How to get rid of dark circles FAST

If you’ve been wondering how to get rid of dark circles under eyes, please keep reading on.

Dark undereye circles are difficult to get rid of. Choosing the right treatment is more difficult with the thousands of products and remedies available on the market. Product reviews for under eye circle treatments only add to the confusion because they seem to lack consensus.

They key to finding a dark under eye circle remedy is correctly identifying the reasons behind them. Then, choosing the most appropriate treatment or remedies. In this guide, you’re going to learn everything there is to learn about getting rid of dark under eye circles.

What causes dark circles under eyes?

Dark undereye circles are caused by a number of factors. The main causes of under eye circles are:

• -Genetics
• -Lack of sleep
• -Facial structure
• -Lifestyle - drinking, smoking, sun
• -Poor makeup
• -Thin skin
• -Aging
• -Dehydration
• -Allergies

We will discuss each of these causes and what can be done to minimise dark circles resulting from each one.

Genetic Dark Circles

Genetic dark circles and or under eye bags are a result of hereditary darker pigmentation inherited from your parents. Sometimes we inherit our parents good traits, and sometimes, their less favourable ones. This is no different than the curly (or straight) hair or freckles you inheritedTake the good with not so good and simply find a way to deal.

Stress not, hereditary circles around the eyes are manageable. Mainly, it’s about lightening the pigmentation, protecting the area from the sun and where possible, preventing future pigmentation. Finally, a good light reflecting and tone correcting concealer takes care of anything left behind.

Getting rid of under eye bags is a bit more tricky. Eye creams and serums can depuff to a certain extent. Caffeine is a great ingredient for deflating eye bags. Lymph drainage massages can help as well. However, if the bags are part of the shape of your eyes, creams will do little to help. Makeup will be your best bet with surgical treatments being a more drastic alternative. Various options are available, depending on how bad the bags under your eyes are and how far you want to go to address them.

The best remedies for genetic dark eye circles are eye creams that contain a slight lightening agent along with a sunscreen. We like Kiehl’s Anti-Wrinkle Age Defender Eye Repair. Even though it’s marked as a men’s product, we found that it lightened our under eye circles and even refined the little lines that were starting to form.

For an alternative choice, we loved Mroobest Skin Lightening Cream . It’s intended for underarms, intimate areas, knees, etc., so we took a risk trying it on our hereditary dark circles and found that it lightened the skin under the eyes the same as it would on other parts of the body. We did a series of patch tests, first on our arm, then that test came out ok, we did a patch our faces. Finally, when we were happy that there was no adverse reaction, we tried a small patch test under the eyes. When this worked beautifully without an adverse reaction, we applied to the rest of our undereye area.

For those who have a larger budget, we love iS Clinical white lightening serum. Developed by a team of world-renowned pharmacologist, this treatment is backed by serious scientific research. It contains a brightening mushroom extract and alpha-arbutin. Long-term, this serum actually helps skin to produce less melanin, which prevents the problem of discolouration in the future. Again, we strongly recommend doing the same gradual patch tests, starting with your arm.

Genetic eye bag treatments

The best remedies for genetic eye bags are treatments that contain caffeine or arnica. Caffeine is pretty self explanatory stimulant while arnica was more of a mystery to us. We first heard about this wonder ingredient when it was recommended as a treatment for severe swelling after one of our editors had a rather serious fall. Arnica did wonders for fist sized lumps. So it made sense that arnica would work for under eye swelling.

Our favourite under eye bags creams include:

Tata Harper Restorative Eye Cream The treatment works by stimulating the activity of white blood cells to relieve congestion, thereby reducing under-eye bags. A bonus is that when the congestion dissipates, some of the red blood cells pooled beneath thin under-eye skin, dark circles can disappear as well. So this option is also great for those suffering from dark under eye circles.

Jurlique Herbal Recovery Eye Gel, Arnica works hard to deflate while a slew of soothing ingredients like eyebright (anti-inflammatory), heartease (promotes drainage) and evening primrose oil calm remaining puffiness.

In Lab Medical Caviar and Biophytonic eye serum contains both caffeine and arnica. This brand from Spain is known for highly innovative products backed by 20 years of research in biotechnology. The line is based on epigenetics, last generation products, with treatments for medical grade use and personal use,

Lack of sleep:

Dark undereye circles can also result from a lack of sleep, or lack of proper sleep. Our analysis concludes three main reasons for lack of quality and/or quantity of sleep.

