While harmless, dark circles around the eyes, often accompanied by undereye bags, don’t exactly flatter a person’s looks. Hence the need to remove them completely.
One could have the most perfect skin, but the presence of those annoying darker shades resembling half-moons surrounding the eyes could make every minute spent in the spa seem vain.
Aside from making the affected person look older, those annoying skin tones could make someone appear fatigued or distressed to an observer.
Worse, these conditions, be it undereye bags or dark circles have been known to affect a person psychologically. This is mostly due to the feelings of inadequacy often accompanying it especially among those obsessed with how they look.
What Causes Dark Circles Under Eyes?
Why do I have dark circles? That’s one question that never gets old, as more people try to seek answers the moment they look in the mirror to find those discolorations around the eyes tainting their otherwise perfect complexion.
Yet, the majority of these people indulge in activities that could trigger them even without realizing. Dark circles around the eyes could result from a handful of reasons which may not exactly involve one’s genes or face-care routine.
Undoubtedly, both factors come to play in some cases, but most times, our daily habits directly or indirectly influence the appearance of dark circles.
Habits like staying up late, sleep deprivation, oversleeping, straining one’s eyes via excessive screen time, and not drinking enough water are major culprits of this condition. Additionally, sun exposure, allergies, and aging also play a part in causing dark circles under the eyes.
These dark circles may occur by themselves or are accompanied by the more dreaded under-eye bags. While these two are completely different conditions, they share the same causative factors and ultimately, a potential way of ridding yourself of them for good.
If you find yourself constantly worrying about how to cover up those dark circles under the eyes or get rid of them completely, these tips are guaranteed to give you the ultimate solution.
1. Medical Treatments
Fighting those dark circles medically might be your best bet when it comes to getting rid of dark circles. Not only does it produce the most effective result in the shortest time frame, but it is also one of the only few means of treating dark circles and under-eye bags in elderly people as well as.
The method involves seeking help from a health specialist, mostly a plastic surgeon or a dermatologist. The expert in turn decides the best medically available means to suit the patient’s needs.
The available options include the use of chemical peels, laser surgery, fat removal, and surgical implants. The use of tissue fillers to conceal the blood vessels or medical tattoos that prove effective in injecting pigment into thinning areas are also widely practiced.
The dermatologist often advises the patient beforehand on the best procedure for them, considering age, severity, and skin type. However, this effective method of removing dark circles is not cost-friendly.
2. Use Pre-Refrigerated Teabags
A major ingredient in tea is caffeine, which has antioxidant properties. Luckily, antioxidants are priceless when it comes to detoxifying, protecting the eyes from UV rays, and increasing blood flow to the skin.
These factors help treat or prevent the appearance of dark circles and under-eye bags. To get rid of dark circles using this method, opt for green tea, which boasts of anti-inflammatory properties in addition to its caffeine effect.
Just steep two tea bags in hot water for 3-5 minutes before retrieving and let them sit in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. You can then squeeze out the excess liquid and apply one to each eye for 10-20 minutes. Rinse eyes with cool water when done.
3. Adopt Healthy Sleeping Habits
If how to treat dark circles is one of your biggest worries, chances are you are not getting enough sleep. Or perhaps you oversleep or stay awake past your bedtime constantly for fear of missing the next episode of your favorite Netflix show.
Either way, the body has a way of ratting out your nightly escapades to the world and your eyes happen to be the mouthpiece in this case. Hence, one effective means of getting rid of dark circles under the eyes is by adopting new and healthier sleeping habits.
Ensure you have up to 8-9 hours of sleep every night and avoid staying awake late into the night even if you plan to catch up on those lost hours well into the next day. It just doesn’t have the same effect.
4. Sleep With The Head Elevated
Another sleeping practice to adopt when trying to reduce those dark bags under the eyes is sleeping with your head elevated. This works against gravity, hence, preventing liquid from collecting under the eyes to produce that puffy appearance.
This method only involves popping a few pillows under your head and lying facing the ceiling. Keep this up while managing to keep your stress levels in check and watch those half-moons disappear.
5. Stay Hydrated
This tip is a no-brainer, as one of the major causes of dark circles under the eyes is dehydration. Increasing one’s water intake to meet the daily recommended amount by experts is a great way to remove dark circles.
Liven things up a little by experimenting with various fluid options like lemonade, smoothies, or fruit juices. You could also try out flavored or sparkling water to make your water routine seem less like a forced chore.
6. Pay Attention To Those Allergies
Most people relate allergies to itching, redness, inflammation, swelling, and tearing up. However, what most don’t realize is that an allergic reaction often leaves a telltale sign in the guise of puffy or dark under eyes.
Hence, without the common allergic symptoms, it is often difficult to detect an allergic reaction which leaves the affected person ignorantly suffering the unsightly appearance of puffiness.
A doctor’s consultation could help determine if those dark circles or eye bags resulted from allergens or other factors.
Once detected, avoiding the responsible allergen is a great way to rid yourself of all that puffiness. Antihistamines also prove helpful in decreasing allergy-induced dark undereye bags.
7. Factor In The Right Products
Skin brightening products can help lighten the eye contours, gradually fading off the discolored areas. However, this method is one of the least recommended as they often contain lightening agents like hydroquinone, which bleaches the skin and increases the risk of skin cancer.
Tetrapeptide-5 and heparin sulfate are safer options. These ingredients help reduce puffiness and contain hydrating agents to moisturize the skin.
Adding retinol to your skin routine could help stimulate collagen production, which in turn increases elasticity in areas around the eyes without causing irritation.
8. Use A Cold Compress
Making a cold compress out of normal kitchen items could make all the difference when trying to get rid of dark circles. While a store-bought cold compress is great, why make all that effort when there is a refrigerator a few steps away?
Some common cold compress available in the home that proves more effective include cool cucumber slices, wet towels, chilled teaspoons, and a bag of frozen vegetables.
This method is one of the most effective but might require consistent application. Be rest assured the result would be worth it, plus it has a cooling effect on the nerves.
Looking for a quicker remedy? Ty checking out tips on how to color correct dark circles using a concealer or other makeup hacks. You could turn to that as a temporary fix while awaiting the amazing results of the above tips for removing dark circles completely.