Why dark circle creams aren’t the complete solution

Under eye dark circles or simply, dark circles, are probably the number one concern that plagues most of us!

While this can happen due to external factors like long hours of screen time, lack of sleep and stress, the more common cause is our ethnic make up and our genetic tendency. For example, a study done in India’s 4 metros found almost every participant in the study perceived that they had dark circles. In these women, the colour of the skin around the eyes was darker than the skin over the cheeks.

Why is this so?

Though the mental image for most of us, is that dark circles are due to increased pigmentation in the skin around the eyes. In reality, that is just one of the causes – we call that as the ‘ Pigmentary’ variant of periorbital melanosis or periorbital hyperpigmentation – POH.

There are other common variants too. The structural variant is seem very often too, and this is due to the hollowing seen under the eyes, as a normal anatomical feature in our ethnicity. We call this as a tear trough deformity, where we see a depression or hollowing just under the lower lid. Now this produces a shadow effect, which enhances the appearance of dark circles. This is also more commonly seen in those with larger eyes. Most people who do think they have dark circles, have a well defined structural defect which they are not aware of, until the dermatologist demonstrates it to them during the consultation!

The next type is the vascular type. Here an increased network of blood vessels, veins and arteries are present in the area around the eye in some individuals, which leads to an appearance of dark circles.

Most commonly, people have a mix of these different underlying causes – what we call the mixed type. The treatment of this then depends on the most dominant factor that is evident in a given person.

The most common myth or misconception is that dark circles would improve by using creams. While there may be some improvement with creams that increase hydration, most often the pigmentation is at a deeper layer and improves very little. And unless the structural factors are addressed to a certain extent, the hollowness and the appearance of dark circles may not improve much.

Simple aspects like having lesser or shorter lashes, also appear as dull, tired eyes, even though there may not be a pigmentation issue at all. Similarly, drooping of the upper eyelid due to age related sagging may also contribute to feeling that eye region is dull, tired and dark. So usually, a holistic plan needs to be made after assessing all contributing factors.

But to start with, here are 5 good DIY steps for dark circles.

• Avoid rubbing, scrubbing the area around the eye. This leads to increased pigmentation and skin roughness, which is counterproductive.

• Make sure to remove any trace of make up completely, before going to bed. Use a proper biphasic make up remover to reduce the amount of friction needed to remove product. And yes, Kajal is makeup!

• Use good quality sun protection – wear a sunscreen regularly and don’t forget to cover the area around the eyes. If you are experiencing burning sensation or itching, move from a chemical sunscreen to a physical sunscreen. If you are experiencing dryness, add a moisturizer before you apply sunscreen. Definitely wear sunglasses!

• This one is a no brainer – but most of us get it wrong. Get off the screen, and into a better sleep routine.

• While there are definite treatments that help in treating dark circles, it is unrealistic to expect the same colour skin tone over the eyelids and the cheeks. This is because, the eyelids are anatomically designed to move over your eyes, while the cheeks do no such thing. Also, underneath the cheek there lies yellow colour fat, while underneath the eyelids there lies dark brown red muscle. The skin over the cheek is thick, while that of the eyelids is the thinnest in the face. So with these many anatomical differences, it is not realistic to expect the same skin colour tone. But these natural aspects are what make the face attractive as it is. So go ahead, and be comfortable in your skin!

— Dr Renita Rajan, Chief Consultant Dermatologist, RENDER Skin and Hair