What Causes Dark Circles Under Your Eyes?

If you thought lack of sleep is the reason for your dark circles, you could be right. But did you know there are many other causes of this problem?

Scientifically called periorbital hyperchromia, dark circles hamper the brightness of your face and form a dark shadow around your eyes.

In this post, we have discussed all the possible causes of dark circles. Take a look.

Causes Of Dark Circles

1. Genetics

Genetics is the most common and prevalent cause of dark circles. The dark circles that you inherit are bluish and occur on the delicate skin below your eyes.

The blue color is your veins reflecting light. People from the Asian and African regions have genes that cause more melanin pigment around the eyes, resulting in specifically bluer circles.

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2. Aging

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As you get older, your skin becomes thinner. The skin below your eyes is already thin, and with age, it thins further, and the blood vessels on the skin below your eyes start showing. This leads to dark circles.

Also, with age, one develops baggy eyes that cast a shadow on the skin below the eyes, leading to this issue.

3. Unhealthy Habits

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Consuming alcohol causes the blood vessels to dilate, causing under-eye dark circles and even makes them prominent.

The same applies to smoking, which makes your dark circles more prominent as the nicotine disrupts your sleeping patterns and leads to eye bags.

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4. Nutritional Deficiency

Deficiency in iron and B12 causes dark circles. It leads to inadequate oxygenation of the tissues and manifests itself prominently under the eyes as a bluish tinge.

Even vitamin K deficiency causes this problem because a lack of it leads to poor blood circulation in the body.

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5. Sleep Deprivation

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Lack of sleep causes inadequate blood circulation in your face and dilates your blood vessels, leading to dark circles.

Also, tiredness and swelling of eyes can cause eye bags that make the circles more prominent.

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6. Allergies

Allergies, such as nasal congestion, release histamines in the body, and this leads to dark circles.

Also, allergies dilate the blood vessels around your eyes, accentuating these circles. Even rubbing your eyes hard can swell and break the blood vessels in the area, causing this condition.

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7. Hormonal Changes

Excess estrogen in your body can lead to bruising and cause dark circles. This happens because of the fluctuation in the hemoglobin levels.

Premenstrual syndrome and menopause cause your body to retain more fluids, elevating the chances of skin pigmentation.

Thyroid issues might disrupt your biological activities, leading to anemia, low nutrient absorption, and build-up of toxins – all of which manifest themselves in the form of dark circles.

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8. Stress

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Stress doesn’t allow you to sleep well and disrupts your hormonal balance. Stress makes your skin go pale, and your eyes sink deep into their sockets – this makes the blood vessels beneath your eyes more prominent, resulting in dark circles.

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9. Eczema

Eczema makes your skin patchy, itchy, and inflamed. This can provoke you to rub your skin, and if it happens under your eyes as well, you get dark circles – as doing so can rupture the blood vessels in the area.

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10.Excessive Sun Exposure

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Sun exposure causes the skin under your eyes to darken easily as it is thin, delicate, and prone to damage.

It also increases melanin production in your body, and this can enhance the appearance of dark circles.

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11. Periorbital Cellulitis

Periorbital Cellulitis is a bacterial infection that appears on the eyelids. It can have a darkening effect on your under eye skin, leading to the appearance of dark circles.

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12. Dehydration

Dehydration stagnates toxins and fluids in the body. Due to fluid retention, it causes baggy eyes that lead to the appearance of dark circles.

Lack of adequate water in your body causes the skin cells to shrink, which is another cause of this problem.

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13. Anemia

Anemia leads to improper blood circulation and causes hemoglobin to break down quickly, leading to dark circles.

While the causes we listed above are the most common, there are a few other unassuming habits that can lead to the condition too. They are listed below:

Medication – Many medicines and drugs that you take can cause the blood vessels under your eyes to dilate, causing dark circles.

Scratching Your Eyes – This habit leads to swelling and breaking of your blood vessels and causes dark circles.

Sleeping On The Stomach– This position is not suitable for your eyes because it strains them and leads to dark circles.

Liver Disease – This disease ruptures your body’s normal functioning by obstructing the removal of toxins, leading to dark circles.

Excess Salt And Caffeine – While caffeine causes dehydration, salt retains body fluids that cause swelling and puffy eyes.

Fluid Retention – When the body retains more fluid than required, you develop puffy eyes. It also interrupts blood flow under your eyes, making the skin appear darker. Fluid retention occurs due to various reasons, such as illnesses, allergies, humid weather, heart ailments, etc.

Eye Makeup – If a particular eye makeup product does not go well with your skin, it causes allergic reactions that lead to dark circles.

Eye Bags – These bags bulge and swell and cast shadows around the eyes, giving an appearance of dark circles below the eyes.

Weeping – This action leads to puffiness, swelling, and rubbing of eyes – all of which cause the blood vessels below your eyes to rupture and appear more prominent as dark circles.

So, these are the causes of dark circles. Keep these in mind to understand the reasons behind your condition. Because prevention is always better than cure, right?