Dark eye circles are the darkened part of your skin under the lower eyelids. Dark circles under the eyes may look purple, blue or dark brown, depending on your skin colour and condition.
Dark eye circles are not the same as eyebags and tear troughs! Eyebags are caused by fat and fluid accumulation and tear troughs refer to the deep crease between the lower eyelid and cheek. Unfortunately, all three problems can be happening on your face at the same time, making you look older and tired all the time.
People often attribute their dark eye circles due to a lack of sleep. Dark circles can affect anyone of any age and ethnicity for a variety of reasons. Genetics, aging, and lifestyle factors all play a part in the development of dark circles. People may also find that allergies, nutrient deficiencies, or underlying health conditions can cause dark circles.
Poor microcirculation of the blood and lymphatic system around the eye. They appear bluish/purplish. This is especially obvious in allergic rhinitis with congested nose and slow lymphatic drainage around the eyes.
Pigmentation under the eyes can also show up as dark eye circles. This is more prevalent in Asian skin and people with darker skin tone as they are inherently more likely to precipitate melanin in the skin around the eyes.
Some of the dark circles you’ve seen may not be actual dark circles. Due to a lack of collagen and moisture in the skin, there may be depressions under your eyes that are of a “groove’ shape, creating a shadow that look like a dark circle.
As we age, our natural production of elastin and collagen (to maintain skin elasticity) will be lesser. This causes the skin to be even thinner, which as a result cause the blood vessels under your skin to become more visible and show up as dark eye circles.
Lack of sleep increases your cortisol levels which break down collagen, causing the veins under your eyes to swell, hence the pigmented, puffy circles.
Sun exposure can create dark circles under the eyes through the increase in melanin production. Besides, Ultraviolet radiation from the sun may also worsen dark eye circles in some people.
Most home remedies have limited benefits on dark eye circles, and surgical options can prove daunting to most people, due to the downtime involved and risks of nerve damage, asymmetry, and other risks of going under the scalpel.
Getting sufficient sleep is one of the contributing factors to get rid of dark circles. Catching up with seven to eight of sleep hours prevents the skin around your eyes from getting pale and dark.
Aloe vera has been proven scientifically to be the skin's best chum. Aloe vera gel is commonly applied with a few drops of rose water under the skin before massaging gently for 15 minutes.
Coconut oil moisturizes the skin and provides resistance against the dark circle developing factors. Apply once a day marks promising results.
Cucumber is a natural antioxidant stimulant that reduces the swelling and heals the damage. Rich in folic acids and Vitamin C, cucumber can help fight free radical and stimulate new collagen growth.
Almond oil is the most abundant source of vitamin E. Honey and olive oil can be mixed with almond oil to improve your skin health and make your skin look younger.
Honey strengthens the skin layers, nullifies the damage caused by free radicles, and prevents the degradation of collagen. Apply a spoonful of thin paste and leave for 10-15 minutes. Then rinse with warm water.
Professional aesthetic treatments are also available to treat dark eye circles. The non-surgical approaches are more effective relative to home remedies in achieving a fresher, natural look and have zero to minimal downtime.
As we age, there is volume loss of important fat pads and also bone loss around our eyes. These make our eyes look hollow with shadows. Dermal fillers are excellent in recontouring, reducing tear trough lines, and also replacing volume loss around our cheeks and eyes.
Fine lines and wrinkles under and around the eyes make our eyes look old, dark, and tired. Anti-wrinkle injections with Botox are commonly done with fillers to address these causes of dark eye circles.
Skin restorative treatments like Rejuran Healer or Rejuran-I targets and improves the eyelids, making the skin around the area younger and brighter.
Lasers like the Fotona SPDynamis and ProYellow Laser can help target pigmentation and even reduce spider veins on the eyelids.
Procedures like HIFU Eyes and 4D Fotona Laser lift help thicken and strengthen the skin, firming the skin around the eyes and reduces eye bags and dark eye circles in the process.
Cream that contain Vitamin C, retinoids, or growth factors can be beneficial up to a certain extent. They help by strengthening and tightening the skin, reducing fine lines and making blood vessels less prominent.
As dark eye rings are caused by a multitude of factors, they can be very complicated to treat. In The Ogee Clinic, we believe in providing a long-lasting and cost-effective solution by using a combination of treatment modalities to solve three key issues – loss of volume, skin aging, and vascular congestion.
The first step to an effective dark eye circles treatment is the correct diagnosis of a trusted professional aesthetic doctor. There is no use rushing to a treatment without finding out the condition that we are dealing with.
Different types of dark eye circles require different kinds of treatments. Our treatment approach is highly tailored for you based on your skin condition and severity of the condition.
We will walk the journey with you to advise on the post-treatment care and habits that you should inculcate to keep your skin glowing.
Regardless of the severity of your condition, we are able to customise and employ different aesthetic treatments to address the different underlying causes of your dark eye circles effectively.
Most patients see an improvement after just one treatment session. Patients with more severe signs of aging will be advised accordingly by Dr. Heng if repeat treatments or combination treatments are expected.
Onwards
Duration Per Session
Intervals for Lasers
Interval for fillers
transition by improving cheek volume
of tear trough line
of pigmentation on eyelids
to reduce shadowing on lower eyelid region
The procedure is by and large very tolerable. The newer generation of dermal fillers has anesthetic agent lidocaine within it, further improving comfort during the procedure. For the occasional patient who is very sensitive to pain, an anesthetic cream will be applied prior to the procedure.
Nowadays, the dermal fillers that are used to treat dark eye circle are infused with an anesthetic solution. The procedure is also done with small micro cannulas, and patients generally feel little to no discomfort.
Almost all patients can return back to their usual daily activities immediately after the procedure. Some slight redness and swelling if occur, may last about an hour.
An improved result can be seen just after treatment, and it continues to improve over the next few days.
Dark eye circles is a complex aesthetic condition. It is commonly caused by multiple factors. By using a combination treatment approach, we are effectively dealing with three major components of the problem: loss of volume, skin aging, and vascular congestion. This allows us to create better and more comprehensive treatment results.
