If you’re battling dark eye circles – aka periorbital hyperpigmentation – it may give you some comfort to know that the condition is relatively common. In fact, it’s a concern that I am presented with in clinic on a daily basis.
Dark circles are generally found on the lower eyelid, making you look tired or sad and sometimes older than you really are. There are many reasons one can end up with dark circles. Pigment irregularities, sun damage, eczema, a loss of fatty tissue, and thinning skin are just some of the common culprits.
While these factors are partly controlled by your genes, lifestyle factors such as sun damage, smoking, fatigue, dehydration and allergies can also play a part. There are many treatments available, but there’s no easy fix, meaning lifestyle changes, treatments and products are all needed for optimal results.
Addressing lifestyle
First, beauty sleep is no myth, so try to get seven to nine hours per night. Studies show that when you’re sleep-deprived, your blood vessels dilate, which increases blood flow, producing a dark tint beneath the thin skin around your eyes. Lack of sleep, alcohol, salt, and inactivity all reduce lymph drainage, so you get a build-up of water in the tissue around the eyes. It’s wise to tweak your diet if alcohol and salt feature heavily as they can also cause dehydration and puffiness, making dark circles more prominent.
UV rays can also make dark circles worse by increasing the skin’s melanin content. The dermis under the eye is thin, meaning UV rays can penetrate and cause pigmentation easily, so opt for sunglasses that carry a CE mark and always use a sunscreen of at least factor 30.
Skincare and tweakments – what are the options?
When it comes to skincare, there are a few gold-standard pigment-busting ingredients to have on your radar. Products that contain vitamin C, arbutin, kojic acid, liquorice extract, niacinamide, azelaic acid and retinol should all help brighten the area. SkinBetter Science Interfuse Eye cream is an excellent option for minimising the appearance of superficial dark circles. It’s formulated with humectants and lightweight hydrators to hold moisture around the eye area, Vitamin C to brighten dullness and dark circles as well as peptides and caffeine to help relax crow’s feet lines and reduce puffiness.
When it comes to clinical-grade treatments, there are many things that we can try.
Dermal fillers
Loss of volume under the eyes is also a significant contributor to dark circles, leading to a sunken look and thinning of the skin, which can magnify their appearance. Lightweight filler can be placed in the tear trough if you have dark circles due to hollow under-eyes. This reduces dark circles by smoothing out the junction between the edge of the cheekbone and the sunken under-eye area, making the whole eye appear brighter.
LightEyes Ultra
It’s the injectable that brightens, rejuvenates and refreshes the eyes from within. lightEyes Ultra is an innovative Mesotherapy cocktail containing hyaluronic acid, ruscus, amino acids, vitamin C, and antioxidants. It can combat everything from eye bags and dark circles to crepey skin, wrinkles, and dehydration.
It’s a simple treatment with no risks and very minimal downtime, which is very important for the eye area as it is often a complex area to treat. lightEyes Ultra utilises purely natural ingredients that don’t change your features but instead, enhance and maintain a fresh look after just one treatment.
Chemical Peels
A course of gentle chemical peels can help to lighten the eye area over time. Commonly used peels include lactic acid, mandelic acid and glycolic acid, which result in mild skin shedding over a few days. They may also be combined with microneedling – a procedure that makes tiny punctures in the skin, making it easier for the peel to penetrate deeper.
If you’d like to find out more about the options and which is right for you, click here to book a consultation.