Do you find an old, tired looking glimpse staring back when you use a mirror? Does your dark circle diminish your personality? Then it’s time to get a deep insight into the world of shadows – the dark circles.

What are dark circles?

“Dark circles” is a common term that usually refers to dark patchy skin under the eyes. Again, the puffiness of the skin under the eyes shares the same name. Not all the cases are actually dark circles. For example, a hereditary dark skin under the eye is a possibility which should not be considered as dark circles.

Causes of the shadows – reasons lying behind the dark circles

“Dark circles” is one of the most common skin problems. They are certainly unavoidable. It’s not unusual to get dark circles as a person gets older and older. But sometimes, this shadow follows even the teenagers. Let’s have a look at the main culprits of the dark circles.

Sleeping habits can reveal a lot about the causes of dark circles. If a person is not devoting a good time for sleeping then he or she is likely to get dark circles. It’s simple – not enough sleep, no fresh look. Sleeping does help a lot when you are treating your dark circles problems. But sleeping too can cause the dark circles. Shocked? Actually the correct statement would be this – a bad sleeping posture causes dark circles. When you sleep along sides or when you sleep flat on your stomach, the blood gets collected under your eyes and the little capillaries blood vessels get blocked, making the skin under the eyes as puffy pouch or slack of skin.

Alcohol is again one of the most common causes of the dark circles. If you are drinking too much, you are more vulnerable to dark circles. How? When you drink too much, the body reacts against it in the form of insomnia. Thus due to lack of sleep, shadows under your eyes are just inescapable.

Smoking shares a significant contribution for the appearance of the dark circles. It’s not very clear why smoking causes dark circles, but some myths says that smoking causes accumulation of toxins that gets collected, forms a mass and results in the formation of dark circles.

If you have tried a lot of tips and solutions but can’t make any progress then perhaps the reason for your dark circles may be your diet. A diet lacking in vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 will definitely results in the dark circles. When you don’t get enough of the vitamin B12 your adrenal level gets lowered which again lowers the absorption of these vitamins. Thus you get caught up in a vicious cycle that will help in developing a great pair of crescent moons under your eyes.

No exercise and dark circles are closely related. If you don’t manage to get a good amount of exercise then your blood circulation will not be in a good shape. Lack of blood circulation will cause the accumulation of the blood under the eyes, forming a pouch or a slack of skin.

Sunbathing without applying proper sunscreens creams is one of the major causes of dark circles. Lying under the sun without protection, will increase the development rate of collagen and will cause pigmentation and dilation of the skin tone under the eyes, ultimately causing the dark circles.

Some of the symptoms of dark circles

Dark circles do not appear overnight. They are the results of consistent ignorance and bad habits. If you are experiencing pigmentation and formation of patches under the eyes, then it’s likely to develop into dark circles. Skin bags, puffy skin under the eyes are some other symptoms of the dark circles.

So what should I do to get rid of them?

If you have a severe case of dark circles then it is suggested that you get professional help from a dermatologist. If you want to try some easy solutions that will help to diminish the dark circles or to eliminate the possibility of getting them then read on.

Following are some of the easiest things that you can do to make your situation a little better. These are some tips which are time tested and are widely practiced.

Increase the shut eye time: it is necessary to get a good amount of sleep to avoid getting dark circles. Sleeping in a proper posture, especially if yours dark circles are result of side sleeping, will help in reducing the accumulation of blood that causes dark circles. Getting one more pillow under your head while sleeping flat on your back will help in proper blood circulation and to help diminishing dark circles.

Get a balanced diet: diet is an important factor that determines your chances of successfully treating dark circles. Your diet should include green leafy vegetables and beans. These types of vegetables are rich in vitamin B6 and vitamin B12, which are important to maintain your adrenal level. Again make sure that your salt intake is as low as possible. The salt intake correlates with the appearance of the dark circles due to the principle of osmosis. The skin under the eyes, doesn’t have any glands for nourishment, thus when your salt intake is more the water from the body gets accumulated in that regions, forming patches and dark circles.

Exercise a lot: exercising will help in improving the blood circulation. A healthy blood circulation results in the removal of the accumulated mass under your eyes and helps in reducing the chances of getting dark circles. To improve blood circulation, exercises that increase heart rate should be practiced. For better results, make sure that you drink plenty of water to increase the blood flow throughout the body.

Try some homemade remedies: you can try some of the popular homemade solutions that are time tested and highly trusted. Getting a treatment with cucumber slices will help in reducing the puffiness of the skin. Try keeping cold tea bags on your closed eyes for 10 – 15 minutes. The antioxidants from the bags will increase the blood flow and will help in improving the overall health of the skin. You can also try the “Neti pot” treatment if your dark circles are results of nasal blockages or some kind of sinus infections.

Try some chemical treatments: if your dark circles are not ready to leave with simple home- made remedies, then you should try some of the creams that are popular for their quick fixes. Try applying concealers with some translucent powders that matches your skin tone. Make sure to apply SPF 30 sunscreens while you go out when it’s sunny. You can also try some over the counter creams for treating your dark circles. But make sure you test them on a skin patch before applying it on the under eye skin.

Accept yourself: sometimes dark circles are not the results of poor health or inadequate sleeping time. Often dark circles are hereditary and they are unavoidable as you get older. In these cases what you can try to do is to accept yourself for what you are. You can still try most of the applicable solutions but chances are odd that you will get satisfactory results.

Thus, you can see that dark circles are not the problems that can’t be treated. With some little efforts, some little changes in your life style and yours sleeping habits and with some trial of home-made remedies it’s possible that you will get the satisfactory results.