Dark circles under the eyes are common. These are usually observed among both men and women. Dark circles are usually accompanied by sagging of skin under your eyes, making them look baggy. They are mostly attributed to lack of sleep, stress, and fatigue.

As you grow older, your skin loses its natural thickness and collagen. This can make the appearance of blood vessels underneath your skin more prominent. As a result, this area can look darker than usual. Other conditions, such as swelling near your eyes or fluid imbalance around the lower eyelids, can make your skin look darker. A black eye or injury to the area can cause the entire eye to look darker.

In this article, we have listed methods you can use to reduce the appearance of dark circles under your eyes.

What Causes Dark Circles Under The Eyes?

• Fatigue: Fatigue can occur as a consequence of sleep deprivation, physical and mental exertion, or even oversleeping. All of these can cause dark circles under your eyes. Deprivation of sleep can cause your eyes to look puffy and make the skin look pale over time. This can make the dark circles more apparent. Dark circles may be shadows of puffy eyelids.
• Age: In most cases, as you become older, dark circles appear as a result of excessive pigmentation. When you grow old, the skin around your eyes can become thinner and lose collagen. This, in turn, increases the visibility of the dark blood vessels underneath your skin.
• Straining Your Eyes: Strain to your eyes due to excessive use of computers, phones, television, etc. can lead to an enlargement in the blood vessels around your eyes, thereby causing dark circles.
• Allergies: An allergic reaction to harmful bacteria makes your body release histamines that can lead to the dilation of blood vessels. This increases their visibility on your skin, making the area around your eyes look darker than usual.
• Dehydration: Inadequate hydration can make your skin look pale and dull. Your eyes can have a sunken appearance, making the skin in the surrounding area look darker.
• Exposure To The Sun: Your skin can overproduce melanin on exposure to the sun for long periods. This may lead to pigmentation in the skin around your eyes.
• History Of Dark Circles: A family history of dark circles might indicate that you can also have them later in life. Underlying conditions, such as thyroid disease, can also cause dark circles.

Symptoms Of Dark Circles

• Gradual appearance of a dark patch under your eyes
• Tiredness arising from sleeplessness
• Stress and weakness
• The area under the lower eyelid looks puffy, and eye bags begin to form.

Cyanosis: Sometimes, your body is incapable of transporting oxygen-rich blood to various parts of your body. This can result in a bluish tint being imparted to your skin. It can be observed in the mucous membranes, lips, around the eyes, and nails.

Natural Ways To Minimize Dark Circles Under Eyes

1. Sweet Almond Oil

Sweet almond oil has sclerosant as well as emollient properties  It may help reduce the appearance of blood vessels underneath your skin by improving your skin tone.

What You Can Do: Dab 2-3 drops of sweet almond oil on a cotton ball. Apply it to the dark circles and massage into your skin. Leave it on overnight and wash off in the morning. Do this every night before sleeping until the dark circles fade.

2. Aloe Vera Gel

Aloe vera gel contains aloesin, a compound that inhibits tyrosinase activity .This can help in preventing excessive pigmentation on your skin. It can also hydrate the skin in the surrounding area and make it supple.

What You Can Do: Take a teaspoon of aloe vera gel and massage it into the affected area. Leave it on overnight and wash it off in the morning. You can follow this every night until the dark circles fade.

3. Cucumber

Cucumber contains bioactive compounds and vitamins that can inhibit tyrosinase activity .This can help reduce pigmentation around the eyes.

What You Can Do: You will need one cucumber and a teaspoon of aloe vera gel. Blend the ingredients to make a thick paste. Apply this paste to the affected areas and leave it on for 15 minutes. Wash off with plain water. You can apply this paste once every day.

4. Tomato

Tomatoes are rich in phytochemicals like lycopene and beta-carotene that mitigate oxidative damage to skin tissues and reduce erythema (redness) of skin . This can help get rid of the dark circles that develop under the eyes.

What You Can Do: Make a paste by blending a tomato and lemon juice. Apply this around your eyes and leave it on for 20 minutes. Rinse it off thoroughly. Do this once or twice a week.

Note: Lemon juice can cause a stinging sensation on your skin, so you must do a patch test before trying this remedy.