“Did you often stay awake at night recently? It’s getting puffy there.” It was a good day until your best friend told you that, pointing her finger under your eyes. Yeah, hello again dark circles! It must be uncomfortable to hear such thing. It’s not like you never notice that raccoon eyes when you were in front of the mirror, right? You tried everything to cover the dark circles: thick foundation; creamy or powder concealer; serum who promised to cover the dark circles on the label; but nothing comes in as the hero. Desperate? Please don’t. Based on the survey by Total Beauty, the question “What can I do about my dark circles?” ranked number 1 concern of most people. They want to know the answers. That’s why, in this article we will guide you thoroughly how to get rid of dark circles under eyes.

What Triggered the “Panda Eyes”?

Before learning on how to get rid of dark circles under eyes, it’s important to know where the “extra baggage” under your eyes came from. There are many versions about this, but we have summarized it for you.

  • Genetically “Gifted”

For those with perpetual dark circles, it must be inevitable to bring along the raccoon eyes with you. It’s a bit tricky to cover it with numerous skincare available on the rack. This genetic dark circles appear when the pigmentation on the skin is too excessive. This usually happens to those with pale and dry skin. What makes the dark circles from heredity different with those appear from bad lifestyle? The fact that you can’t control them at the first place. Please do remember that some people have more pigment beneath their eyes compared to the others. This situation is one of the factors of hereditary dark circle under eyes. Dr. John A. Persing, chief of plastic surgery from Yale University School of Medicine in this article, added that allergens with engorged blood under the skin, may cause dark circles appear clearly.

  • Skin-aging

As we age, the amount of fat in beneath our skin may be placed under our eyes. This is natural in the phase of aging. Also along with the addition to our age, the muscles and ligament who have the job to hold the fat is becoming weak. That is why the dark circles become more visible. The thickness of our skin also becoming low as we age. The skin under the eyes is almost transparent, thus magnifies the purple shade under the eyes. Dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, the director of cosmetic and clinical research in Mount Sinai Medical Center New York, stated that as we get older, the amount of subcutaneous fat starts to fade.

  • Sun exposure

Having a great time at the beach maybe one good idea, but please take a note that sun exposure can exacerbates dark circles. Sun exposure also stimulates melanin production that is possibly leads to hyperpigmentation. The boosted melanin levels may cause the dark circles.

  • Unhealthy Lifestyle

Aside from the factors mentioned above, this one may be the most common one. There are many activities that could be classified as unhealthy lifestyle. Are you smoking? Do you ever notice that there is correlation between smoking and dark circles appearance? Skin of smokers tend to be thirsty, due to constant exposure with tobacco fumes. When the skin is thirsty, the body tries to rehydrate the skin by distributing water. This is the beginning of dark circles appearance. Another negative influence may come from the intake of salt within your everyday meals. If you consume too much salt, as the consequence, your body will retain water to avoid dehydration. The body will hold the excess water under the eyes.

How to Get Rid of Dark Circles under Eyes?

The good news is you can manage to get rid of dark circles under eyes by yourself at home. We have classified the tips thoroughly for you. It includes the Do-It-Yourself tips; Lifestyle-Related Tips; and Things That You Must Not Do to Get Rid of Dark Circles. Let’s start with the first. You can easily prepare the ingredients at home and do it by yourself. But remember, if there is allergen reaction or burning sensation, stop the method and switch to the others.

Do-It-Yourself Tips

1. Cold Cucumber Slices

This is the most popular method to get rid of dark circles under eyes. It’s so easy, just slice the cucumber and store it in the fridge for about 15 minutes until half an hour. Then, place it on your eyes for 10 minutes. Do it twice a day or more. The mild astringent content from the cucumber may help you to reduce that dark shade under your eyes.

2. Rose Water

The skin experts usually mention rose water as one of the good skin toners. It is also counted in your effort of get rid of dark circles under eyes. Just soak the cotton ball onto the rose water and wipe it gently to the eye bag. It is believed as one of effective methods to soothe tired eyes.

3. Raw Potato Slices

Grate the potato and squeeze it until you get the extract. Otherwise, the thick slices of potato is okay. The extract should be in form of creamy paste. And then, soak a cotton ball to the paste, and cover both the skin under eyes and eyelid. Hold for 15 minutes. The natural bleaching content from potato may help you to get rid of dark circles under eyes.

4. Lemon Juice

Lemon juice can be mixed with many other ingredients, such as tomato and cucumber. Mix one and a half teaspoon of lemon juice with these ingredients. Add turmeric powder. Leave it for about 10 minutes until you get the paste. Apply the paste with cotton ball. The high Vitamin C content from lemon juice may help lightening your skin.

