IS HAVING A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP ENOUGH TO CURE DARK CIRCLES PERMANENTLY? - SKINCHEM SCIENCES- MYTH OR FACT?

IS HAVING A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP ENOUGH TO CURE DARK CIRCLES?

Has it ever happened to you that you walk into your college or work on a Tuesday morning, full of energy and high on caffeine only to be told 'ah! girl you look tired, you must've not slept enough last night' and wonder heck no! I had a good 8 hours of sleep. If yes, then you're not alone, looking to get rid of dark circles permanently. Prominent dark circles have always made my life more difficult than it actually has to be and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who's tired of looking for a treatment for dark circles that actually works. 

Dark circles are a common problem all around the world especially among the population with a darker skin tone but we're still far from figuring out a general treatment. There is not a singular evaluation for dark circles and there are several factors that could cause them thus making their treatment even more difficult. 

Today I'll be breaking down the types of dark circles, their cause, how to figure out what type you have and possible treatments based on scientific studies just to make your life a tad bit easier. 

CAUSES OF DARK CIRCLES

There are several probable causes of dark circles including - 

- Hereditary and Genetic conditions

- Excessive Pigmentation (due to sun exposure)

- Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (due to dermatitis)

- Periorbital Swelling 

- Thinning of the skin due to ageing

- Dehydration

- Stress

- Fatigue 

- Not enough eye rest 

- Rubbing and scratching the eye

- Widened of blood vessels

- Allergy

- Skeletal structure 

TYPES OF DARK CIRCLES

If you want to find a cure for your dark circles, you have to find out what's causing them. The first step in treating your dark circles is figuring out which type of dark circles you're suffering from. Is it red/purple-ish or is it dark brown in colour, is it just the shadow due to sunken eyes or actual pigmentation and things like that. 

It is definitely not easy to classify dark circles given the complexity of what actually causes them but let me walk you through whatever I've found while digging the scientific literature. 

The majority of the studies have classified dark circles into 5 major categories based on their origin and cause - Vascular, Pigmentation, Mixed, Shadow effect and Tear Trough

The causes of all these dark circles are different and so are the treatments. They also vary majorly across different ethnicities and skin tones based on the Fitzpatrick scale. Darker skin tones (Fitzpatrick skin type III and above) are generally more prone to hyperpigmentation around the periorbital area (eye area) and around the mouth. Treating dark circles permanently can be quite a task especially if the cause is unknown, keep reading to find out various types of dark circles. 

HOW TO KNOW WHAT KIND OF DARK CIRCLE DO YOU HAVE?

VASCULAR TYPE DARK CIRCLE - It is the most common type of dark circle among several ethnicities. If you have threadlike red, blue or purple patterns due to visible veins on your eyelid and it becomes more prominent when the skin is stretched then chances are you have vascular dark circles. The vascular type dark circle is more prominent on the upper eyelid but can occur on both the upper and lower eyelid. These occur due to constricted blood vessels that become visible due to thin skin around the eye.

PIGMENTATION DARK CIRCLE- Excessive pigment under your eye and on your eyelid can be another cause of a dark circle. This excessive pigment is mainly caused due to sun exposure, eye rubbing or genetics. These could look similar to the vascular type but there are no visible veins and the colour is brown or greyish and even black. This could occur on both the upper and/or lower eyelids.

Pigmentation could be regular or irregular around the eye and is divided into two separate categories based on the regularity in some studies.  

MIXED OR COMBINATION TYPE DARK CIRCLE- This is again a commonly occurring type where both vascular and pigmentation type dark circle is observed. The majority of the study subjects in several studies had mixed type dark circles. These are observed in both upper and lower eyelids. You can have brown pigmentation tracing the eye rim with visible veins on the upper eyelids. 

TEAR TROUGH - It is a deep tear trough under the eye with pigmentation and is also known as sunken eyes. It is caused due to skin under the eye-getting hollow due to ageing, dehydration or stress. 

SHADOW EFFECT - Swollen eyelids and eye bags could make the undereye seem darker due to shadows which might appear as a dark circle but generally are not. It is not as stubborn as the others and goes away once the fluid disproportion is solved.

HOW TO TREAT YOUR DARK CIRCLES?

Now that you have figured out the probable cause of our dark circle it's time to find appropriate treatment for it. Although we've probably learnt to live with concealers, there are topical treatments available that might not completely cure but can reduce the appearance of dark circles. 

