Dark circles can often feel like one of those beauty concerns that require an expensive treatment or a trip to the dermatologist. But before considering medical intervention, it may be worth taking a closer look at your everyday habits.
Before you start treating your dark circles, it’s important to understand what may be causing them in the first place.
Genetics, pigmentation, ageing, dehydration, allergies and poor sleep can all contribute to a darker or more tired-looking under-eye area.
Understanding the cause can help you choose a routine that actually works for your skin rather than simply trying to hide your dark circles with make-up or treatment.
Tips to help reduce the appearance of dark under-eyes
A change in lifestyle habits: If your dark circles are not caused by medical-related conditions, you have to first look at your lifestyle habits. Do you have enough sleep? Do you have a proper diet? These are the questions you should ask yourself before going to seek an expensive treatment.
Sometimes, a lack of nutrients, such as iron, which causes anaemia, could be the culprit. The most common cause of anaemia is not getting enough iron in the diet to make the right amount of red blood cells the body needs, Caring Medical Florida reveals.
You need iron-rich foods in your diet such as red meats, green leafy vegetables, beans, raisins, iron-fortified cereals, eggs and whole-grain breads. This means you might want to cut out those sugary foods and takeaways, even on your cheat days.
Keep your body hydrated: Another less talked about thing that you need to do is to keep your body hydrated by drinking enough water.
Yes, it is the most common thing to be told that you need to drink water, but dehydration can contribute to your dark under-eyes. What you do not know is that when your body lacks fluids, the skin under the eyes can appear darker and more tired.
Prioritise quality sleep: A lack of sleep or excessive tiredness can cause paleness of the skin, which again allows the blood underneath the skin to become more visible and appear more blue or darker, especially under the eyes.
Medical professionals have always kept emphasising the importance of putting away your phone an hour before you sleep.
For a softer appearance of dark under-eyes, you should at least be sleeping for 8 hours every night.
Incorporate a proper skincare routine: Eye creams and eye patches are a need in order to improve your dark circles.
You do not need to change your entire skincare routine, though. Just a few additions here and there will be beneficial.
When buying eye creams, be sure to read through what the formulas are in the product because you need caffeine for puffiness and vascular blue tones, vitamin C or niacinamide for hyperpigmentation and retinol or hyaluronic acid for shadowing and thinning skin.
You can also add under-eye patches, which contain the above formulas, as they have the same effect in reducing the appearance of dark circles. Do not wash off the serum but rather tap it gently into your skin.
kamogelo.makhura@nationalmg.co.za