Dark Circles Under Eyes: Causes & Treatment

Worrying about dark circles should not become another reason to have it worse. Here are the causes and preventive care to tackle up your black circles.

Dark circles under the eyes also known as periocular hyperpigmentation is a commonly encountered condition seen in all ages of people. It is characterized by light to dark-coloured pigmentation around the eyelids, emanating dull and tired look.

Causes:

The two main causes of under-eye dark circles are UV light and age. There is also another category in which dark circles are seen at a younger age group. This is due to the natural facial framework and various other reasons. Creams and lotions do help for dark circles to an extent, if the basic cause is UV light exposure. However, it is also advised to limit ones time of exposure to UV and blue-light emittance to shield your eyes and eyelid.

As discussed above, the primary cause of dark circles is prolonged exposure to UV light-emitting devices and products. With a significant number of people, spending a major portion of their time on digital devices, mobile phones and computers, the prevalence of dark circles in our population is veritably high. Therefore, one paramount step to consider, to bid dark circles away is to limit the use of digital devices. Also, while using, make sure to keep the screen adjusted to shift the blue light colours.

Secondly- Age related dark circles! Age-related dark circles happen due to lack of structural support caused by the loss of tissue elasticity with age. Early dark circles in old age can be corrected with lightening creams, face washes and chemical peels to an extent. The deep dark circles that appear as creases usually require something to support the tissue such as a filler injection or fat grafting. 

Other reasons include due to various allergies, dehydration, overexposure to sun and genetics.

Advised At-home Treatments:

Treating dark circles first requires knowing the root cause. However certain home remedies can aid you to manage the situation:

Applying cold compress: Cold compress can help reduce swelling and shrink dilated blood vessels. This can reduce the appearance of puffiness and help eliminate dark circles up to an extend.

Getting the right amount of sleep: Staying away from digital devices at night and getting track on your sleep, help bid dark circles to a very large extend. Allow yourself seven to eight hours of rest to prevent dark circles from appearing.

Soak with tea bags: Applying cold tea bags to your eyes can improve their appearance. Tea contains caffeine and antioxidants that can help stimulate blood circulation, shrink your blood vessels and reduce liquid retention beneath your skin.

Medical Treatment:

Though at-home treatments and medical treatments are available, it is always advised in the first place to self-care yourself so as to shield your eyelids from getting exposed to dark circles.

At VPS Lakeshore, we render various medical treatments for effective and permanent solution. Some of these include

• chemical peels to reduce pigmentation

• tissue fillers to conceal blood vessels and melanin that are causing skin discolouration beneath your eyes.

• fat removal to remove excess fat and skin, revealing a smoother and more even surface

• surgical implants of fat or synthetic products

However keep in note before proceeding to any treatment, discuss it with our surgeons. What is best for the patient can be judged by a plastic surgeon who can give both options surgical and non-surgical depending on the patient's needs and type of the pigmentation.

By:
Dr. Akshay Omkumar 
Associate Consultant
Department of Cosmetic & Plastic Surgery
VPS Lakeshore Hospital