How to Get Rid of Black Circles Under Your Eyes

Get your beauty sleep.
Get plenty of sleep nightly. It’s not entirely clear why inadequate sleep results in dark circles under the eyes, but lack of sleep tends to cause the skin to become paler (thus increasing the appearance of darkness under the eyes), and reduces circulation. It’s also believed that too little time lying down is a cause in itself. Before going to bed at night, remove all eye makeup. If you don’t do so, when you get older, your eyes can look much more tired on a daily basis.

• Determine how much sleep you need (it’s usually 7-9 hours per night, but varies for different people at different times throughout their lives). Try to get that amount regularly for a couple of weeks to see if that helps.
• Alcohol and drugs can adversely affect the quality of your sleep. Abstain from these products or use them only in moderation for best results.
• Get adequate vitamins that assist sleep. A lack of sleep, coupled with poor vitamin absorption tends to reduce adrenal function. The less adrenal function you have, the less B6 you tend to absorb. The less B6 you absorb, the less your adrenal glands function and you end up in a vicious circle. Sleep, regular vitamins (where needed), good calcium/magnesium support in the form of eating a lot of greens (which are higher in calcium and magnesium than dairy products are) and a good mineral supplement restores adrenal function.

Treat your allergies.
Allergies are a common cause of skin discoloration under the eyes. If an allergy is the root of your problem, treat the allergy or remove the allergen. Seasonal allergy problems such as the hay fever can frequently be effectively treated with over-the-counter and prescription medications.

• For other allergies, the best course of action is usually avoidance. If your dark circles or puffiness are constant, you may have an undetected food allergy or an allergy to a chemical in your home or workplace. Talk to a dermatologist for help determining what you may be allergic to. People with allergies also tend again to be deficient in B6, folic acid and B12 on occasion. Taking a multivitamin may also help
• Gluten intolerance. Another common allergy that causes dark circles is gluten intolerance, which is an allergy to wheat flour in particular. More severely, you could have celiac disease. To test for celiac disease, have blood tests performed by your doctor. It’s important to remember that you can be gluten intolerant, and not have celiac disease.

Fix nasal congestion.
A blocked nose can result in dark circles under your eyes because the veins around your sinuses are darkened and dilated

Eat well.
Eat a healthy, balanced diet, take vitamins, and drink plenty of water. A whole host of cosmetic problems can be attributed to vitamin deficiencies. Dark circles and puffiness are often attributed to lack of vitamin K or inadequate antioxidants. Also, a deficiency in B12 (usually anemia-related) can result in dark circles.

• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, especially cabbage, spinach, and other leafy green vegetables. Take a daily vitamin supplement if necessary. Get adequate fluids to improve circulation.
• Reduce salt intake. Excess salt causes the body to retain water in unusual places, and this can result in puffiness under the eyes. Too much salt can also impair your circulation and cause the blood vessels under the skin to appear bluer.

Examine your smoking habit and decide to quit.
Smoking causes vascular (blood vessel) problems that can not only threaten your life, but also make your blood vessels appear more prominent and bluer. And do the math: when you quit smoking you’ll save lots of money by not buying packs of cigarets.

Relax.
Relaxing might help remove sources of stress and anxiety that are preventing you from sleeping, eating and resting properly. In turn, relaxing enough will help the skin beneath your eyes to improve as you feel less stressed and more at ease. Skin tends to reflect a whole host of emotional and physical ailments, so don’t dismiss the need to relax lightly.

Accept what you can’t change.
There are some causes to under-eye circles you can’t do much to reverse, unfortunately. These include:

• Pigmentation irregularities. These can cause darker circles under the eyes.
• Sun exposure. This can increase melanin production.
• Thinning from age. Aging thins the skin, making veins and vessels more obvious as your fat and collagen depletes over time.
• Heredity. Establish whether or not this condition runs in your family, as under-eye dark circles are believed to frequently be hereditary. This doesn’t mean that you can’t do anything about the conditions, but you should be prepared for minimal success when trying to get rid of them.
• Your facial features. Dark circles may be as simple as shadows being thrown by your own features. There isn’t much you can do change this other than careful use of cosmetics.