What Are Under Eye Dark Circles?

The physiology of dark circles is not entirely understood, and there’s a lot of conflicting information around. Before you can treat them, you need to identify the different types of dark circles you’re packing.
 

• Type 1 is the undereye circle with a blue tinge, which is a tell-tale sign that it is caused by a vascular problem, where dilated blood vessels (or leaking from tiny micro-capillaries) show up through the eye area’s thin skin, combined with oedema (aka water retention/under eye puffiness). Because the skin in the area is so fine, this shows right through.

 

• Type 2 is the undereye circle with a brown tinge, which is common among people with darker skin tones - black and Indian people especially. The brown colour is due to hyperpigmentation, where the skin is actually darker. This is inherited, most probably, but it can be made worse with sun exposure.

 

• Type both. Sometimes you’re one of the ‘lucky’ ones who may have both.

What Causes Dark Circles And Bags Under The Eyes?

Besides being born with a genetic predisposition to dark circles (sorry), your health and lifestyle can also weigh in here as a cause of under-eye circles.
 

• Healthwise
  
  Allergies, particularly hay fever, and nasal congestion make the blood vessels of the eye area dilate so you get the blue shadows, and atopic dermatitis (eczema) can cause them too.
  
  They could be a sign that you’re anaemic or have a problem with your kidneys. See your doctor as a precaution if they hang around permanently or are becoming worse.
  
  Ageing, of course, is another cause, as the fine skin gets even thinner with loss of fat and collagen, drainage becomes less efficient, and veins are more visible.

 

• Lifestyle
  
  In our teens and early twenties, we mostly bounce back after a long night studying for exams or a weekend of margarita mayhem, but fatigue (not to mention excess alcohol intake) will eventually show up as dark circles and puffiness.
  
  Sun exposure, particularly with darker skin tones, as well as dry, dehydrated skin can make them more pronounced and the problem look worse.

 

• Under Eye Puffiness
  
  Under eye bags often go hand-in-hand with dark circles as they cast shadows under the eyes, so they it needs to be treated alongside the circles. They can be caused by fluid retention from a too-salty diet, stress, allergies, and hormonal changes.
  
  Alcohol doesn’t help, either, and smoking sets up those free radicals nicely, results in poor skin oxygenation and helps your skin-plumping collagen break down prematurely.

Read More. Pigmentation and Dark Spots Explained: Everything You Need to Know

Your Best Under Eye Cream Solutions For Dark Circles

Finding an eye cream that wipes away signs of fatigue, puffiness and dark circles has long been the holy grail of skin care. Luckily, we now have a better idea of ingredients that work, and newer formulas are taking advantage of all the tech:

Look for these ingredients:
Hyaluronic acid – it plumps up the area, pushing skin up and away from the blood vessels.  It’s also great for dry skin and wrinkles around the eyes.
Caffeine – a vasoconstrictor that tightens blood vessels, making them less visible.
Retinol or one of the Vitamin A derivatives – builds thicker skin and collagen.
Vitamin C – antioxidant, stimulates collagen production and brightens the skin tone.
Grapeseed oil – powerful antioxidant, helps strengthen capillary walls against leakage.
Green tea – powerful antioxidant, also helps strengthen capillary walls.
Vitamin K – a deficiency can actually cause dark circles. Supplementing with Vitamin K helps them fade away.

Under eye creams and treatments we like:

BioNike Defence Xage Eye Lift Serum with the special Rejuvenate SGFcomplex combined with a plankton extract to help to smooth wrinkles and reduce puffiness and dark circles.
Nivea Q10 Anti-Wrinkle & Firming Eye Cream with the powerful antioxidant Q10 and Creatine to visibly reduce wrinkles, firm skin and reduce dark circles under your eyes.
Eucerin Hyaluron Eye Filler SPF 15 – hyaluronic acid plus sun protection to improve skin elasticity, reduce wrinkles and counteract dark circles.
L’Oréal Revitalift Laser Renew Precision Eye Cream - caffeine and the cooling applicator tip helps reduce puffiness. Replumps wrinkles, reduces bags and firms up the skin - all in one go.
Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector contains an impressive host of pigmentation busting, antioxidant, skin-plumping ingredients (mulberry root, green tea, vitamin C, caffeine among others), optical correctors to brighten, a light natural tint and a cooling applicator tip.

Specialist dark circle and puffy eye creams and treatments:

Dermactin-TS Concentrated Dark Circle Treatment with a concentrated lexapepetide formula to help reduce dark under circles and puffy eyes.
Dermactin-TS Cooling Puffy Eye Treatment relieves the appearance of dark circles, fatigue and hyperpigmentation.
Skin Republic’s Fast Fix 5 Minute Under Eye Patch with caffeine, hyaluronic acid, aloe and green tea as a quick-fix for under eye circles and depuffing, and their Retinol Hydrogel Under Eye Patch with retinol, niacinamide and vitamin B5 to brighten dark circles, build thicker, firmer skin and reduce pigmentation.

Dark circle removal creams developed by dermatologists:

Neostrata Brightening Eye Cream contains vitamins C and E, which are not only powerful antioxidants, but also work synergistically with vitamin K. Also includes line-smoothing peptides.
La Roche Posay Pigmentclar Eyes - a dark circle skin-evening corrector that visibly reduces the look of blue and brown dark circles and brightens the eye area. It features a unique cooling metal applicator.
Avène PhysioLift Eyes - hyaluronic acid and retinaldehyde (vitamin A) to smooth wrinkles, reduce puffiness and dark circles.

