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How To Treat Those Pesky Dark Circles Under Your Eyes4 min read

Face with Dark spots removed
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There is one trend you won’t see being influenced on Instagram or shouted about by celebrity beauties – dark under eye circles being the must-have beauty item. Yes, during the 80s, heroin chic made an appearance on the runway, and suddenly it was cool to look like someone had dragged you through a hedge backwards and kept you awake for 3 days straight. 

Unfortunately, dark circles are a fact of life, not a fashion trend, for many people old and young. If your parents have them, then it is more likely you will have them. As we age the skin around our eyes thins and sags. The sagging creates shadows that emphasize the darkness. Additionally, sun damage causes excess brown pigmentation, and allergies can cause irritation that makes you rub at the delicate under-eye area causing bruising.

Dark circles may not be the biggest aging worry to keep you awake at night, but they are a very noticeable problem. Aside from wearing ridiculously large sunglasses when in public, there are other treatment options available to you.

Can Creams Treat Dark Eye Circles?

Anything with Vitamin C, E and K can help lighten things up but it could be too subtle for you. Creams with caffeine can help reduce puffiness and darkness too. Ask your friends and read blogs by beauty editors to find a cream that is within your budget and works well with your skin type.

We recommend the Skin Medica TNS Eye Repair and Illuminating Eye Cream for reducing the affect of aging around your eyes:

What Would Your Grandma Recommend?

Before the onslaught of miracle creams and procedures, our grandma’s had other options:

COLD USED TEA BAGS (English Breakfast is a good choice) laid on your eyes for 5 minutes every day. Just don’t drink all the caffeinated tea late at night and keep yourself up. The dark circles might worsen, creating a whole circle of dark circle despair!

SLICES OF CUCUMBER laid on top of the eyes. Cucumbers are packed full of vitamin K which helps shrink the capillaries under your eyes and lighten the skin. Use every day.

LOTS OF WATER. Dehydration can cause your eyes to appear dull and the skin under your eyes to shrink, highlighting the blood vessels underneath. Water also flushes out all the nasty toxins in our bodies and faces.

Beautiful eyes - no dark spots under eyes

Can Cosmetic Surgery Cure Dark Circles?

If the creams and the tea bags aren’t cutting it, there are non-surgical and surgical procedures available.

Laser therapies like BBL and Sciton Laser Peel can help lighten damaged skin pigmentation and help kick-start collagen production, which could thicken the skin under your eyes and reduce the dark circles. It can also reduce fine wrinkles and erase acne scars. This is not a one-time treatment. For best results a maintenance treatment is required several times a year.

Botox and Fillers (such as Juvederm and Belotero) can work when the dark circles are caused by thinner skin. These are injected under the eye by a trained professional and create volume, which reduces the dark circles. They may also inject them in your temple or above your eyebrows to create volume and lift. Depending on the type of filler used, the results can last between 6 months to a year.

If your dark circles are caused by under eye bags then a surgical procedure called lower lid blepharoplasty could help. A surgeon will remove fat and tissue from under the eye and tighten the skin thereby removing the shadows cast by the bags. A little filler and laser treatment combined with this, and your dark circles should be drastically reduced or eliminated.

Setting up a free consultation with a plastic surgeon is the best way to decide which cosmetic procedure would work best for you! 

Forehead and Temple Lift

Dark Circles Be Gone!

Whatever you choose to help reduce those dark circles, remember that genetics and lifestyle is a major cause. Get plenty of sleep, ditch the smoking and sun worshipping, and drink plenty of water. Wear sunglasses to help with allergies and stop rubbing that delicate skin area. These actions, combined with any of the above options, can help prevent and reduce dark circles under your eyes!

INVITATION

If you’re wondering whether a cosmetic procedure might be your best solution to dark circles under your eyes, we invite you to simply come in for a complimentary consultation with Dr. Chang or one of the cosmetic laser and injection nurses. They’ll help you explore your options and  whether you would make a good candidate. To find out more whether Aesthetica can help you, contact us online or at 703-729-5553 to arrange an appointment. Dr. Phillip Chang is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Northern Virginia near Leesburg, Virginia and an expert in a wide variety of cosmetic treatments.

Let Us Help You!

Our office can provide you will helpful information, schedule a free consultation, and walk you through the procedures we offer

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