Why do we have dark eye circles?

Having dark eye circles is something we are familiar with, often when one does not have sufficient sleep or a good quality of sleep. But how do dark circles actually form and what can we do to mitigate them? 

What are dark eye circles

Dark circles are darkened areas of skin at the undereye area, which may appear as purplish or bluish hues, sometimes even brown or black. Dark eye circles can make you appear older or more weary than you actually are, which explains that piling concealer every day! 

Causes of dark circles

1. Fatigue

Of course, the most common and familiar reason would be due to a lack of sleep. Becoming a night owl and missing that few hours of sleep often causes deepening of dark circles under your eyes, and at the same time making your skin appear duller and paler which makes dark tissues and blood vessels more visible to the naked eye. Puffiness can also result due to a collection of fluids in the undereye area, casting shadow illusions that look like dark circles. On the contrary, sleeping too much can also cause dark eye circles, hence it's very important to be able to find a delicate balance! 

2. Straining of eyes

Considering that we are almost constantly on our mobile devices and laptops, eye strain is a common experience for almost every individual. Straining of eyes can therefore cause enlarging of blood vessels, making the dark tissues and blood vessels much more visible as well.

3. Exposure to sun 

Over exposure to harmful sun rays can also lead to an excessive production of melanin, a pigment that is responsible for giving your skin its colour. When our eyes are exposed too much to the sun, it can cause melanin to darken, giving rise to what we now know as dark eye circles.

4. Ageing

Ageing also plays a role in dark eye circles. As we age, our skin around the eyes becomes thinner and we start to lose collagen, making blood vessels more visible especially around the thinnest parts of our skin, causing more obvious dark circles. 

How to manage dark circles

1. Get enough sleep! 

Don’t underestimate what a good night’s sleep is worth! Not only does it keep your body functioning healthily, it also helps in reducing dark eye circles and puffiness, making you look more awake and youthful.

2. Avoid using electronic devices especially before bed

When you go to bed, just bring yourself and not your electronic devices with you. To avoid straining your eyes, it is important to ensure your eyes get enough rest as well, after staring at the screen the whole day. If you have trouble going to bed at night without scrolling your social media feed, try other offline methods like journaling or reading a physical book instead to take your mind off things! 

3. Use anti-ageing skincare

To prevent premature ageing especially around the eyes, try incorporating anti-ageing skincare into your routine to better protect yourself against those wrinkles and fine lines! 

Try Gentle Gaze - A lightweight eye cream that serves to help reduce dark eye circles and puffiness of eyes, while still supplying adequate hydration in just the right amounts. What's better still, Gentle Gaze is formulated with anti-ageing properties that helps boost collagen around the eyes and reduce appearance of wrinkles and crow’s feet.