1. 1) Late nights/early mornings
2. 2) Insomnia
3. 3) Poor quality of sleep

Late nites and early mornings quickly take a toll on your under eye circles. At best, you’ll see a mild darkening. At worst, you’ll look like last night’s cocktails turned into a brawl. Fear not, aside from telling you to catch more zzz’s, we have some temporary solutions. We stress temporary because we would never advise you to neglect sleep. In our late night/early morning hay day, we stuck to a strict schedule of 3 max late nights per week in a row and a heavy dose of concealer.

Insomnia. Nearly one out of three people suffer from insomnia. Little sleep means dark under eye circles for many sufferers. While concealer and creams can help, the eyes will still look tired and the tiredness will seep through even the best camouflage. Therefore, it’s best to deal with the root of the insomnia.

Insomnia tends to be mostly in the mind and sometimes in the body. It’s about getting the mind to stand still, or at the very least, slow down enough to sleep. For mind related insomnia, we recommend a sleeping aid app like Pzizz. Loved by Steve Jobs and our humble editors team, Pzizz has a free version that should be enough to get you started and paid version if you need a bit more zzz’s. Meditation also quieted all the rattling in our minds. In fact, meditation is clinically proven to improve sleep, reduce anxiety and improve focus. We like Calm because it’s main aim is to assist people in calming down. When we don’t feel like listening to an app, we simply focus our mind away from the rattling thoughts. For example, naming an animal or a country for every letter of the alphabet.

Body related insomnia can be abated with progressive muscle relaxation techniques. Click here for WebMD’s guide to progressive muscle relaxation.

Poor quality of sleep

Do you still have under eye circles and eye bags even though you’re getting a proper night’s sleep? The answer could be in the quality of your sleep!

We recommend tracking your sleep with a device like the FitBit. Your FitBit can show how much sleep you get overall and what percentage of your sleep you spend in the various sleep cycles such as REM, light and deep sleep. Deep sleep is responsible for body recovery should comprise about 20% of your total sleep time. So if you’re spending significantly less time in deep sleep, your dark circles and under eye puffiness is likely to be worse.

You are also likely to be awake and restless during the night without being aware of it. FitBit also tracks this information for you. Fitbit also gives your a nightly sleep score that assess how well you slept overall. We like the Fitbit Inspire HR for its comprehensive information and ease of use.

One of our editors found that although she was average eight hours of sleep per night, she still woke up feeling tired and the dark circles under her eyes made her look even more tired. Her Fitbit sleep logs confirmed that her sleep quality was very poor. She woke up many times during the night and spent most of her sleeping time in REM or light sleep. Her deep sleep, which is needed for body recovery, averaged at 8% compared to the recommended 20%.

She invested in a pair of earplugs to drown out the city noise. We recommend soft “tree shaped” silicone ear plugs as opposed to foam because they tend to stay in better. Snipping off a bit of the ends might help with them poking into your ears. A highly opaque eye mask can help keep out light.

If you’re worried about missing the alarm, fear not! FitBit has a silent vibrating alarm.

It also helps if you can stick to a sleep schedule and avoid eating several hours before bed.

Facial structure

Facial structure can impact under eye circles and eye bags. Deep set eyes, hooded eyes, large lower lids and even a prominent nose can impact the appearance of circles around eyes. These facial structures can cast shadows on your face, which either create the appearance of or worsen dark eye circles.

Strategic application of makeup can help get rid of under eye circles from facial structures. The key is to lighten the areas where shadows fall and/or to draw attention away from areas. Most makeup counters offer fees ranging from £30-£60 that are redeemable towards purchase of products. Some offer complimentary makeover. Please see our cosmetics makeover guide.

Lifestyle

Under eye circles and bags can form as a result of lifestyle factors such as smoking, drinking a lot of alcohol, computer/tv eyestrain, overexposure to the sun and your diet. We will explore reducing the appearance of eye circles and bags resulting from these factors.

Smoking reduces your body’s stores of vitamin C, which is the vitamin responsible for creating healthy collagen in your skin. While quitting smoking is an obvious choice, reducing your nicotine intake as much as possible might be an easier compromise in the interim.

Alcohol contributes to dehydration, and dehydration may lead to dark circles and bags under your eyes. One of our editors has a strict policy of drinking two glasses of water for every alcoholic drink and looks reasonably refreshed after big nights out. This remedy is of course applicable only not a replacement for moderating alcohol intake.

