How to Get Rid of Black Circles Under Your Eyes
Skin discoloration under the eyes affects just about everybody at some time or another. For some of us, however, these dark circles are a near-constant bother. While these conditions are occasionally symptomatic of other illnesses, the usual causes include allergies, tiredness, or, unfortunately, heredity. No matter what the cause, you can still reduce the appearance of dark circles, and, in some cases, you may be able to get rid of them altogether. Many of the cures below might just work, and soon your black circles will be gone!
Step1
Use thickly sliced cucumber strips. This very popular as well as an easy way to cure bags under your eyes.
Step2
Identify allergens. Allergies may be the most common cause of skin discoloration under the eyes. If allergies are the root of your problem, you simply need to treat them, or remove the allergen (i.e., the thing to which you are allergic). Seasonal allergy problems such as the hay fever can frequently be effectively treated with over-the-counter and prescription medications. For other allergies the best course of action is usually avoidance. If your dark circles or puffiness are constant, you may have an undetected food allergy or an allergy to a chemical in your home or workplace. Talk to a dermatologist for help determining what you may be allergic to. People with allergies also tend again to be deficient in B6, folic acid and B12 on occasion. Taking a multivitamin, if you don't already, may help with your allergies as well as black circles.A common allergy that causes dark circles is gluten. This is mainly an allergy to wheat flour. More severely, you could have Celiac disease. To test for Celiac, you can get blood tests by your doctor. It's important to remember, however, that you can be gluten intolerant, and not have Celiac.
Step3
Get plenty of sleep nightly. Sleep is the number one thing to do! It’s not entirely clear why inadequate sleep results in dark circles under the eyes, but we’ve all seen it happen either to ourselves or someone we know. For one thing, lack of sleep tends to cause the skin to become paler (thus increasing the appearance of darkness under the eyes), and it reduces circulation. It’s also believed that too little time lying down is a cause in itself. Determine how much sleep you need (it’s usually 7-9 hours per night, but varies for different people at different times throughout their lives) and try to get that amount regularly for a couple of weeks to see if that helps. Remember that alcohol and drugs can adversely affect the quality of your sleep; abstain from these products or use only in moderation for best results. A lack of sleep, coupled with poor vitamin absorption also tends to reduce adrenal function. The less adrenal function you have the less B6 you tend to absorb, the less B6 you absorb, the less well your adrenal glands work and alas you end up in a vicious circle. Sleep, regular vitamins for those that need them, and good calcium/magnesium support in the form of eating a lot of greens (which are higher in calcium and magnesium than dairy products) or good mineral supplement restores adrenal function. So if you want to break the cycle and the black circles under your eyes, you've got to reduce your stress, sleep more and take the proper vitamins and minerals to support the adrenal function in general.
Step4
Treat your skin while you sleep. There are overnight facial masques available that may help reduce the appearance of puffiness or discoloration, but you can also make your own. Just before you go to bed, take a piece of cloth and wet it just a bit with cold water. Then squeeze out any excess water and place it over your eyes as you sleep. Treating your skin may help, but the real problem may also be that you have a poor vitamin and mineral absorption problem that must also be corrected. Seeing a naturopathic physician may help for those people who suffer other ailments such as miscellaneous aches and pains that come and go and a general run down feeling.
Step5
Apply cool tea bags, an ice cube wrapped in soft cloth, or cucumber slices to your eyes daily. The tannin in tea bags has been shown to reduce swelling and discoloration, and cucumber slices have long been used to reduce puffiness and refresh the appearance of skin around the eyes. Lie down, preferably in the morning, and leave fresh cucumber slices or cool, damp caffeinated tea bags (you can refrigerate them overnight so they’ll be ready) over your eyes for about 10-15 minutes. Keep your eyes closed.
Step6
Try to relax the space. You can do this by wetting a cotton swab and then freezing it for a little while. Then you should gently wipe under your eyes in the areas where the circles are occurring. When wiping, close your eyes and try not to flinch
Step7
Apply an eye cream containing vitamin K and retinol. Dark circles may be caused by a deficiency of vitamin K. Regardless of the cause, however, recent research has shown that skin creams containing these two ingredients reduce puffiness and discoloration significantly in many patients. Long-term daily use seems to have the greatest effect.
Step8
Avoid rubbing your eyes. Usually rubbing of the eyes is brought on by allergies, but not always. Regardless of the reason, stop doing it. The rubbing irritates the skin and can break tiny capillaries beneath the skin, causing both puffiness and discoloration.
Step9
Eat a healthy, balanced diet, take vitamins, and drink plenty of water. A whole host of cosmetic problems can be attributed to vitamin deficiencies. Dark circles and puffiness are often attributed to lack of vitamin K or inadequate antioxidants. Also, a deficiency in B12 (usually anemia-related) can result in dark circles. Be sure to get plenty of fruits and vegetables—especially cabbage, spinach, and other leafy green vegetables—and take a daily vitamin supplement if necessary. Get adequate fluids to improve circulation.
