Dark circles, also called dark rings or shadows, can be described as the darkening of the skin between the lower eyelid and the top of the cheek. The skin around the eyes is very delicate and thinner than most other areas of the face. It has no oil glands and has a fine texture. This area requires special care and reflects neglect, abuse, aging, stress, internal health and lifestyle very easily. In fact, dark circles around the eyes can also develop due to hereditary factors, lack of sleep, illness, stress and nutritional deficiencies. These shadows can affect men and women in their adulthood, though kids can also develop dark circles. As you grow older, the skin under your eyes becomes thinner and loses collagen. This augments the appearance of blood vessels beneath the eyes and makes the area seem darker than it is.
Therefore, along with external treatment, it is advisable to take these aspects into consideration in order to establish the cause and bring about the necessary changes.
Causes of dark circles under eyes:
There are various reasons which cause dark circles. Few of them have been listed below.
· Heredity
· Lack of Sleep and Fatigue
· Structure of Bone
· Exposure to Sunlight
· Poor Nutrition
· Hormonal Imbalance during pregnancy, menstruation, menopause etc cause paleness of skin and this leads to appearance of dark circles under eyes.
· Age
Remedies for Dark Circles:
1. Drink at least ten glasses of water every day.
2. Eight hours of sleep is a must for all of us, especially for people having dark circles under their eyes?
3. Close your eyes and cover your eyelids with slices of raw potato or cucumber for 15-20 minutes. Wash with warm water and apply a cream. There are natural bleaching agents present in potato that can help lighten the dark circles and get rid of the puffiness around the eyes.
4. Apply a paste of lemon juice, tomato puree, orange lentil flour (masoor dal) and turmeric powder (if you are not allergic to it) on under eye dark circles. Leave it for 15 minutes and wash it off.
5. Grate a cucumber, squeeze to take out its juice and refrigerate. Make a mixture of lemon juice, lanolin cream and cucumber juice and apply around the eye for 10-15 minutes.
6. Blend a few mint leaves and paste it around your eyes. Leave it on for 10-15 minutes daily. It results the decrease of dark circles quickly.
7. Apply lemon juice on the black circles 2 times a day.
8. Cold tea bags on the eyes help in relieving from dark circles.
9. Apply a paste of turmeric powder with pineapple juice for dark circles under the eyes.
10. Apply almond oil under eyes. Almond helps to remove dark circles and is an excellent "skin food".
11. Dip two cotton balls in rose water and place them on your eyes, covering dark circles.
Diet for Dark Circles:
There are no magical foods that can make the shadows under your eyes just disappear and therefore, there is no specific diet for dark circles that you can follow. However, a well-balanced and nutritious diet has a positive impact on your overall health and can improve your overall skin tone. Make sure you increase you intake of:
· Eat fresh fruits, green vegetables which are rich in fiber.
· Intake of large amounts of water is very helpful in lightening the dark spots.
· Avoid sweets and chocolates.
· Avoid alcohol/smoking
· Drinking of tomato juice with some leaves of mint, salt and lime juice also has good effects on the dark circles.
