Thursday 4 August 2011

Dealing with the Dark Circles

Maybe it's natural. Heredity and your age can have a lot to do with your susceptibility to dark circles under your eyes. Some people have thinner and lighter (or almost translucent skin) around their eyes, which obviously makes circles more apparent. Also, as we get older, our skin starts to stretch and get thinner. This happens because of gravity, a slow down in collagen production, and a loss of elasticity. There isn't much you can do to stave off aging or change your genetics—or we'd always be beautiful and live forever.


Fatigue is another cause. This is what everyone thinks about when they see dark circles under the eyes. They assume you've had a late night and an early morning, one too many IPAs, or suffer from insomnia. They may be right. There are a couple of things happening when you get dark circles from lack of sleep: sleep deprivation can cause your skin to become lighter and slacker, and it can irritate your eyes (causing puffiness). The solution is simple; make it a priority to get enough sleep.
Allergies can irritate your eyes. Whether it is seasonal allergies, food allergies, or reactions to some kind of environmental factor (like smoke or dust bunnies) eye irritation can lead to dark circles under your eyes. This happens because of inflammation and the rupturing of delicate capillaries around the swollen area; this essentially . Determining and avoiding the allergen or irritant responsible is the first step, but you can also try an anti-histamine like Claritin or Zyrtec. Talk to your doctor about medications and other therapy options which reduce the allergen's effect.
 
Water retention can lead to puffiness. Water retention can be caused by a lot of different things including dehydration, oddly enough. Some other causes include hormonal changes due to a woman's menstrual cycle, pregnancy, lack of exercise, alcohol, diet changes, and eating too much salt. To correct your water retention problem, drink lots of water, cut back on salt, eat healthier, exercise more, and stay away from recreational drinks like coffee and alcohol. If your water retention doesn't subside, you should visit the doctor. These problems are sometimes related to high blood pressure and congestive heart failure.
Anemia is another possibility. Anemia means you have a lower than normal number of red blood cells or a lack of hemoglobin. Those cells carry oxygen throughout the body, so if they are reduced in number, you are slowly suffocating. There are some common symptoms to look for, such as: pale skin and darkness under eyes, shortness of breath, a racing heart beat, and a feeling of fatigue or malaise. A lot of anemia is caused by an iron deficiency, but it can also be something as devastating as renal failure. Treatments range from simple iron supplements to blood transfusions.

Dark Circle Treatments

If you are really concerned about your dark or puffy eyes, talk to your doctor about it. In most cases, it is just superficial, and there is nothing to be worried about. Occasionally, dark eyes can be a symptom of a larger problem involving your liver or kidneys.
There are some cosmetic treatments that you can get from a physician or dermatologist; most will be in cream form and involve retinol, which is a derivative of vitamin A. This helps your skin to grow faster, and might speed up the healing time of under-eye discolorations.
Another treatment involves laser resurfacing, which takes a little skin off the top and encourages new skin growth. It's purely cosmetic, very painful, and sort of expensive.

Source:  http://skin.getridofthings.com/get-rid-of-dark-circles-under-your-eyes.html
 
 

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