Many people, both men and women, despair of having dark circles under their eyes. Dr. Todd Minars of Minars Dermatology based in Hollywood, Florida says the type of treatment depends on the reason they first appeared in the first place.
Eyes are considered one of the most sensitive parts of the face, and the skin surrounding the eye area is sensitive as well. That’s one reason why premature aging is so evident underneath the eye area. Dark circles under eyes make us look tired and withdrawn, and many people visit a dermatologist in hopes of getting rid of them.
Typically, we have dark circles for three or four reasons. They are:
- Shadows underneath your eyes could have appeared because of the anatomy of the eye socket if you have deep-set eyes.
- Actual pigmentation could be to blame for the dark circles, where dark skin has gotten darker.
- Dark circles could be visible because the skin underneath the eyes is thin, and as a result you are seeing the actual vessels, which are causing the appearance of darkness.
- Sometimes people get darkness as the skin gets velvety and thickens under the eyes, which creates a darker appearance.
Treating dark circles depends, of course, on why they have appeared in the first place. We can treat with great difficulty pigmentation under the eyes. There are bleaching creams but I have not had great success under the eyes as the area is very sensitive and gets easily irritated.
Some doctors will treat the vessels under the eyes. I won’t. I am not interested in getting that close to the eye with a laser as I wouldn’t want to risk damaging the eye, especially when it’s not medically necessary.
In terms of shadows, if people have deep-set eyes there is not much I can do. But if you have a deep tear trough, which is something that develops with age, it could be corrected by replacing the volume with one of the fillers like Juvederm or Restylane. In this case, there will be a fairly dramatic improvement, .
There are also all kinds of cosmeceuticals, a huge market in fact, that claim to brighten the area underneath the eyes. I have not been personally impressed with any of them. There is nothing great that I have heard of, except for something simple like an under-eye cover up. That is effective too sometimes in getting rid of the appearance of dark circles, at least temporarily, and may be all you need!
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.
