What Causes Dark Circles around the Eyes?

 

Do you have dark circles around your eyes? They make you look tired, exhausted, and ill, and I am sure you hate them.

Concealers are often used to hide these dark circles. But have you ever wondered why do we get dark circles? Why is it more obvious around the eyes ? And why more pronounced in Indians?

What's special around the Eyes? 

There are several natural reasons why the skin around the eyes has a darker shade. In addition, some aggravating factors can make it worse.  Often, more than one factor is at play. 

1) The major reason why dark-circle are more prominent around the eyes is the thickness of the skin. Did you know, that eyelid skin is the thinnest in the body? Moreover, it does not have fat immediately under it, but has a very vascular muscle (orbicularis oculi). This allows the blood vessels and red muscle fibers to be almost ‘seen through’, thereby giving a reddish-blue color. Compare it to the lighter color of the cheek skin for example, which is much thicker, and has fat underneath. Reduced sleep can lead to dilatation of these vessels, thereby increasing the ‘shade’ of under-eye darkening.

 

2) If the lower-eyelid contours aren't smooth, it can make dark circles appear ‘darker’. For example, if you have lower-eyelid fat bags or a hollow, the dark shadows will be more obvious.   

 

3) There can be excessive pigment (Melanin) in the skin under the eyes, which may increase due to eye allergy, hormonal influence, or simply as a reaction to long term use of a topical cream, eyedrop or medication. 

 

4) Finally, the Indian skin is overall more pigmented, making these contrasts even more striking than our western counterparts.

 

 

What can you do about it? 

How do we minimize dark circles? Obviously, the anatomic reasons why the eyelid skin looks darker cannot be eliminated. The good news is, some home remedies can help on that front! 

 

1) Good hydration thickens the eyelid skin, thereby making it less ‘transparent’.  

2) Cold compresses help reduce the caliber of the blood vessels that are seen through the thin skin.  So the age-old ritual of placing cucumber slices over your closed eyes indeed addresses the dark circles scientifically! Keep drinking water throughout the day. If you are a busy bee, there are several useful apps that can remind you to drink water (😄)! 

 

3) Adequate sleep, a minimum of 8 hours would ensure that the blood vessels donot dilate in excess, and the under-eye skin looks healthy.

 

How can your doctor help? 

 

1) Melanin reduction: The first step is to address any obvious precipitating cause such as eye allergy, or an required/changed spectacle correction. A simple consultation with your eye doctor (not the optical shop!) would help eliminate these possibilities.           Certain under-eye creams can reduce the pigment production thereby reducing dark circles. Hydroquinone is the most commonly recommended  skin lightening compound. Most commercially available fairness creams contain a small proportion of it. It is recommended to use Hydroquinones only under the direct supervision of your your Dermatologist or Oculoplastic surgeon.

 

2) Contour correction: Lastly, you need to address hollows and fat bags under your eyes that cause dark circles due to shadowing-effect. Make-up and concealers are unlikely to hide shadowing caused by contour changes. The eyelid bags (hills) around the eyes can be removed by Blepharoplasty surgery. The under-eye hollows (valleys) can be minimized with the use of commerfically available Fillers. Consulting your eye-plastic surgeon would be very helpful in this regard. 

 

In summary, good hydration, correction of untreated eye problems (eye allergy refractive error), skin lightening creams, and  treatment of under-eye contour changes (bags and hollows) can reduce your dark circles significantly. Remember, improvement is the key, not perfection!

  Disclaimer: All views expressed here are based on my 20+ years of exclusive practice of eyelid and Oculoplastics. It does not represent the official views of my workplace, any medical society I represent, my country, or any ethnic group in particular. The information is meant for educational purpose only, and expert medical opinion is strongly recommended for your individual eyelid nodule. 

 

 

Dr Milind Naik, MD                                                                    Oculoplastic Surgeon,Hyderabad                                                       Email: milind@drmilindnaik.com