your Eyes
It may feel fantastic to rub and relieve itchy watery eyes during allergy season but that chronic rubbing stimulates that thin skin to thicken through a process called lichenification. This thickened skin has more pigment.
Applying Irritating Chemicals
There are numerous creams and liquids and elixirs stating they will help lighten under eye dark circles. Some of these can be effective depending on the reason for your under eye dark circles. A simple exacerbation is applying a topical that may be too irritating or harsh for your skin. Some formulations may have preservatives that you could be allergic to causing irritation of the skin, persistent redness, and darkening of the skin. This process is called post inflammatory hyperpigmentation and has a whole shelf space dedicated to treating these dark spots.
Quick Weight Loss
We have natural fat pads everywhere on our body with the face and under eye being no exception. When one attempts to lose weight or on the contrary, is in the best shape of their life, those natural fat pads along the face are quick to resorb. Those under eye fat pads will thin down, exposing the network of blood vessels that lay beneath the skin. The under eye skin is thin enough to see shadows of the blood coursing and will give a bluish hue to the area.
Slacking On The Sunscreen
30 seconds of sun – that’s the amount of time to go from my office to your car – that’s all it takes to naturally tan the skin. Cumulatively over time, it adds up. The other thing the sun does is break down collagen. Consider collagen as the building blocks that give the skin its thickness and turgor. It helps to hold water in the skin and keeps skin taught and wrinkles away. More sun equals less collagen and thinning skin. Thin skin under the eyes allows again, blood vessels to be visualized through and the appearance of a bluish tint. Wearing your sunscreen or sunblock daily can slow down this process not only under the eye but help slow down the sun-driven aging of the entire body skin.
Allowing Allergies To Go Unchecked
Allergies can lead to itchy watery eyes. The chronic rubbing of eyes is discussed above which can occur in the setting of allergies. Additionally, one of the allergy-producing chemicals in the body, histamine, acts on blood vessels and causes them to be dilated, weepy, and leak under the skin. This can lead to swelling, stretching of the skin, and pronounced blood vessel under the skin. The skin under the eye experiences the same reaction and the area will elicit the bluish hue and possible swelling creating under eye dark circles.
Treating Under Eye Dark Circles
Under eye dark circles are a common nuance that has many reasons. Understanding the cause of your under eye dark circles is the first step in the course of treatment. Your local dermatologist is well-versed in understanding these causes and can work with you to discuss different treatments, including skin brighteners, laser skin tightening, chemical peels, volumizing fillers, Botox® wrinkle reducer, collagen-stimulating topicals, as well as other treatments in the arsenal. At Skin of Culture and Hair Center, we understand under eye dark circles don’t have to be part of your daily presentation and we are motivated to work with you and help reduce their appearance.