October 18, 2021

Dark Circles: All About Them & Lifestyle Changes That Help

What Are Dark Circles & Why Do We Get Them?

Before we begin to answer this question, it is important that you understand the anatomy of the human eye. In the human eye, eyelid skin is one of the few areas where the skin is the thinnest when compared with skin on your other parts of the body. This means that a very thin delicate skin is sitting over the structure of your eyes that consists of blood vessels, muscles, and bone.

Dark Circles are essentially caused by dark blood vessels and dark tissues beneath the surface of the skin that is around the eyes.

What Factors Can Cause Dark Skin?

There are several factors like:

Aging: Dark circles are often considered to be a sign of aging. Since they make you look exhausted and stressed. Some women have a structure with naturally deep-set eyes, full cheeks, and high cheekbones. As the natural aging process takes it course, the layer of collagen in the skin starts to wear away. Due to all this, light reflects off the blood vessels in the thinning under-eye area which makes the Dark Circles visible and prominent.

Genetics: In case you are genetically inclined to have dark circles then you may end up having them at a younger age. Some people are even born with thinner, paler skin with more pigment under the eyes which makes under-eye circles visible!

Sun: Sun exposure and its negatives have been discussed on this blog before. Sun exposure can cause pigmentation under the eyes because of the harsh UV Rays that destroy the delicate cells underneath.

Weight Loss: Weight loss can result in bone loss and volume loss, both of which can make dark circles more visible. 

Other Causes:  Several other causes like allergies, pigmentation, edema or dry skin can cause dark circles.   

Lifestyle Causes:

1. High Sodium Diet: Diet high in sodium can cause water retention in the body, the skin under the eyes is thinner hence more likely to reflect the excess fluids.
2. Insufficient Sleep: Sleep and fatigue-related stress lowers the blood supply and nutrients around several key areas of the body, area around the eyes as well.
3. Sleeping With Makeup: Makeup can irritate the eyes which can result in redness and puffiness being noticed.

Lifestyle Changes That Will Help Dark Eye Circles:

1. Sleep Better: Adequate sleep is very important as sleep lowers cortisol which can damage the skin.
2. Sunscreen: Protect yourself from the UV rays at all times when you are outside. Committing to a daily sunscreen routine is essential for the same. Wear sunglasses to protect from UV damage and reduce the signs of aging of the skin and pigmentation.
3. Diet: The relationship between food and skin has been discussed on our blog before. When it comes to dark circles, there aren’t any crash diets that can do wonders. Instead, focus on making good nutritional changes like avoiding foods that are too salty. Also, consume less wine and caffeine whenever possible. Consume more antioxidant foods. When it comes to nutrition we can’t be right all the time, so try to eat well in the majority of the meals you have!
4. Smoking/Weight management: Quit smoking, as simple as that. Also being overweight or having high cholesterol also causes dark circles so avoid both of those and try to make yourself healthier.

That’s it from Dr. Jaspreet for this article, in case you need help with any skin-related issue then be sure to book a consultation with her by calling us at +91- 8826141232.