Dark Circles- Lighten the Darker Side

Tired of using innumerous concealers to hide your dark circles? Are you one of those who has spent huge amount on expensive eye creams, but all in vain? Do you get nerves looking at the mirror when you see those bags under the eyes? Beautiful eyes catch everybody’s attention and dark circles under them obscure their beauty. With the increasing stress in our lives we are becoming more prone to dark circles. Either we don’t have ample time to relax or we are stressed enough to not have a sound sleep. It makes us look tired, older, depressed and sick. Our skin is the mirror of our health. Dark circles or any skin problem for that matter is the indicator of internal imbalance. The problem might be in the kidneys or organs like adrenal glands. And, with the de-vitalization of these glands, allergies are prevalent. With age, these dark circles are likely to become permanent and more noticeable. So, act now and prevent yourself from the tainted skin. Lets see how!

CAUSES

The area around eyes is most susceptive to aging as compared to other areas. This facial flaw can be because of insufficient sleep, deficiency of Vitamin K, inherited tendency, aging, or because of some temporary changes in blood vessels under the eyes. Any medication that dilates your blood vessels can cause dark circles. The main reason for this is the delicacy of the under-eye skin. Being the thinnest skin of the body, an increase in blood, shows through the skin in the form of dark circles. Also, during pregnancy and menstruation the skin becomes pale and the veins become visible appearing to be dark circles. In some cases it might be the consequence of chronic skin condition such as atopic eczema or chronic sinus infection, recurring cold. Occasionally, dark eyelids may appear because of swelling in lower eyelids also. Over-exposure to sun is another factor inviting under eye circles. Another cause of dark circles is skin pigmentation. This pigmentation can be present by birth or may develop later in life. Some allergies can also cause the pigmentation problem. These can be related to medications such as oral estrogens.

The cause for dark circle varies from individual to individual. There is a long list of such causes and each has a different approach for improvement. Unfortunately, there is no one magic wand for all dark circles. Each individual needs to be dealt in a different manner and so is the cause of his/her dark circle problem. Keeping the fact in mind along with the list of causes for dark circles, there are various solutions.

CURE

The very first step to eliminate dark circles is to identify the problem. In case you choose to use medicated lotion or sunscreen, ensure that you are using the right one, so that you don’t land up into a complimentary problem. Once you know the cause of the dark circles around your eyes, you can take an apt approach to cure it. Few things that you can apply to preclude and curb dark circles problem are:

Sleep well for 8 hours – At least 8 hours sleep is essential for your body. And, lack of sleep not only affects your health but your skin too. Sleep with your head slightly elevated (when you’re lying flat, gravity causes fluid to collect in your lower eyelids, which may create shadows).

The magic mantra – Drink water! The best thing for any skin problem is to include 2 liters of water in daily regimen. Water is the best healer and gives you a clean and supple skin. If you have a daily intake of coffee or any other caffeine-based beverages, drink at least 2 glasses of water to flush it out. Replace soda with fresh water, preferably spring water.

Relax and meditate – The best healing therapy is to meditate and do yoga, especially the inverted asana postures are recommended. Sarvangasana done daily and Jal Neti five times a week helps to lighten the dark circles.

Eat healthy – Eat vitamin and iron rich food, especially Vitamin K and E. Include green leafy vegetables and fruits in your nutrition regimen. Inclusion of Vitamin K in your diet will help restoring under-eye blood vessel strength. Dump the junk food habit and replace it with raw fruits. Remember, you are what you eat!

Tea bags and cucumber therapy – Cucumber is one thing after water that works for most of the dark-circle factors. Put cucumber slices or wet tea bags on your eyes. This will reduce swelling and decrease inflammation. Tea bags help eradicating puffiness and dark circles by rejuvenating eyes. You can even dip cotton balls in chilled water and keep them on your eyes for 5-10 minutes.

And, some quick pointers….

• Put the mixture of honey and milk on dark circles. This reduces dark circles. You can even use a paste of almonds and honey for the same.
• Have tomato juice with mint leaves, lemon juice and salt. This will help you get rid of those dark skin flaws.
• Apply night creams before you go to bed. Use creams with antioxidants such as green tea and grape seed extracts, and Vitamin C, E and K.
• Use a sunscreen lotion and put sun glasses before you go out in sun.
• Practice pranayam for five minutes everyday. This reduces dark circles and gives you a radiant skin.
• Avoid fatty and sugary food and quit smoking.
• For quick cover up, use yellow-base concealer. This will neutralize the dark areas. This is not a permanent solution, but a perfect quick fix for an urgent meeting or a special day.

Use these methods, and let others perspire because of your gorgeous and clean face!