What the dark circles under your eyes are telling you

under-eye-brighteners

Are you sick of always looking tired and trying to conceal those under eye circles? We asked an expert for some assistance, to better understand why some people are more prone to them than others. Plus, we explain the difference between puffiness and dark circles.

Dark circles
Firstly you need to determine what colour your rings are. Look in the mirror (in natural light) with your chin tilted down slightly. This will help you see the ring more clearly.

More blue: If your circles are more of a bluish shade, then they are caused by increased levels of oxygenated blood pooling in that area. The skin under the eye is very thin, hence the dark colour coming through, causing that dark circle. This could be caused by lack of sleep or poor circulation.

More brown: If your circles are more brown, it could be a genetic cause. It could also be from over exposure to the sun, excess eye rubbing or hyperpigmentation. This is usually more prevalent in darker skin tones.

Puffiness
Sonette Donker, Strategic Communications Manager for Dermalogica, says that puffiness could have two causes. “The first one is water retention and this is very easy to treat with skincare. Normally it is just the body holding onto water due to excess salt in the diet, but some individuals are genetically just prone to retaining water in their bodies. We suggest these individuals use an eye cream that contains ingredients such as caffeine and spiraea. These ingredients act as a ‘diuretic’ draining the excess fluid.” Sonette explains.

The second cause is a bit more complicated. “It is due to adipose tissue herniating through the muscle,” says Sonette. “As we get older, and we normally see this in individuals over the age of 50, our muscles weaken. Due to the weakened muscle around the eye, we now see these ‘bags’ that are always present. These must be surgically removed. These operations are normally very simple with a high success rate.”

 

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19 Responses

  1. I always have puffiness and dark circles. This could be from added stress. Productive article giving insight feedback on various cause of dark circle.

  2. Mine are definitely from lack of sleep and stress… they have only popped up over the last few weeks. Has anyone tried the Body Shop product?

  3. I’ve got dark circles around my eyes and was told by a doctor that its because of my sinuses/allergies so it will be interesting to start using a good quality concealer, I just don’t know which one would help.

  4. I suffer from dark circles too, but recently had the privilege to test Smashbox’s BB Eyes Primer – try it, you won’t be disappointed!

  5. I’m glad I don’t have dark circles under my eyes. I just battle with very dry skin under my eyes due to the skin being thin

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