Scary Under Eye Dark Circles

 

 

 

 

This is an email I revived from one of my podcast listeners:

I’m not typically self-conscious about my looks nor do I think I’m a supermodel. In my opinion on most days I consider myself “cute” in a bohemian way.
Lipstick and eyeliner are my make up staples, but as of lately I’m in a battle with my concealer. It seems I just can’t layer enough on to cover what would
be my under eye dark circles. When I lost a significant amount of weight I remember friends would chime, “It’s really dark underneath your eyes.”
Had the extra weight plumped the skin underneath my eyes making me more attractive? Losing weight seemed to cause my skin to thin out and be discolored in 
unattractive hues such as brown and a purple color. In some lighting without make up—I appeared ghastly. I’ve sat in front of the mirror and applied layers of concealer 
in many colors trying to find the perfect shade—I haven’t been successful. Some days I think I have mastered the art of concealing, but then someone says “Why are 
Your eyes so dark underneath?” or “Are you tired?” When I hear these things it’s frustrating and I feel my battle with dark circles has won. I’m not 
A quitter so I refuse to give up on masking these pesky circles. Sure, I can find humor and call myself “Lordess of the Rings,” similar to the movie “Lord of the Rings.”
It seems on some days I should wear a cloaked hood with a Medieval dress and walk with my head down—in an attempt to hide my circles. Is there a support 
Group for women that suffer from this affliction? Surely, we could sit together with cold spoons, cucumbers, and teabags on our eyes. We could sit and listen to 
Each other and know what it feels like to try to rid such an unsightly discoloration.
Read more at http: Here

Help for dark Circles

Almost everyone at a some point in their life will have dark circles under the eye. Some people have the problem at an early age because they are genetically predisposed. For others, it takes the aging process to cause under eye circles due to thinning of the delicate under eye skin and a change in the orbital fat pads (protective fat in the eye sockets that cushion the precious eyeballs).  
Fortunately, there are really effective ways to reduce the appearance of under eye circles, but first, you have to know why you have them. Here is my “Roundup” of info on under eye circles, including the very tricks and tips that I use.
What are the causes of dark circles?
Dark circles are caused by one or a combination of 3 issues:

1. Shadowing
2. Excess pigment
3. Visible hemoglobin in the blood cells of the capillaries of the under eye skin

Why do some people naturally have darker eye circles than others?
Some people are genetically predisposed to have hyperpigmented skin under their eyes. Also, the shape of their under eye area may result in more shadowing, and/or their skin may be thinner or their under eye capillaries may be more robust than other people’s.
For those with naturally dark circles, are there any types of products or treatments that can reduce the appearance of dark circles (both permanently and temporarily)?
It’s important to understand that treatment depends on which of the 3 causes of dark circles is most to blame for the circles. 

If pigment causes your under eye circles, then:


Using broad spectrum sunscreen such as any of my mineral zinc oxide facial sunscreens will help to prevent pigment production. Use sunscreen every day even when you are indoors because the light coming through windows is capable of darkening pigment. Add at least one product to your under eye skin care routine that specifically targets the pigment production of skin.  Product options include “bleaching” creams (hydroquinone-based or some of the less potent botanical skin lighteners), vitamin C, Retinol or tretinoin (prescription).  Glycolic acid products can help too. Pick your product based on your skin type and preferences. Be patient, it may take at least 2 to 4 months to see results.

If thin skin and visible capillary hemoglobin is the cause of your under eye circles, then:

I recommend using products that promote collagen-building. These include some of the same product that help to reduce pigment production including vitamin C, retinol/tretinoin and Glycolic acid. The same daily use of broad spectrum sunscreen is important to prevent collagen breakdown and further skin thinning. 

If shadowing is the cause of your under eye circles, then:


Shadowing happens when facial surface contours cast a shadow, accentuating the under eye area.  Like hyperpigmentation and vascular congestion, this can be genetic; some people have more prominent eye bones, or their eye area is more recessed into the eye socket than other people’s.  We also loose skin substance volume as we age, and this can cause more shadowing.
The cosmetic procedure fix for under eye shadowing problems:
If under eye shadowing is causing a big part of your under eye problems there are cosmetic surgical procedures that can change the contour.  The easiest is injection of a filler under the skin in the under eye groove to lift the skin and decrease the shadow.  There are more complex plastic surgery procedures for under eye shadowing too Avoiding situations that cause puffy eyes such as excess salt or MSG in foods can help. When I eat Chinese food with MSG, I can count on puffy eyes and under eye circles the next day. The problem is – I love Chinese food – drats! When your eyes are puffy, you can put cool compresses with chilled cucumbers, tea bags or a wash cloth to help reduce edema.  This can also help with capillary congestion too. 

