5 Tips for Dealing with Dark Under Eye Circles
April 11th, 2017
Dark under-eye circles seem to be a popular question I’ve been getting from my clients lately so I wanted to address this common concern.
Here are the Top 5 possible culprits for dark under-eye circles and suggestions for how to fix them:
1) The most common reason is fatigue or lack of sleep. I think you know how to fix this one…try to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night.
2) Genetics
Dark under-eye circles are often an inherited trait (unfortunately can’t fix this one!). This could be due to the bone structure of your face. If you have deep hollows under the eyes, this makes the under-eye area appear dark.
Other hereditary factors are your particular skin pigmentation and thickness of your skin under the eyes. Thin skin means the blood vessels below the surface are more visible which can give the under-eye area a bluish/purple tone. The best thing you can do is use a concealer with a yellow/orange undertone to neutralize the blue/purple under-eye area.
3) Aging
As we got older, there can be a loss of fat and collagen around the eye area which makes the reddish-blue blood vessels under your eye appear to be more noticeable. Using an eye cream that contains caffeine (I love this one) can help constrict the blood vessels and make dark circles less visible, but the effects are obviously temporary.
4) Allergies/Food Intolerance
Nasal congestion can dilate the blood vessels that drain from the area around your eyes, causing them to darken. Determining food intolerances can be tricky sometimes, but that’s what I’m here for! Want help figuring out which foods don’t agree with you? Let’s chat!
5) Drinking too much alcohol or consuming a lot of salty foods can lead to both dark circles and puffiness. Make sure to counteract the effects of alcohol and salt by drinking lots of water and eating hydrating foods like watermelon, cucumber and grapefruit. Chilled cucumber slices applied to the eyes are also great for reducing puffiness!
If all else fails, apply some bright red or pink lipstick.
Why lipstick, you ask? The good ol’ distraction technique. Using a bright color on your lips will draw attention away from those dark circles (P.S. You’re probably the only person who really notices them!)