What causes bags under your eyes? Ways to get rid of them!

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: Dark circles, also called “periorbital hyperpigmentation” or POH in clinical term, is a common problem usually accompanied by puffiness or swelling below and around your eyes.

 

Concealers, eye creams, injectable fillers containing hyaluronic acid may temporarily tone down the effect of the dark or blue tints, but there isn't much you can do about it.

Contrary to the popular belief, dark circles or “bags under the eyes” are more than just the result of being tired and little sleep.

According to Hayley Goldbach, a resident physician in dermatology at UCLA, the most common explanation for the appearance of dark circles under our eyes is structural, simply due to the loss of subcutaneous fat we all endure as we age, reported the BBC. And that, she says, is what often makes people with bags under their eyes look tired.

 

Since the skin just beneath our eyes is so thin, making it especially transparent, the underlying blood vessels become more prominent, which can cause the skin appear darker.

Furthermore, dermatologists can colour to find out the underlying cause of those under the eye. The BBC report adds that if they appear with a blue, pink, or purple hue, the colouration comes from blood vessels, and if they appear brown, it suggests that there is really is extra melanin in the skin - perhaps the rarest cause of dark circles.

It's also been suggested that some factors like exposure to ultraviolet radiation, stress, alcohol, and smoking, ect, can trigger dark circles under your eyes. However, writing in a 2016 article in The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, dermatology researcher Rashmi Sarkar, refuted all these claims, saying that none of these have been scientifically substantiated.

Prevention tips

Unfortunately, over-the-counter eye creams rarely provide a long-term solution with significant results, although they may help to reduce or temporarily mask dark circles. But, there are simple things you can do to ease dark circles under your eyes by-

• Not smoking
• Getting enough sleep
• Applying black tea bag or cucumber slices to your eyes for 10 minutes every morning
• Not rubbing the area around the eyes
• Avoiding creams that contain a lot of harsh chemicals
• Fixing nasal congestion as a blocked nose can result in dark circles under your eyes
• Eating a healthy, balanced diet containing plenty of fruits and vegetables
• Drink plenty of water