Causes:

Most people get dark circles under their eyes or even all round the eye area at some point. Surprisingly, the most common cause isn’t lack of sleep (although it does have an effect) but nasal congestion. Other reason is Staring at your television, mobile or computer screen for a long time which can cause significant strain on your eyes. This strain will lead the blood vessels around your eyes to enlarge. As a result, the skin surrounding your eyes can darken. Fluid retention can also cause the capillaries under the eyes to become dilated and contribute to the same effect. Conditions that cause fluid retention (such as heart, thyroid, kidney and liver diseases) or medications that cause blood vessel dilation may be factor. Dark circles may also be a sign of dehydration. In those with darker skin tones, dark circles are sometimes, unfortunately, genetic.

Ageing can provoke the appearance of dark circles, because the skin becomes thinner so the blood vessels show up more, sun damage contributes, because it weakens the skin.

Another cause often overlooked is overproduction of the pigment melanin in the eye area. This may be because of the very thin skin there which is more sensitive to the sun. Sun damage will also thin skin further, by degrading collagen. Wearing sunscreen and big sunglasses can help with the problem, and prevent more pigmentation and skin thinning.

Iron-deficiency anemia results in less oxygen passing through the bloodstream, which produces a bluish tint. It’s important to have a blood test, to make sure anemia is not the cause. If it is, take a non-constipating, highly absorbable form of iron.

Treatment:

Natural Prescription

Supplements containing vitamin C, or grape seed extract, or pycnogenol contain antioxidant compounds that may help to strengthen blood vessels.

Topical creams containing vitamin K may help. Other ingredients in ‘topical’ include eyebright, horse chestnut, gingko and yarrow, which increase localized circulation-also witch hazel, for its astringent properties, which may help to shrink the capillaries. Pycnogenol and green tea may also help strengthen the tissue in eye area.

Lifestyle

Be sure to get enough sleep and stop SMOKING!

Quick fixes

A cold compress will help constrict blood vessels and normalize tissue color, wring out a flannel in very cold water. Place on eyes and lie down for 10-15 minutes as many times as possible. Alternatively, smooth an ice cube-in a cotton hanky or muslin cloth-round the eye area, which also reduces puffiness. Lie down with chilled cucumber slices, or slices of row potato, or plain teabags over your eyes.