How to get rid of dark circles

As a skincare blogger, one of the frequently asked questions that is posed to me is: how does one combat dark circles? My very first advice is to be suspicious of products and advertisements that claim to eliminate all dark circles. It can be a complicated problem requiring solutions that may not involve any eye cream. Did you know that most of us do not need a separate eye cream as these usually do not have any special ingredients that are better than the serums used for the rest of the face?
The first step in treating those annoying dark circles is identifying the problem. Your dark circles may be due to:
. Genetics
. Poor sleep
. Allergies
Genetic dark circles:
If you have inherited dark circles from your mum or dad, and have had them since you were a kid, there is good news and bad news. Bad news is that no eye cream can help you get rid of these dark circles; the good news is that you do not have to spend money on the expensive ones. All you can do is invest in a good corrector and concealer.
Always hydrate the under-eye area well before you apply colour correction and concealer and never ever use the same concealer colour for your dark circles and your pimples. Here are some orange corrector picks that could come to your rescue:
. LA Girl Pro Concealer Orange
. Kryolan Orange Stick
. Mac Orange Corrector
For concealers, you could try:
. Tarte Shape Tape Concealer
. Maybelline Fit Me Concealer
Poor sleep, aka raccoon eyes
If you have recently developed dark rings around the eyes - aka "raccoon eyes" - it's a sign of poor sleep. The under-eye area is supposed to be very thin. So thin that it's almost transparent. A reason why most of the products that you apply on it have a high chance of penetrating and reaching your eyeball.
The darkness under the eye is really blood circulating in the soft tissues beneath the skin. As sleeplessness affects blood circulation, it's been theorised that sleep loss causes blood to pool under your eyes, giving you those dreaded dark circles. However, the good news is that you can reverse this by getting the right amount of sleep.
As far as any cosmetics are concerned, please understand that even the best of eye creams and serums will only provide 20 to 30 per cent improvement for your dark circles. Improved nutrition as well as sleep management will go a long way towards combating your dark circles.
Pigmentation around eyes
Chances are you haven't heard of melanocytosis, but it is another cause of dark circles. It means the accumulation of pigment in the eyelid skin.
This pigment can be present at birth or develop later in life. You may suffer from hyperpigmentation after episodes of inflammation or allergy, also known as "post inflammatory hyperpigmentation" or simply PIH. It can be related to medications such as glaucoma drops and oral estrogens. Sun exposure can also worsen patches of facial pigment, sometimes called "melasma". When you apply sunblock on your face, do not neglect your eyelids. It is one of the areas where researchers find the most cancer cells as most people do not apply sunscreen on their eyelids.
Verdict:
To sum up, keep the following things in mind as you seek treatment for dark circles:
. Eye creams work, but expensive eye creams have no special ingredients. Get the cheapest options that have good hydrating agents.
. Not everyone needs an eye cream. If you have a sensible skincare routine with active serums, that is usually enough.
. Check your dark circles and find out their causes before investing in eye creams.
wknd@khaleejtimes.com