What causes dark eye circles?

What causes dark eye circles?

Many people think that dark eye circles are caused by working late, or partying a little too hard, or allergic reaction to something. However, while these reasons can cause it to happen, as with everything else in life, it seems they’re not the only reasons at all! Many of today’s dermatologists agree that the root causes of dark eye circles is a complex interaction between your body and the same kind of chemical reaction that produces bruises. It does not necessarily have anything to do with how late you stay up, how tired you are or anything like that.

The orbital area around your eyes is the thinnest and most delicate skin on your face. Like all skin, this area is webbed with tiny capillaries, blood vessels so tiny that red blood cells have to stand in line, and sometimes bend in half, to get through them. Blood sometimes leaks from these capillaries – this happens all over the body all the time. This loose blood isn’t a problem; your body has a method of taking care of it.

Unfortunately, your body’s mopping-up process to get rid of that loose blood is what causes dark eye circles.

Okay. The way that loose blood breaks down is through an oxidization process known as “hemoglobin degradation.” Basically, the hemoglobin (the stuff that makes red blood cells red) gets broken up into smaller components – and guess what? When hemoglobin degrades, it turns a dark bluish-red.
How are dark eye circles like a bruise?

A bruise occurs when something hits you (hopefully not too hard). The capillaries and sometimes larger blood vessels get damaged and broken by the blow. Blood leaks out into the surrounding tissue. And then the hemoglobin in the blood begins to degrade, resulting in the dark bluish-red pigmentation we mentioned above.

So dark eye circles are almost exactly the same as a bruise, except that you don’t have to get hit in the face to get dark circles.  However, there are many more reasons that you can get dark eye circles.

Here, are some of the more common ones:

• Lack of sleep
  Sleep is important as it allows the skin to rest. Late night partying or working throughout the night can cause the skin to grow wan and make the blood vessels under the eyes look more prominent. This is because being tired generally makes your skin paler. And pale skin makes dark circles look darker, and also allows the dark pigmentation to be seen more easily.
• Hereditary Traits
  Dark eye circles can also be genetic (Passed down from parent to child).
• Excessive exposure to the sun
  Long hours under the sun increase melanin production and thus increase the chance of dark eyes circles. Try not to be under the sun for too long. Did you know that tanning can make dark under eye circles even worse? It’s true. Tanning is caused by melanin, your skin’s pigment. Exposure to the sun increases your natural melanin levels and draws the melanin to the surface of the skin, making it darker. Unfortunately, this same principle applies to the skin under your eyes, too. So tanning, or any exposure to the sun at all, can make those dark under eye circles even darker.
• Poor nutrition
  Watch your diet as a poor or imbalanced diet can also lead to dark eye circles. If you’re not eating a balanced and healthy diet, your body will have a lack of key nutrients and minerals can cause dark under eye circles. If you do not normally eat well, consider taking vitamin supplements. Vitamins C, E, A, K, and B complex can all help improve your skin health.
• Allergies & Sensitive Skin
  Allergies can cause dark under eye circles in two ways. First, the allergic reaction itself can cause smudges in the under eye area. Second, any condition that causes you to rub your eyes can make dark circles worse because scratching or rubbing can actually darken the skin. Remember, it’s very delicate, so be gentle with your skin. Certain people who have sensitive skin or have allergies are more prone to dark eye circles. Continuous rubbing of the eyes can thicken and darken the skin and thus cause the formation of dark eye circles. Do not rub your eyes unnecessarily.
• Pregnancy and/or menstruation
  Frequently, your skin becomes pale during pregnancy and menstruation. So the dark circles look darker and are more easily seen. During menstruation or pregnancy, it is common to spot that the skin under the eyes gets darker due to hormonal changes.
• Aging
  Sorry to have to bring this one up… but, as you get older, the skin around your eyes can become even thinner. Dark under eye circles are likely to become more and more pronounced.
• Eye Strain
  Nowadays we spend so much time in front of a computer, it is more & more common for  people to experience computer fatigue and eye strain. It also aggravates the condition of dark eye circles as people spent long hours in front of the computer doing work. Take a few minutes of vision break to protect your eyes and to reduce fatigue.
• Facial Bone Structure
  Depending on the shape of your eyes and bone structure, people with deep set eyes might look as if they have dark eyes circles due to light reflection.

Some Quick Fixes
To fight or minimize dark eye circles, there are several options that you can try. For example, using warm tea bags (a black tea that is unsweetened,) can help, the caffeine in the tea will help to restrict the blood vessels around your eyes. You can also try taking cucumber slices and placing them over your eyes. You can use the juice from the cucumber by cutting them into smaller pieces and then massage them around your eyes. You could also stick a spoon in the freezer and press it under your eyes for a quick fix.