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Do you struggle with dark circles? Do they always make you look tired, and do you have to wear concealer every time you go out? Besides aesthetic treatments, daily habit changes can help prevent dark circles in the first place. This article explains the 3 main causes of dark circles and the solution for each, so you can say goodbye to them with ease!
3 Main Causes of Dark Circles
1. Vascular dark circles
The main cause is “poor blood circulation around the eyes”. When the blood vessels around the eyes dilate or proliferate, the skin under the eyes is thin, so the color of the vessels shows through and the area looks dull. Common triggers include allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, long-term late nights, eye strain, stress, heavy crying, and eating too much salt.
Prevention: Keep your diet light, avoid staying up late, avoid eye strain, and treat allergic rhinitis early
2. Pigmented dark circles
The main cause is “melanin deposits”. The skin under and around the eyes looks tea-brown or coffee-brown. It can be congenital or acquired: congenital means a hereditary tendency toward melanin deposits, while acquired causes include tugging while removing makeup, excessive rubbing of the under-eye skin, too much sun exposure, and repeated inflammation around the eyes.
Prevention: Remove makeup thoroughly and wear sunscreen, don't rub your eyes, avoid irritating makeup and skincare products, and treat skin allergies early
3. Structural dark circles
The main cause is “facial structure and muscle distribution”. Examples include prominent tear troughs, sunken eye sockets, an overly full aegyo-sal (lower eyelid roll), and protruding eye bags, which cast shadows and create the illusion of dark circles.
Prevention: Massage appropriately and take collagen supplements as appropriate
3 Aesthetic Treatments for Dark Circles
1. Picosecond laser
Discovery Pico/StarWalker PQX: improves pigmented dark circles
Targets melanin, using instantaneous energy to break it into fine dust that the body then clears through its natural metabolism
Q-switched laser: improves pigmented dark circles
Delivers laser energy to the dermis to break up deeper melanin while stimulating collagen production
Pulsed dye laser: improves vascular dark circles
Selectively destroys vascular lesions according to their size and depth. When hemoglobin absorbs the laser wavelength, its temperature rises, and the unhealthy vessel walls rupture from the heat and are absorbed by the body. It does not harm the surrounding tissue, and it can also treat acne, rosacea, chronic eczema, and other skin problems at the same time.
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2. Injectables
Hyaluronic acid filler/Panda Injection: improves structural dark circles
Both of these injectables give an “instant filling” effect, eliminating structural dark circles caused by skin hollows. If Panda Injection is used, then as the body metabolizes it, the filling is taken over by your own newly produced collagen, so the result is more natural and longer-lasting than hyaluronic acid.
Sculptra/Ellansé/AestheFill: improves structural dark circles
Provides instant filling plus collagen stimulation. When injected into the hollowed area, the gel and microspheres support the skin and create a space where collagen can grow. Although the filling effect of collagen stimulators is not as good as that of hyaluronic acid, they stimulate your own collagen to grow, so the results are more natural and longer-lasting than ordinary fillers.
3. Eye bag surgery
Hidden-Scar 5-in-1 Eye Bag Surgery: improves structural dark circles
Structural dark circles are caused by facial structure and muscle distribution. Hidden-Scar 5-in-1 Eye Bag Surgery can address eye bags, tear troughs, dark circles, sagging, fine lines, and other problems around the eyes, using autologous fat grafting to fill the tear troughs and apple cheeks, so there is no waiting for the filling effect to develop. However, if you have more than one type of dark circle, you will still need to combine it with other treatments to solve every problem at once.
Is Laser, Injection, or Surgery Right for Me?
In fact, many people's dark circles combine pigmented, vascular, and structural problems. For example, if you already have vascular dark circles and often rub your eyes, you may develop pigmented dark circles on top of them, or pigmented dark circles combined with eye bags may produce structural dark circles. We therefore recommend having your dark circles evaluated at a professional medical facility and then choosing the right treatment to solve the problem at its root.
Besides aesthetic treatments, there are many home remedies for dark circles online, and many people have probably tried them. We can't say they all fail, but we would remind everyone that the wrong remedy can backfire, so we still recommend legitimate aesthetic treatments to get rid of dark circles.
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This article is for general information only. Results vary from person to person; please consult a doctor in person before deciding on any treatment.
