Treatment for Dark Circles: Find One for You!
Belinda Knox, contributor
Are you tired of being mistaken for a raccoon because of the dark circles under your eyes? Find a treatment for your under eye circles from our list below!
Temporary Treatments for Dark Circles
Cold Compress: Place a cold compress under each eye for about ten to fifteen minutes. You can even use cold cucumber slices! Cold compresses help reduce under eye puffiness, which contributes to under eye circles. They also help to shrink dilated blood vessels under the eye.
Green Tea Bags: Place a cold, used green tea bag underneath each eye for a temporary decrease in eye puffiness and a reduction in dark circles. Leave the tea bags on for about ten to fifteen minutes. The caffeine in the tea bags helps shrink the blood vessels in the under eye area. The tannin in tea bags also helps reduce fluid build-up and discoloration under the eye. Plus, green tea contains an anti-inflammatory which reduces the swelling under eyes.
Longer Term Treatments for Dark Circles
More Pillows: Place an extra pillow or two under your head while you sleep. The extra height under your head helps prevent fluid build-up under your eyes, which naturally occurs as you sleep.
Extra Sleep: If you haven't been getting enough sleep lately, then this is an obvious solution. While a few nights of little sleep will not create permanent dark circles under your eyes, it will accentuate any circles you already have. A lack of sleep makes you look paler and more hollow-eyed, so make sure to get extra shut-eye to minimize the appearance of under eye circles.
Sunscreen: Use a quality sunscreen on the area under your eyes. Sun exposure encourages the production of the skin pigment melanin. While tanned skin may help hide under eye circles temporarily, in the long run, excess skin pigmentation in the under eye area contributes to the appearance of dark circles.
Under Eye Cream: Under eye creams can also help to reduce eye puffiness and dark circles under the eye. Make sure to look for a cream that not only moisturizes, but also targets under eye circles. (Hint: Check out our under eye cream recommendation.)