Causes Of Dark Circles

“The soul fortunately, has an interpreter – often an unconscious but still a faithful interpreter – in the eye.” - Charlotte Bronte

So, keeping your eyes beautiful and noticeable is your prime responsibility. But, as all of you know, dark circles can be a barrier to your lovely eyes. Before you try to cure dark circles, let us find out the factors which cause them. Heredity, stress or a part of the ageing process can be few factors behind the formation of this disease. Dark circles are a problem that occurs irrespective of your skin colour and type. They make you look much older than you actually are! Dark circles are much more prominent because the skin around your eyes is very thin & delicate. As this region does not have oil glands, it needs special care and attention. Dark circles are characterized by the blood vessels present underneath the skin's surface around the eyes. The blood leaks out from the capillaries making the vessels visible through the skin. Though, few are mentioned above, but, there are actually numerous causes of dark circles. Information about the different causes of dark circles will help you choose a better treatment plan. Here are some of the most common causes.

Hereditary – Heredity can be one of the major causes of dark circles. If your parents suffer from dark circles, you are also likely to develop the same. It happens because your family might have a tendency of having thin skin layer around the eyes or having more blood vessels than the average lot. Even, both the cases can be present. These can be the reasons for awfully bad dark circles.

Broken Blood Vessels – If the blood vessels which supply blood underneath the eyes break, it leads to limited blood supply. When the haemoglobin level, oxygen carrying molecule, within the blood is reduced, the result is skin darkening.

Anaemia – Shortage of oxygenated blood caused due to iron deficiency often lead to dark circles. Therefore, the capillaries under the eyes supply insufficient oxygen. But, it doesn't mean that dark circles alone signifies that a person is suffering from anaemia. There may be other reasons as well.

Hyperpigmentation – A condition called Perorbital Hyperpigmentation may occur in which the production of melanin around the eyes is more active than average, thus resulting in dark circles.

Nutritional causes – Lack of proper, balanced diet can be a major cause of dark circle. Deficiency in some nutrients, like iron & Vitamin E can lead to dark circles. Also, the type of medications which dilate blood vessels & make them more apparent, cause the emergence of dark circles.

Allergies – Allergies like hay fever, dust allergy and mild allergy not only cause itchy eyes, but can also cause skin discolouration which appears as dark circles under the eyes. Some allergies can be treated with medicines, but most of these drugs cause dehydration, which may cure the itching, but leaves behind dark circles around the eyes.

Dehydration – Dehydration can be another feather in the cap behind the formation of dark circles. In mild cases, drink electrolyte rich beverages and consume adequate sodium, which might solve the problem.

Smoking – Smoking leads to vascular problems constricting the blood vessels. This leads to poor circulation of blood which makes the under eye darkness more prominent.

Lack of sleep – Lack of sleep can lead to stress causing health related problems like pale, fatigued skin and hollows under the eyes making the dark circles more noticeable. Take a minimum 8 hours good sleep which will help to fend away exhausted looking eyes.