If you have visible blood vessels or VASCULAR TYPE DARK CIRCLES, then eye creams with caffeine should work for you. Caffeine works by congesting blood vessels thus reducing the appearance of the blood vessels. Besides that, collagen, peptides and ceramides are added bonuses for anti-ageing and hydration. A low concentration VITAMIN A (RETINOIDS)  can take your eye cream to another level as it can reduce the appearance of fine lines and improve collagen synthesis. 

For PIGMENTED and MIXED TYPE DARK CIRCLE, eye creams containing VITAMIN C (~3%), VITAMIN A (RETINOL ~0.1%)  and VITAMIN E (0.5%) can provide great results. Both vitamin C and retinol induces collagen synthesis. Vitamin C is an anti-oxidant and also decreases pigmentation as it is a tyrosinase (an enzyme that catalyzes the production of melanin) inhibitor. Vitamin E has moisturization properties and can also improve the cardiovascular system to reduce cell damage due to lipid peroxidation thus resulting in undereye discolouration. 

For UNDEREYE BAGS, again caffeine and cold press can work by depuffing the eyes thus reducing the appearance of the bags and shadows. 

For SUNKEN EYES, the treatment is quite difficult as it might be caused due to skeletal structure. However, dehydration and stress are found to be a cause for sunken eyes so hyaluronic acid topicals are a great option. There are even hyaluronic acid dermal fillers that reduce the appearance the sunken eyes.

THINGS TO REMEMBER BEFORE USING ACTIVES IN THE EYE AREA

By now it must be clear that a good nights sleep is not enough to cure dark circles 🙄 however it can play an active role in causing them. Most of the generic eye creams available in the market are just hydrating moisturizers, which is understandable because dehydrated skin can cause dark circles, but it is not worth the money. If you're looking for eye creams that are hydrating, you don't need the extra step in your skincare regime, you can simply use the same moisturizer for your under eyes that you use for the rest of your face.

The skin tissues around the eye area are thinner compared to other facial areas and thus the skin can appear darker. Also, the dermis on the eyelid has lower collagen, elastin and our body's natural moisturizers (glycosaminoglycans, also responsible for supporting collagen and elastin production) than dermis in other areas which makes the skin thinner around the eye. Ingredients like peptides and retinol are cell-communicating i.e. they signal to improve the quality of cells in the skin tissues. So, they are helpful when it comes to treating under eye dark circles. 

However, you must keep in mind that actives like vitamin C and retinol can be quite harsh on the skin and you do not want a super high concentration of them going under your eye. So, if you have, say,  prescribed retinol for your acne or wrinkles, or a vitamin C face serum, you might be excited to use it as a dark circle treatment after reading this article, but remember that skin around the eye is very thin which means actives can penetrate into deeper levels very easily so even if it didn't cause any irritation on your face, it might still cause irritation around the eye. You do not need to use a very high concentration of actives to get results. 

If you do not want to spend extra money to buy a dark circle treatment with actives that actually work, you can de-concentrate your retinol or vitamin C by mixing them in a moisturizer to make it safe to use under the eye. You can also layer your active on top of your moisturizer when using it around the eye to decrease its potency. But it is always good to buy a separate product or seek expert advice if you are using a high concentration active (say, 20% vitamin C) because chances are even after mixing it with your moisturizer, it'd be still very potent to be used in the eye area. 

HOW TO CURE DARK CIRCLES PERMANENTLY?

The topical treatments do not give a satisfactory result but they're the only ones that show any result at all. If you want to cure dark circles permanently, just using a topical treatment might not help because lifestyle choices play an important role in the appearance of dark circles. Keep the following points in mind if you really want to treat your dark circles - 

REST PROPERLY - Sleep deprivation can make you look gloomy but even oversleeping can give you puffy eyes so make sure you're resting properly but don't overdo it either.

ELIMINATE UNNECESSARY SCREEN TIME - Eyestrain due to staring at the screen can enlarge your blood vessels thus darkening the skin around your eyes. 

HYDRATE YOURSELF - Dehydration is important both internally and externally so drink enough water and don't forget to moisturize and hydrate your under eyes.

REMEMBER TO USE CONTROLLED CONCENTRATION OF ACTIVES - Overuse of topicals can cause darkening of under eyes so use your actives smartly.

WEAR SPF- If you're following every step, doing everything correctly but not using sunscreen then trust me, everything is going down in vain. Minimize sun exposure and never forget to use sunscreen when stepping out in broad daylight. Do not forget your eyes and lips because they need protection from the sun rays as well.

Thank you for reading. Leave your thoughts in the comments below and mention the myths you want to be discussed in the next post.



Much Love, xoxo
Shruti,
Your own skin and hair care guide


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