CAUTION: Make sure that any eye cream you use is gentle, dermatologist tested and approved.

Professional Treatments To Permanently Remove Dark Circles

If you decide the big guns are called for and want to remove dark circles permanently, make sure you go to a reputable skin care clinic, dermatologist or aesthetic doctor for your treatment.
 

• The Thermage radio frequency device is American FDA approved for diminishing blue circles as it increases collagen production, which builds up and tightens the skin. Results last up to five years.

 

• For ageing skin, you can also treat dark circles by injecting them with a hyaluronic acid filler, such as Restylane or Juvederm, which plump the skin and hide blueness; the injections can last a year or longer. The trick is in finding an experienced injector who will plump without causing puffiness.

 

• Carboxytherapy (carbon dioxide therapy) – available at Skin Renewal - is used on lower eyelids to skin texture, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, vascular pooling, fatty prolapse and tissue luminosity. By infusing the area with carbon dioxide, blood flow is increased and oxygenation improved. The results appear to be accumulative and permanent and touch ups can be done 6 to 9 months later.

 

• For brown circles, your best bet is a series of very gentle pigmentation-reducing chemical peels with, for example, TCA, which is also available at Skin Renewal.

 

• Lasers, like Q-switched or Fraxel lasers, eliminate targeted pigment cells and even out skin tone.

 

• For home use: Lamelle Luminesce Brightening range, used daily at home, can lighten pigmentation circles over a period of time. Also try Dermalogica’s Stress Positive Eye Lift with Diglucosyl Gallic Acid which decreases pigmentation and brightens skin tone.

Read More. Confused About Derma Rolling? Here's Everything You Need to Know

Tips to Reduce Dark Circles And Puffiness Naturally

• Try to get enough sleep each night (about eight hours), which can help minimise shadows and puffiness.

 

• Sleep propped up by a couple of pillows to prevent blood or water pooling under the eyes. Try to avoid stomach sleeping for the same reason.

 

• Puffy in the morning? Use a cold compress or the curved part of two spoons that have been refrigerated over closed eyes for about five minutes to constrict blood vessels and reduce puffiness.

 

• When you have time, apply cold used tea bags (black, green or white) that have been left in the fridge overnight. Lie down and leave them on your eyes for 10-15 minutes. The tea’s caffeine constricts blood vessels and the tannins reduce swelling and discoloration.

 

• Chamomile tea has soothing, anti-inflammatory properties too, as does another common home remedy for under eye circles and puffiness, cucumber slices. Cucumber is full of skin-loving antioxidants, a great moisturiser and naturally cools and refreshes tired-looking eyes.

 

• Protect your eyes from the sun's rays. The skin around the eye area is thinner and less capable of manufacturing the firming tissue collagen than skin in other places, and it’s also vulnerable to hyperpigmentation from UV damage.
  
  The best solution: Use sun protection like wraparound sunglasses that hug your face. Sunscreens can irritate the eye area, so use ones that are specially designed for the purpose (like Colorescience Total Eye 3-in-1 Renewal Therapy SPF 35 every day to protect from the sun's collagen-depleting rays.

 

• Be gentle with the eye area as you can cause hyperpigmentation through rubbing. When removing eye make-up, use a gentle unscented eye make-up remover that dissolves the product without rubbing the skin too hard. We like Bioderma Sensibio H20 Micellar Water.

Under Eye Concealers and Correctors To Cover Dark Circles

‘Concealer is the secret of the beauty universe,’ the legendary Bobbi Brown once said. The trick is finding the shade that blends effortlessly: It should be one shade lighter than your foundation.

You’ll need to know the difference between concealer (hiding the problem), corrector (counteracting the colour of the shadow) and highlighting (bouncing light off dark shadows to bring the area forward – used on dark hollows).

How do you choose the right shade for you?
 

• First apply your eye-cream to moisturise the area. Then apply foundation all over, then see how much you need to conceal.

 

• Counteract purple-toned under eye shadows with a yellow-toned colour corrector/concealer. Using your fingers, apply another layer of foundation on the area, then use a lighter concealer on the dark rim of the shadow.

 

• A peach-based corrector offsets a bluish tint on light and medium skin tones.

 

• Women with darker skin tones who have a yellow base to their skin should go for a deeper orangey-terracotta tone of corrector/concealer, as a pinky blue-toned one will make the area look ashy. An orangey red lipstick will also work.

 

• A concealer with light reflecting pigments can be a huge help for dark under eyes as it naturally brightens up the area.

 

• Bobbi Brown’s tip: using a small brush, apply the corrector to the inner corners of the eyes and then take it under the eyes all the way to the outer corners above the cheekbones.

 

• Next, using your fingers, apply a thin layer of concealer two shades lighter than your foundation shade and gently tap over the area where you applied the corrector.

 

• Set the concealer with a dusting of banana yellow matte powder, which will counteract the dark spots on almost any skin tone.

 

• Make sure you don't apply a concealer that’s too light or you’ll end up with what’s known in the biz as ‘reverse panda’ eyes.

Brightening concealers and colour correctors we love:
Maybelline Superstay 24hr Under Eye Concealer
LA Girl Pro Concealers and Correctors
Catrice All Round Concealer palette with both correctors and concealers
Revlon Colorstay Skin Awake 5in1 Concealer hides imperfections and dark circles, while brightening the under eye area and camouflaging puffiness.

Read More. Colour Correctors Are Your New Insta-Filter When Concealers Are Not Enough

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