Why Do I Have Dark Circles Under My Eyes? - And How You Can Cure That Quickly

Have you ever wondered what caused you to get those dark circles under your eyes? When you eliminate the possibilities of smudged eyeliner or accidentally getting coal dust on you, there are not many reasons why you could have dark circles under your eyes.

The stereotypical response to the question is always “You didn’t get enough sleep”, but is this true and could there be other reasons?

In this article, we are going to explore the possible reasons why you have dark circles under your eyes and possible treatments for this unsightly affliction.

Causes

Dark circles are quite common in most people regardless of age, gender or race. But this affliction can make you look older or more tired than you are. So, what are the reasons you could have dark circles under your eyes?

Age

As we age our skin gets thinner, this is because of the loss of fat and collagen which is used to maintain skin elasticity. Dark circles happen when dark blood vessels form between your eyes, and this really makes the circles under your eyes appear darker and more pronounced.

Sun Overexposure

When you are out in the sun for prolonged periods of time, your body starts to create an excess of melanin, this is the pigment that gives your skin color. If you get too much sun on your face in particular, this can cause darker pigmentation to surround your eyes and cause those pesky dark circles under your eyes.

Eye Strain

This is especially true if you spend a lot of time looking at a screen, a cell phone, television, or even a computer screen can cause blood vessels to enlarge around your eyes which gives you dark circles under your eyes.

Dehydration

If you do not get enough water, it can cause your skin to begin looking dull and sunken. Because your skin is so close to the bone when it sinks and gets even closer to the bone which can cause the area under your eyes to darken.

Fatigue

The most common answer to why you have dark circles under your eyes is that you are simply fatigued. Getting too much sleep or not enough sleep can definitely cause this issue. It causes the skin under the eye to darken, while other parts of the body appear paler if you do not sleep enough.

This makes the dark circles under your eyes stand out more, in addition to this, fatigue can also cause fluid to build up under the eyes and make the skin look puffy and dark. The same can be true for oversleeping.

Allergies

Allergies are nasty, they can cause all sorts of reactions within your body. An allergic reaction makes your body release histamines as a response to anything your body has deemed harmful.

Because of the released histamines in your body, you can end up with a series of uncomfortable reactions such as puffy eyes, redness, and itchiness. But what you might not know is that it can also cause the blood vessels around your eyes to dilate and become more visible. Once again, giving you dark circles under your eyes.

Genetics

If you are one of the unlucky few to have dark circles as part of a genetic trait, there is not much that can be done to combat the dark circles or puffiness under your eyes. It may simply just be the way you look.

What Possible Treatments are There?

Now that we know a few possible reasons why you have dark circles under your eyes, you might be wondering how you could get rid of them. Luckily for you, there are a few home remedies that might be able to help you out with this problem.

Cold Compress

If you already have dark circles under your eyes, you can try this to reduce the severity. For this, you will need a cold compress, which you will place on the spot under your eyes. In short, a cold compress will help reduce swelling and make the blood vessels smaller as such, you should have fewer dark and puffy looking dark circles under your eyes.

More Sleep or Less Sleep

One of the more obvious things you should try is getting the right amount of sleep. If you are only getting into bed at 4:00 AM and waking up at 6:00 AM, you are probably not getting enough sleep. You should be getting at least 8 hours of undisturbed sleep in order to be well rested.

On the other hand, if you are sleeping from 10:00 PM to 14:00 PM, you are probably sleeping too much. Try to get up after about 8 hours of sleep.

Obviously, these times are extreme examples, but what you should take away is the fact that you will need at least 8 hours of REM sleep, this should help avoid those dark circles under your eyes.

Teabags

If you have a teabag handy, you can easily make a tea compress for your eyes. The caffeine and antioxidants in a tea bag will help reduce the swelling and puffiness under your eyes. You have either get rid of or reduce the severity of your dark circles.

Head Elevation

This treatment is essentially making sure you have enough pillows to elevate your head. The science behind this is that with enough elevation there should be less chance of fluid building up around your eyes, and as such you can avoid getting those puffy, dark circles.

Final Thoughts

These are some of the reasons you might have dark circles under your eyes, at the end of the day there are plenty of potential reasons you might be suffering from this affliction. Hopefully, one of the reasons on this list is the reason for your dark circles, or one of the treatments might work for you.

So, remember to get the right amount of sleep, drink enough water, do not spend too much time in the sun or stare at your screen too much. Obviously, there are some potential causes that cannot be helped, like an allergy or if it is simply something in your genetics.

That is all for this article, we hope you have learned something new about why you might have dark circles under your eyes.