Puffiness and dark circles under the eyes affect many people at one time or another. However, for some people, these are an everyday occurrence. How dreadful!
While these conditions can be symptomatic of an illness, they are usually caused by either allergies, lack of sleep, fatigue, or genetics.
Since dark circles are frequently related to hereditary, it doesn’t mean that you can’t do anything about them, but you should be prepared for minimal success in actually trying to get rid of them.
They may also be carbon deposits that result from incomplete protein digestion. Incomplete protein digestion results from an insufficient amount of gastric acid in your stomach. Lower gastric acids can be caused by a lack of B6 and Folic Acid vitamins. About 30% of the population does not absorb B6 or Folic Acid well, and Vitamin B injections may be required.
Allergies are also a common cause of skin discolorations and puffiness under the eyes. If you suffer from allergies, take Allergy medicines or remove the allergen that’s bothering you. (bye-bye puddy tat:o(
If you use a concealer,
apply them by
placing small dots
under the eyes and
gently blending them in.
If your dark circles or puffiness are constant, you may have an undetected food allergy or an allergy to some type of chemical in your home or workplace. Food allergies play a major part in under-eye circles. Processed foods with artificial colors and preservatives as well as milk allergies can make them worse.
Talk to a Dermatologist to help determine what you might be allergic to. People with allergies also tend again to be deficient in B6, Folic acid and B12 on occasion. Taking antioxidant vitamins will help with allergies as well as skin discolorations.
Of course, you can also apply a concealer. If the concealer you use is oil based or creamy though, these can also stretch the skin and actually make under-eye circles worse. If you use a concealer, apply them by placing small dots under the eyes and gently blending them in. Make sure the concealer you use is either water based or in a dry form like powders or minerals.
No matter what the cause, you can still reduce their appearance and in some cases, get rid of them altogether.
Get Rid of Dreary Dark Circles
#1) Get plenty of sleep nightly. It’s not entirely clear why inadequate sleep results in circles under the eyes, but we’ve all experienced it. Try to get 7-9 hours of sleep regularly for a couple of weeks to see if that helps. Remember that alcohol and drugs can adversely affect the quality of your sleep. Abstain from these products or use only in moderation for best results.
#2) A lack of sleep together with poor vitamin absorption tends to reduce adrenal function. The less adrenal function you have the less B6 you tend to absorb, the less B6 you absorb, the less well your adrenal glands work. The cycle continues on until the cycle is stopped. Sleep and regular antioxidants such as Calcium and Magnesium, help restore adrenal function. If you want to break the cycle, reduce stress, sleep more, and take the proper vitamins and minerals to support the adrenal function in general.
#3) Treat your skin while you sleep. Use a good overnight or night repair lotion before you go to bed. Some of them are specifically formulated for dark circles.
#5) Apply cool tea bags, ice cubes, or cucumber slices to your eyes daily. The tannins in tea bags have been shown to reduce swelling and discoloration. Ice reduces inflammation. Cucumber slices have been used to reduce puffiness and refresh the appearance of skin around the eyes for years. In the morning, apply tea bags, ice cubes wrapped in plastic wrap, or cucumbers under your eyes and leave for 10 minutes. Keep your eyes closed. (Duh!)
#6) Apply an eye cream containing vitamin K and/or Retinol. Dark circles may be caused by a deficiency of vitamin K. Regardless of the cause, recent research has shown that skin creams containing these two ingredients reduce puffiness and discolorations significantly in many patients. Long-term daily use seems to have the greatest effect.
#7) Avoid rubbing your eyes. Rubbing your eyes irritates the skin and can break tiny capillaries beneath the skin, causing both puffiness and discolorations.
#8) Eat a healthy, well balanced diet and drink plenty of water. A whole host of cosmetic problems can be attributed to vitamin deficiencies or inadequate water intake. Eat a healthy diet rich in leafy green vegetables and other wholesome foods. Adequate fluids also help to improve circulation.
#9) Reduce salt intake. Too much salt can also impair your circulation, and cause the blood vessels under the skin to appear darker.
#10) Put 2 spoons in the freezer at night and then in the morning place them on your face under your eyes.
#11) Take a small cup or bowl and put in 1 teaspoon of Knox gelatin mix. Add one tablespoon of boiling water and stir for a minute. Test it on your wrist to make sure it is not too hot.
Using a cotton ball, pat the gelatin under your eyes as you would an eye cream or gel. Go lie down and listen to some music, or take a bath & let it stay on for at least 30 minutes. Then simply rinse it off. Gelatin is very high in Vitamin K & Biotin. It will not remove under-eye circles on the first application. (but you will notice a difference) Do this daily for a week, and then 2-3 times a week for maintenance, and you should notice a drastic reduction!
#12) Take a bag of black or green tea, place it in a cup of hot water, set aside. Slice up a cucumber into 1/2 inch slices..
Put the cucumber slices into the tea and let them soak in the refrigerator overnight. Place the soaked slices on your closed eyes for 10-15 minutes once to twice daily! (When you’re finished, you can place the cucumber slices back in the tea and reuse it later if you like.)
Dark circles under the eyes can be a major cause of grief for many people. Just keep things in perspective! Use these handy tips to get rid of them or make them less noticeable. In any case, they aren't the end of the world! They probably bother you more than anyone else!
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