What procedures can your dermatologist or plastic surgeon offer to help under eye circles?
There are some great procedures that target each of the causes I mentioned for under eye circles. Combining the skin care recommendations with procedures will get you even more results than using just skin care or relying on only procedures for improvement. Laser and light    can be used to target pigment and hemoglobin. Fillers and plastic surgery can be used to change the shadowing contour of the lower eyelid.
Is there any way to prevent the darkening of that area?
Yes, daily sunscreen use helps to control pigment production in the skin. It also helps prevent excessive skin thinning, a hallmark of sun damage. Combine daily sunscreen use with any of the pigment lighteners and collagen simulators that I mentioned above.


Skin care treatments you can do to lessen the appearance of under eye shadows:
 If shadowing is the cause of your under eye circles, then:

1. Use eye creams (like Replenix Eye Repair Cream) that contain ingredients which layer on the skin in a way that fills in wrinkles and crinkles to brighten the appearance of the skin so that it throws more light.  This will help reduce the appearance of shadows.
2. Apply concealers and makeup on top of your eye cream and sunscreen that are a shade or two lighter than your general skin tone to lessen the color difference.

Make -up for dark circle

 

Even if you have healthy, beautiful skin you can have under eye problems.  Dark circles, bags and puffiness can be genetic.   They also happen if you’re tired, have been sick or your body is just a little ‘under the weather’.  
Most people try to use a makeup that’s the same color as their skin tone but that doesn’t work very well as you may have noticed. To convincingly blend the under eye complexion flaws, you need to look really closely and figure out what color they are and where the high and low areas are.  Look for:

1. A shadow caused below a puffy area or naturally recessed eyes.  This is often viable at the very  bottom of the under eye area right at the bone of your eye socket.
2. Red or purple color in the lower eyelid from circulation and your capillaries that are close to the surface of the thin under eye skin
3. Hyper-pigmentation.  This is a darker brown coloring than your skin tone and it’s often genetic.  

Once you’ve figured out what coloring is causing the visible circles under your eyes, you’ll need to find the right techniques to camouflage them.Here are 2 steps on how to cover up under eye circles: the first is to counter the existing color problem, and the second will be to apply makeup to blend the area with your natural skin tone.
Step 1.  Countering the under eye color problem:

• If you have a shadow below a puffy area or deeply recessed eyes, apply concealer that is a shade or two lighter than your skin tone.  This will bring up the color so that the fold does not look so deep.
• If your main color problem is lower lid redness, apply green cover makeup.  Green color is created by wavelengths of light that are the opposite side of the color wheel to red and these wavelengths will cancel out the red waves.
• If your main color problem is purple, apply yellow concealer.  Again, purple is opposite to yellow on the color wheel and the waves cancel each other. 
• If your main color problem is hyper-pigmentation then use a concealer that is two shades or so lighter than your natural skin color.

Step 2.  Apply makeup that is your true skin tone over your entire face including your eye area concealer.  
That’s it!  
This two step process is easy to work into any makeup routine. It’s simply a matter of finding the right makeup colors to counteract and then blend.

Night time tips for puffy eyes banishment

To prevent the lymphatic drainage that will result in puffiness, raise the elevation of your head during sleep. The use of more than one pillow can be the answer to your particular eye puffiness.
By breathing in stale air, whether it is someone else or just your own, it can promote the look of early morningpuffy eyes. Also sleep with your window open to boost the oxygen intake you receive at night.

One important factor to remember is to remove your eye make up completely, before bed. Even the smallest amount left on the eyes will cause swollen eyes the following morning. Be sure that you eye make up remover is as gentle and effective as possible. The use of a product that gets every bit of make up off with as much ease as possible and has the ability to soothe the under eye area with a gentle chamomile extract is an excellent choice. Just always make sure that there are no traces of eye shadow or mascara left behind while only a gentle glide removes those traces without pulling or causing irritation.

Another tip is to make sure that any anti-aging skin care cream is not too heavy or rich. An ultra light eye cream with night repair formulas are the best suited to avoid puffiness and should be used in a sparingly amount or even better is not putting an  eye cream on at night.

While your body needs plenty of water during the day, at about 8 to 10 regular glasses during the normal day, at night it is a general rule to avoid immediately before bed. But continue your daily intake to help flush out any toxins or salts from your body, the salt is a particular large factor for puffiness and fluid retention. Just always cut back on the amount of water you consume as your bed time nears, stopping that intake at least a couple of hours before lying down.