Dark Circles under the Eyes
Dark circles under your eyes might reveal a couple of "dark truths" about your personal health. They usually occur when you're overtired or developing an illness or an allergy. They can also result from losing a lot of weight. But the discolorations--the result of engorged blood vessels around your eyes--are themselves medically harmless. In fact, sometimes they're not even an indication of physical problems. "They may be frightening, but probably the best thing you can do is to stop worrying about them," says Merrill M. Knopf, M.D., an ophthalmologist in Long Beach, California, and an officer of the California Association of Ophthalmology.
And they tend to run in families, so you're more likely to get them if your parents or grandparents had them. While you can't do anything about the inheritance factor, you might be able to try a few tactics to make those dark circles a bit lighter.
Give them the washcloth treatment. "Applying a cold compress helps constrict blood vessels and turns tissue white, so the 'darkness' doesn't show as much," says Eric Donnenfeld, M.D., associate professor of ophthalmology at North Shore University Hospital/Cornell Medical College in Manhasset, New York. He advises regularly applying a washcloth wrung out in cold water for 10 to 15 minutes, or longer when dark circles are more noticeable.
Address those allergies. In children especially, the sudden onset of dark circles means allergies. "Simply removing the offending allergen will usually solve the problem and get rid of the dark circles," says Dr. Knopf. The most common allergens are pet dander, house dust, pollen and foods such as wheat, milk and chocolate. (Because detection and elimination of these allergens is a complicated process, you should take your child to an allergist if the condition persists.)
Cover them up. Many cosmetics will cover up dark circles. "There's a product called Clinique Continuous Cover that hides dark circles under the eyes," says Dr. Knopf. Dermablend, a product used to cover black eyes, is also very effective at hiding dark circles.