Dark undereye circles, who hasn’t woken up many a morning to those frustrating, unwanted rings under their eyes! This common skin concern is in fact a persistent complaint for many, woman and men, but what exactly causes them and is it possible to reduce or even get rid of dark circles all together? In short, Yes! And we are here to tell you how. Keep reading as we explain what dark circles actually are, as well as reveal the best methods to bid farewell to those pesky shadows and restore a bright, refreshed appearance to your delicate eye area.

 

What causes dark circles?

Before diving into solutions to get rid of those dark circles of yours, it’s important to understand what it is that actually causes them.

As we get older, our skin becomes thinner. This is the result of a decrease in fat and collagen production (which maintains our skin’s elasticity) As this occurs, the dark blood vessels beneath our skin become more visible, causing the area below our eyes to darken.

Dark under eye circles can also be the cause of lack of sleep (which unfortunately increases with age too!) as well as dehydration, allergies, poor blood circulation and insufficient toxin drainage!

 

How to get rid of dark circles

1. Get your beauty sleep!

One of the most common contributors to dark circles is lack of sleep so you need to ensure you are getting enough beauty slumber! Without it the oxygen in the eyes decreases which makes blood vessels dilate. Deoxygenating or dilated blood vessels become darker in colour and show more readily through the skin. This, in turn, causes dark circles!

Try to aim for 7-9 hours per night and establish a consistent sleep routine, this means going to bed at a reasonable time and trying to stick with that time every night. Also consider using blackout curtains to create a dark and conducive sleeping environment.

2. Keep hydrated

Dehydration can exacerbate the appearance of dark circles, so make sure you’re keeping hydrated.  Set yourself a goal of eight glasses of water a day, more if possible, to keep your skin and body sufficiently hydrated. I personally love herbal teas too as a good alternative.

3. Prop yourself up at night

Easier said than done but propping yourself on a few pillows might not be comfortable for all, but by elevating your head with a couple of extra pillows can prevent fluid from collecting under your eyes at night. This may also help with puffiness.

4. Use a cold compress

You can effectively constrict blood vessels, as well as reduce puffiness with a cold compress. Whether it’s applying chilled cucumber, metal spoons or a cold tea bag to each eye, the coolness can help diminish the appearance of dark circles. Really!

5. Give yourself a mini facial massage with a gemstone facial roller

By doing so you’ll help improve circulation, and remove toxins from the delicate eye area, significantly improving dark circles and under eye bags. Giving yourself a mini facial massage will also reduce inflammation, refresh the skin and tone your face! In fact gemstone rollers offer a multitude of other benefits for your skin too. Click here to find out more.

6. Invest in an eye cream or eye gel specifically formulated to target dark circles

Look for ingredients such as vitamin C, retinol, hyaluronic acid, and peptides, which can help brighten the under-eye area and promote collagen production.

We love;

Vie Collection Chrono Eyes Puffiness – Dark Circles Wrinkle Cream

This outstanding eye cream draws its inspiration from the eye rejuvenating hyaluronic acid injections carried out in aesthetic doctors practices! It’s suitable for everyone, even those with super sensitive eyes and it does exactly what the bottle says! It attacks puffiness, dark circles and wrinkles with a powerful burst of encapsulated high molecular weight hyaluronic acid, injectables-like peptide, fatty acids, vitamin c and niacinamide for exceptional results.

Medicalia Eye Gel Oxy C

This little beauty is formulated with clever time-release sphérulites drenched with Hyaluronic Acid; stabilized Vitamin C; and Marine Collagen Peptides and is effective at eliminating dark circles as it alleviates eye contour stress and fatigue. Genius!

 

Pevonia’s C Evolutive Eye Gel

For mornings when your eyes are looking dark and puffy, reaching for this cooling eye gel will do wonders for reviving this delectate area!  it’s a personal favourite of mine and highly recommended by the BC Pros. It’s a wonderful, cooling gel, formulated with anti-ageing dynamo Vitamin C, skin saviours’ hyaluronic acid and Ginkgo biloba, as well as green coffee to effectively smooth wrinkles which radically reducing dark circles and puffiness. I can hand on heart vouch for this!

Also by using a tapping motion with your finger which you apply it can help get rid of any fluid that’s accumulated under the delicate eye area.

7. Reduce screen time

Yes, we know you are guilty of scrolling your phone once too often during the day, or sitting for hours in the zone watching your favourite Netflix show by night, but did you know the blue light rays omitted from your devices can actually exacerbate dark circles. So try to cut down a little on screen time or give your eyes constant breaks throughout the day.

8. Adjust your diet

a diet that lacks a high level of healthy nutrients can contribute to your dark circles. So make sure you eat foods rich in vitamin E which can help to fight enzymes that break down skin elasticity. Vitamin E also fights free radicals which causes wrinkles and ageing. It also helps to remove blemishes and dark circles. Foods like almond, peanuts, sunflower seeds, spinach, and broccoli are good!

9. Cut down on caffeine

I’m sure many of us love our daily coffee, some will be reliant on more than one, but the bad news is, caffeine or caffeinated drinks cause dehydration that worsens under-eye rings so try to cut down on the caffeine intake a little if you are noticing dark circles are becoming a reoccurrence.

10. Stress less

Yes that’s right, stress is a contributor to those dark circles of yours! So try to stress less! Easier said than done when you are trying to juggle so many balls, however, try to introduce a little me time into your life, time for you to relax and unwind. Read a book perhaps, listen to soothing music or even practice yoga or meditation every day. Every little helps you and those dark circles of yours!

11. Be aware of how much alcohol you are consuming

Alcohol consumption affects our appearance and our eyes so try to drink a little less! We are not saying you need to forgo your much loved glass of wine, what we are saying is everything in moderation.

12. Don’t over expose your eyes to sun!

This can definitely affect your eyes! Instead always protect your peepers from the sun by wearing sunglasses and opt for a protective hat too!

13. Use a good concealer!

When it comes to camouflaging dark under eye circles, a concealer is by far your best bet. A good undereye concealer can give you complete coverage as well as make you look bright-eyed in seconds! Choose a shade lighter than your natural skin tone (as this will help brighten the area) but also opt for a “peachy” tone as this will counteract the blueish tinge of the shadows.

Try ELES Dual Action Concealer. This is my personal secret weapon for concealing my dark under eye circles and helping me look like I’ve had 8 hours of blissful slumber as opposed to only 5! It’s formulated with a myriad of anti-ageing wonder ingredients including Hyaluronic acid, Caffeine, Vitamins C & E, Collagen and more! And it actually helps to gradually improve skin’s texture while concealing those obvious under eye dark circles. Its moisturising formula provides continuous hydration as well as a natural longwearing finish meaning it lasts for hours without seeping into fine lines and wrinkles! It’s seriously good stuff. Simply apply with a small concealer brush and then finish with a powder to set the concealer so it doesn’t crease.

For the most brightening effect, apply your concealer in a “V” or upside-down triangle shape beneath your eye. Swipe it directly under the eye, but bring it down to a point on your cheek beside your nostril and fill in the entire area.