What causes Dark Circles under the eye?
Several different factors contribute to the development of dark circles. Whether yours come from age, heredity, allergies, skin problems, or sun damage, it’s important to understand how dark circles form so you can focus on getting rid of them for good.
Dark Circles under the eye can also be linked to Kidney or Stomach complaints and so if you think this is the case you should go and see your GP immediately.
We all know that our skin changes as we age. Sometimes, the fatty layer just below the eye can deteriorate and thin – quite the opposite of what’s probably happening to the rest of your body! This makes the eyes look sunken and haggard. Lights reflect off the concave skin creating the appearance of dark, shadowy ridges.
Believe it or not, sometimes dark circles can worsen based on normal changes within the body as it ages. Simple gravity causes under-eye bags to become more pronounced, which can cast shadows on the lower half of the face. Read our take on Bags under the Eye.
Combine this with the skin’s naturally decreasing elasticity, hormone changes in the skin that accompany menopause, allergies, and years of sun damage and perhaps lack of attention to your diet and you’ve got a perfect recipe for dark under-eye circles.
There are thousands of tiny blood vessels and veins in your eye area, especially just beneath your lower lids. The thinning out of the under-eye fat pad brings all these vessels right up to the surface, which can make it look like you’ve got bruising under your eyes.
If you are a chronic allergy sufferer, you know how hard it is to stop rubbing your eyes when they’re irritated. However, this constant rubbing and pressure can actually cause skin cells to darken slightly, leaving behind shadowy circles on the lower lids.
Allergies should be controlled with prescription or over-the-counter medications to reduce the inflammation that produces the urge to rub. So if this is you go and see your GP for help.