How to Treat Dark Circles & Awaken Your Face

Fine lines, wrinkles, age spots, blemishes and dark circles under our eyes are all undesirable skin conditions that we often willingly spend many hours trying to resolve. No one wants to look like a raccoon when life tends to make getting a good night’s rest difficult! Dark circles are particularly troublesome because they make us appear to be incredibly tired and worn out, which is definitely not desired when we want to have glowing, bright skin. Many women focus a significant portion of their daily makeup routine on concealing these unsightly dark spots.  But what actually causes them?

Dark Circles & The Truth Behind Them

There are many possible reasons for why an individual suffers from dark circles under their eyes, and you’ll be surprised at how long the list is! Dark circles are more common than you may think, and could generate from any of the following:

● Heredity/genetics.
● Accumulation of blood.
● Fatigue. 
● Sun damage.
● Stress. 
● Aging.
● Loss of fat pads.
● Iron deficiencies. 
● Micro capillaries abundantly present around the thin eye area.
● Lifestyle habits like smoking and alcohol consumption. 
● Fluid retention as in pregnancy, weight gain and excessive salt consumption. 
● Atopic Dermatitis.

So many, right!? If dark circles appear suddenly and don’t go away after a few days, or bring significant swelling, take on the appearance of black eyes, or appear under only one eye, you may want to check in with your doctor to be sure that you aren’t suffering from a serious medical condition. Don’t freak out, we just like to mention worst-case scenario, so you have all bases covered.

How to Treat Dark Circles and Say Buh-Bye to Them

In most cases, you can often resolve dark circles by taking the following actions:

● Apply cold compresses. A cold washcloth, bag of frozen peas or cold cucumber slices will all work beautifully. A gel eye mask that you pop into the fridge is another good trick too!

● Elevate your head while sleeping.  This can help to minimize fluid pooling beneath your eyes while you sleep. Some people are more prone to this fluid build-up than others, so test out if you’re one of them by trying it one night and the next, going back to sleeping flat on your pillow.

● Avoid excessive sun exposure.  A bit of sun exposure every day (about fifteen minutes) can help ensure that your skin receives the natural vitamin A and D it needs.  However, excessive exposure is highly damaging and should be protected against since it can cause hyperpigmentation, dark spots, and more (that can also lead to these problems showing under your eyes and creating a permanent dark circle look).

• Try used tea bags under your eyes. I know it sounds odd, but this old wives trick can be very useful in reducing puffiness and dark circles! Steep black tea bags, squeeze out the excess water, let them cool, then apply them under your eyes for 10-15 minutes. It won’t work instantly, but continued use, at least once a week, will help to decrease the severity and possibly eliminate dark circles all together!

● Use concealing cosmetics.  For some women, dark circles under the eyes are simply a fact of life that can’t disappear with any tricks or applications.  With proper concealing techniques, however, you can reduce or even eliminate their appearance. It’s recommended to use an anti-aging concealer with peptides, collagen, or antioxidants to help keep the skin around the eye from developing other factors that could worsen the look of dark circles (also your skin will thank you for it)!

If you are really serious about getting rid of dark circles under the eyes you can look into laser surgery and injections, though that’s another path to travel down entirely.  However, these solutions can be expensive, extremely painful and take a long time to heal from, so they’re not right for everyone.  Some over-the-counter beauty products claim to heal dark circles but may not get to the true root of the problem. 

Essentially, dark circles are sadly extremely common, and women must learn to cope with it as best we can, while avoiding those things that tend to aggravate them. The best choice for the right steps to take, and to defend against them is to receive regular facials with specific attention to eye treatments during the service! Contact Botanica today to schedule your facial at 727-441-1711.

Love,

Gen