There are many women out there that have dark under eye circles. Do you happen to be one of them? Many think they are caused by staying up too late at night in order to watch movies or having a drink before bedtime. Before I begin this post, I’d like to start by telling you in many cases, those dark under eye circles are not your fault. In fact, it is far from being your fault. So, what’s to blame? Let’s examine different causes of under eye circles.
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1. What do You Call Them?
What do you call those dark circles that are under your eyes? Do you call them panda eyes? Your shiners? Bags you can grow potatoes in? There are plenty of names, but do you know what they really are? Actually, it is oxidising haemoglobin.
2. How do Those Dark Circles Start?
Those dark circles start in the capillaries. Capillaries are tiny blood vessels throughout the body including in the delicate, soft skin that is around your eyes. Capillaries are minute and at times, because they are so small, the red blood cells have to line up to get through. At times, those red blood cells will lose their way and wander off into the skin that is around the area. This is nothing to worry about; it happens all the time. Enzymes in your body break those red blood cells down, including the haemoglobin.
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3. How Does This Cause the under-Eye Circles?
When that haemoglobin is broken down, the residual components will have a dark, blackish, bluish colour - just like a bruise. Effectively, your dark circles are caused by leaky capillaries.
4. Why do They Look like Bruises?
When something causes you to bruise, the blood vessels in the damaged area become traumatised and break down. Blood leaks out the surrounding skin causing the change of colour. Your body will then begin to “mop up” the leaked blood. So, if you think about it, those dark circles you have under your eyes are very similar to a bruise and it’s also the same mechanism that produces them.
5. They’re Also Hereditary
The skin around the eyes is very thin and delicate. The thinner and more transparent the skin is, the darker the circles are going to appear. Individuals that have a deep-set bone structure will have shadowing that contributes to making the circles appear darker.
6. Rubbing and Scratching Can Also Contribute
Any condition that causes your eyes to become watery and itch could be contributing to those dark circles. Why? Because you scratch or rub the delicate skin that is around them.
7. Medications Can Cause Dark Circles
Any medication that increases the blood flow can show up in your skin. Your doctor will be able to tell you if the medication caused it or not.
8. Anaemia Can Cause Dark Circles
Individuals with an iron deficiency (anaemia) can get dark circles under the eyes. This is also a sign that you do not have enough oxygen going to your body tissues.
9. Fatigue and Tiredness Doesn’t Help
Yes, a lack of sleep could also cause your skin to become pale, which is going to allow the blood under your skin to become more visible.
10. Getting Rid of Dark Circles under the Eyes
If you are looking for ways to get rid of dark circles, then there are a number of solutions you can try. You see, there are so many things that can cause the skin under your eyes to look darker. Aging and medical conditions are two other things.