5. Almond Oil

You can mix almond oil with Vitamin E oil. How to do it? Gently massage the area under your eyes with this oil. Do it daily before going to bed. Leave it overnight. Rinse off in the morning with cold water. You can also use coconut oil to massage the area under your eyes. Do this for few hours. The moisturizing quality of coconut oil will make the skin smoother and also prevent wrinkles.

6. Cold Tea Bags

Don’t just throw your used tea bags! Grab 2 used green or black tea bags. Store it on the fridge for half an hour. And then, place it on your eyes for 15 minutes. The caffeine and antioxidant content in tea may shrink the blood vessels under eyes. It also helps you reduce the fluid retention down there. Or you can simply compress your eyes with cold washcloth. Ice cube and cold spoon may be used as well. This method will help to reduce the eye-puffiness.

7. Turmeric Paste

Though it is not as popular like the previous tips, turmeric powder may help you to get rid of dark circle under eyes. Mix 2 teaspoon of turmeric powder. Add pineapple juice until they form a paste. Place it on your eyes for 10 minutes and rinse with damp cloth. Do it daily. The anti-inflammatory content in turmeric will ease the puffiness.

Lifestyle Tips

We think it’s important to have a healthier lifestyle in order to get rid of dark circles under eyes. Like we discussed above, unhealthy lifestyle contributes to the appearance of puffy eyes. While reading this tips, please refer back to your lifestyle and try to have a healthier one.

1. Correct Way to Remove Makeup

Wearing makeup every day is inevitable if it’s related with your job and performance. But remember, you have to understand to proper way to remove makeup once you get home. The wrong way of removing makeup will trigger the appearance of dark circles. No matter how tired you are, do remove the makeup. The excess of makeup on your skin that lasts overnight may accelerate the skin-aging process. If skin aging happens too soon, the dark circles and wrinkles will appear too soon, when you are still young. And do take a note that you have to clean the makeup over the eyes gently. Use cotton ball to remove the makeup. The skin in this area is so delicate and thin.

2. Have a Good Sleeping Quality

Lack of sleep is one of the most common factors that cause dark circles under eyes. If you are not getting sufficient sleep, the body fails to remove the fluid from the body. Instead, it will form a water bag under your eyes. Lack of sleep also causes dark tint that can be seen from delicate skin under your eyes. Do at least 8 hours sleep at night. Smoking habit also contributes to bad quality of sleep. Smokers usually have poor sleeping quality due to the nicotine withdrawal during the night. The good news is, studies proved that blood flow will improve within months after quitting smoking.

3. Limit the Screen Time

If you are required to work in front of computers for long period of time, remember to have a break regularly. Computer screen light makes your eyes work harder than it should be. Your eyes will get tired easily. If this happens, the circle under-eyes will be likely to appear. Take a break every 30 minutes away from the screen. Have a light exercise or close your eyes. Don’t use the break time to check your hand phone, because you need to avoid the screen time within your day.

4. Watch the Nutrition Intake

Whether you are on a diet, working hard, or feeling stress that makes you lose your appetite, please pay a good attention to the nutrition intake. Consume foods with rich A, C, and E vitamins. If your daily meals lack of nutrients and vitamins, you will be likely to have dark circle under eyes. Also make sure that your body is well-hydrated. Never wait until you feel thirsty. Always grab water to make your body stay hydrated.

5. Treatment and Surgery

To some people, the option of having laser surgery is interesting. It is also uncountable how many creams to avoid skin-aging and dark circles remover on the racks are available. Every options are open. But please remember, when we reach age of 40s and 50s, the membrane that holds fat will release it, causing eye bag. For now, using concealer and foundation is okay. That is the least expensive method. Choose the one that match your skin tone perfectly. Blend it to the area under your eyes. Last, cover it with loose powder. You can also use lightening agents’ products to minimize the pigmentation production. Choose product with retinol and hyaluronic acid ingredients. The next is laser surgery. This will remove the skin damage. The absorption of laser will make pigment like melanin less noticeable.

Things That You Must Not Do to Get Rid of Dark Circles

  • Don’t drink too much alcohol or beverages with caffeine ingredients. Avoiding these drinks will help you to get rid of dark circles naturally.
  • Don’t forget to wear sunglasses or hat. Protect your eyes from the sun. Stay out of the sun as possible. If you are doing activities outside every day, never forget to use your sunscreen with the correct amount of SPF to protect the skin around your eyes.
  • Never underestimate the importance of sleeping quality. If you are already have better sleeping quality by the tips given above, there is another tips from the experts at Celevenus Singapore. Use two or more pillows when you sleep. This will prevent swelling under your eyes, caused by fluid deposit in the lower eyelids.

Overall, having dark circles under eyes is not a medical problem. It happens naturally, due to the factors that we summarized for you above. These tips can help you to get rid of dark circles under eyes. Remember, altering your lifestyle to the healthier one can bring a lot of benefits, not only for the problem of dark circles under eyes, but also to your whole body.