Step10
Reduce salt intake. Excess salt causes the body to retain water in unusual places, and this can result in puffiness under the eyes. Too much salt can also impair your circulation, and cause the blood vessels under the skin to appear bluer.
Step11
1
Quit smoking. Smoking causes vascular (blood vessel) problems that can not only threaten your life, but also make your blood vessels appear more prominent and bluer beneath the skin.
Step12
Cover the area up with cosmetics. Try to use an undereye cream. If all else fails, use a concealer which will camouflage the darkness under your eyes. The makeup will help cancel out the undereye circles. Be sure to use a concealer that matches your under tone (i.e. yellow, peach, tan, light brown, etc.) After applying, set the concealer with a light dusting of translucent powder.
Step13
Establish whether or not this condition runs in your family. Dark circles are believed to frequently be hereditary. This doesn’t mean that you can’t do anything about the conditions, but you should be prepared for minimal success actually trying to get rid of them.
Step14
Pour a saline solution (water with a bit of salt and/or a half tea-spoon of baking soda) in one of your nostrils with your head tilted to the side so that the water comes out the other nostril. They do that at spas in India and it is said to not only reduce the dark circles under your eyes but also enhance the glow of your skin.
Step 15
Use a liquidiser and making sure the potato is uncooked, liquidise 1 whole potato. Then scoop out and place the pureed tat on your closed eyes.Keep it there for 30 minutes, lying on your back, and wash off with warm water. It really works, and has been proven by scientists in Arizona, who use this method frequently. Spa's in China, Hong Kong and South America are using this method to, as it is designed to relax too.In a spa in America they charge over $59 , as the potatoes are blessed by Hawaiian Priests. Trust me, it makes no difference, and anyway, you can do it at home for next to nothing.
Step 16
Try doing something relaxing for yourself. 7-9 hours of sleep each day is perfect but if you can get more sleep than that, well that would be even better.
Step 17
You probably have bags under your eyes because you're not sleeping enough, but maybe you are having dietary issues as well. Consult a local doctor for help
Tips
Make a compress out of potato.
· Try drinking two glasses of cranberry juice a day, you will need to do this for at least a week before you start noticing a difference.
· Food allergies and sensitivities play a major part in under-eye circles. Processed foods with artificial colors and preservatives as well as milk allergies can cause this problem.
· There are many different home remedies. While the most common are cucumbers and tea bags, there are a number of others. Feel free to test them out, as some may work for some people, but use common sense.
· The ingredient in Preparation H that once could shrink the area around the eyes is no longer put in the product in the US, according to their website, so unless you live in Canada, just pass on the Hemorrhoid creams.
· Cutting onions can help you to cry out some of the moisture under and around your eyes. However it isn't recommended that you carry out this procedure daily but done short-term, it will reduce the darkness under the eyes somewhat. Using the tea bag method under your eyes straight afterward also helps. The puffiness may not reduce immediately but it will shortly afterward.
· Dark circles may be caused by inflamed or enlarged veins beneath the skin. Try taking butcher's broom. Taken daily, this common herb (used to treat weak circulation, hemorrhoids and varicose veins) has been effective in reducing dark circles.
· Wear sunscreen under your eyes, and if you wear it all the time(as you should), try to put a stronger spf under your eyes than you do on your face. This way, the skin under your eyes does not darken as quickly as the rest of your face; so your circles seem lighter. If you do this all year, you may end up not needing concealer at all.
· Try eye exercises. It can rejuvenate your periorbital skin by improving circulation.
· Or you can also put a tad bit of hydrolyze or even some cheap products are FDA proven to work to.Apply it on the dark rings with a frozen cotton swab..
Warnings
· Be careful about what type of teabag you use. If you have allergies, a tea bag full of chamomile may cause your eyes to swell.
· Do not apply ice or extremely cold water directly to the skin around the eyes for more than a few seconds.
· Don't forget to wash the your eyes after trying these methods.
· Exercise caution when using a new cosmetic product or trying a home remedy. If the condition worsens, or if you exhibit other symptoms, discontinue use immediately and contact your primary care physician or dermatologist for severe or persisting symptoms.
· Consult a physician before considering using any expensive or invasive treatments. Not all Eye Circles are formed equally, and understanding and discussing the root causes of your dark circles with a qualified professional will ensure you don't waste your money.
· We should all wear sunscreen daily, but if you usually don't apply sunscreen to your face never forget under your eyes. As your skin picks up color, the dark areas seem to fade because they are not getting as tan as the surrounding skin. When you go to the beach apply numerous times during the day. Eventually most using this technique won't need concealer and you are protecting your skin from sun damage.
· Don't be disappointed because it may take a while for the dark circles to disappear.
· When using a cold spoon, do not stick it in the freezer and place directly under your eyes. Your eye vision can get blurry and you might have a slight headache.
· Make sure you are not allergic to any of these methods before using them.