Dark undereye circles can appear from dietary factors such as iron deficiencies and eating a lot of salty foods. A low level of iron in your blood can lead hemoglobin to breakdown more easily which causes the thin skin below the eyes to appear darker. Salt makes your body retain more fluid and can make you more puffy overall, including the areas under and around your eyes. An ideal amount of salt is no more than 1,500 mg of salt per day. Therefore, you can get rid of dark circles and under eye bags by simply adjusting your diet.

Screentime

Dark eye circles can form if you spend a large portion of your day staring at a computer screen or television. The strain can cause blood vessels around your eyes to enlarge and the surrounding skin to appeal more transparent. Consequently, the area under your eyes will appear darker.

If possible, try to reduce your screen and television time. Alternatively, try a monitor eye protector to deduce the glare and strain. Also try stepping away from the screen for a few minutes. Fitbit Inspire HR can send you reminders once per hour to step away and then show your progress over time.

Poor makeup

Dark eye circles can form as a result of makeup.

Because mascaras and eyeliners are so pigmented, many cleansers fail to remove them in their entirety. We found that Ahava’s eye makeup remover removed absolutely everything, including waterproof mascara. Yet, it was very gentle and did not feel drying.

Circles around the eyes can be created by runny eye makeup. Patch test your cosmetics on your hand before you purchase them. Draw a few lines with your mascara, eye liner etc., on the back of your hand. If they haven’t smudged for 4 hours or longer, you have a winner. If you use primer or eye cream underneath, make sure that they dry completely before applying eye makeup. You can put them on before your patch test for a “fool proof” methodology.

Under eye circles can also appear worse if you’re using the wrong colour of concealer and foundation (if you wear it). Always test the colour of your makeup by looking at outdoors, indoors, in fluorescent lighting and in the evening. Further, choose a concealer colour that most closely matches the light parts of your complexion. Do not choose a shade that is lighter than your skin tone. It will look unnatural and will create a disbalance in the rest of your face. Please see our full guide for choosing a concealer.

Thin Skin

Thin under eye skin makes dark circles look worse. Unfortunately the thinness of the skin under your eyes is based primarily on aging and genetics genetics. With age, collagen breakdown exceeds collagen production resulting in a thinner epidermis. Your dermis gives support and thickness to your skin, so when it thins, skin becomes more transparent, crinkly and fine lines become visible. Sun damage can make it worse because it weakens skin.

Staying hydrated and products such as vitamin C or retinoids can help improve the look of dark circles. Our top pick in this category is FAB Skin Lab Retinol Eye Cream with Triple Hyaluronic Acid. It delivers hydration, caffeine and retinol to improve the appearance of under eye circles. On top of that, it has a reflective lightly tinted pigment to deliver instant results. Don’t forget to dab your favourite sunscreen in there as well.

Dehydration

Under eye circles can look more prominent if you’re dehydrated. Because the skin around your eyes is very close to the underlying bone, a lack of fluids can cause blood vessels to become more prominent. We recommend putting in a mechanism for drinking the recommended 8 glasses with 8 ounces of water. Either fill a large water bottle first thing in the morning and drink throughout the day, or use your Fitbit Inspire HR hourly reminders to move around and drink a bit of water. Alternatively, we recommend a serum with a high concentration of hyaluronic acid such as L’Oréal Revitalift Filler Renew Hyaluronic Acid Eye Cream.

Allergies

Dark circles and under eye bags can result from allergies to pollen, dust, and pet dander. People with hayfever may notice them at the height of the season. Food allergies and allergies to various cosmetics ingredients can also contribute to dark circles.

It’s important to identify the cause(s) of your allergies and treat them accordingly. Antihistamines might be appropriate for pollen and dander. An air purifier and keeping your home extra clean might help. When it comes to cosmetics, again, identifying the culprit ingredients is key. We also recommend choosing cosmetics lines that specifically offer hypoallergenic product like Clinique.

Medical treatments

We prefer addressing dark circles without medical treatments. However, if you’ve exhausted all options and would like to take your treatments to the next level, we recommend starting a conversation with your doctor. Some of the option they could recommend are:

laser surgery to resurface the skin and enhance skin tightening medical tattoos to inject pigment into thinning skin areas tissue fillers to conceal blood vessels and melanin that are causing skin discoloration beneath your eyes. fat removal to remove excess fat and skin, revealing a smoother and more even surface surgical implants of fat or synthetic products Invasive medical treatments can be expensive, painful, and often require a long recovery time.

Conclusion

You should now have a clear understanding of what causes your dark eye circles and bags and how to get rid of (or lessen) them.

We love to hear your feedback. Please comment below to let us know how the recommendations are working for you. If you would like us to cover additional topics, please send us a few lines!