At one time or the other,all of us go face the problem of under eye problems:puffy eyes, dark circles, fine lines.Today let us see how to deal with these issues.
What are dark circles?
The area of skin surrounding the eyes are very thin when compared to rest of the face.As you age,the skin becomes thinner due to loss of collagen and making the eye area appear more darker.It affects both men and women.
What causes dark circles?
- Erratic Sleep Cycle/Insomnia.
- Fatigue.
- Dehydration.
- Drugs.
- Hereditary.
- Allergies.
- Sinus Infection/Nasal Congestion.
- Sun Exposure.
- Ageing-Thin skin, Loss of Collagen.
- Smoking.
- Stress.
- Alcoholism.
- Eczema/Dermatitis.
- Frequent rubbing of eyes.
- Nasal Congestion.
- Anaemia.
- Hormonal Changes in Women.(Monthly cycles/Pregnancy/Menopause).
- Vitamin Deficiency.
- Certain job natures:Long hours of using computers,Night Shifts etc.
- High Salt Intake.
What are the home remedies for dark circles?
- Go to bed early.
- Sleep at least 7-8 hours in a day.
- Do not rub your eyes.
- Treat your allergies and deficiencies.
- Make it a habit to apply a little bit of moisturiser on the eye area once or twice a day.
- Use a sunscreen.
- Ladies should be very gentle when you apply eye make-up,do not apply pressure.
- Maintain a balanced diet.
- In case of nasal congestion try nasal sprays.
- Avoid smoking, drinking alcohol, salty foods.
- Apply eye creams/serums which contain hyaluronic acid, aloe vera, chamomile,vitamin A/C/K,lactic acid, kojic acid,retinol,liquorice,niacinamide etc.
- Conceal with make-up.
You can also try some of these simple remedies:
- Apply cucumber or potato slices or grated potato on eyes for 10-15 minutes.
- Apply used green tea bags on eyes for 10-15 minutes.
- Use a cold compress of ice wrapped in a cloth.
- Refrigerate a clean spoon for 15 minutes.Keep the rounded edge of the spoon on eye area for few minutes.
These steps constrict the blood vessels,reduce puffiness and make them appear brighter.
Are there any medical procedures for treating dark circles?
Well yes there are medical procedures which help dark circles, puffy eyes, fine lines.
- Argi Chemical Peel: It is a low concentration chemical peel meant for eyes.The peel contains arginine,lactic,aloe vera and allantoin.It lightens the pigmentation and hydrates the eye area.
- Laser :Laser is effective on any kind of pigmentation skin issues.
- Radio Frequency treatments.
- Fillers.
- Skin grafting-Rare case scenarios.
Final Verdict:
Dark circles are often considered to be because of lack of sleep or fatigue.But it could also be underlying medical issue.Our skin is always trying to telling something about our health.My dark circles was prominent when I was anaemic plus all the erratic sleep patterns made it worse.When I was undergoing chemical peels for my acne, my doc suggested argi peel.So I underwent about 5-6 peels.This was a long time ago,it costs about Rs 400-500 per sitting.It did help but it was back after all the late night cramming.After a while we need to follow good skin care routine which includes the eyes as well.I used many eye creams but only few helped which I will discuss in the next post.
