Under Eye Dark Circles

This complex problem is one of the most challenging in cosmetic medicine.  So many factors contribute to this embarrassing presentation and can make you look old, tired, or hung over. While environmental issues such as allergies, alcohol intake, hydration, extreme weight loss, rubbing your eyes, and insufficient sleep can contribute, this dilemma is primarily hereditary and worsens with aging.

The skin under the eyes is the thinnest on the body and thus allows the purple/red dark underlying tissues to be more visible.  A tenancy toward even thinner more translucent skin can be inherited. As we age the skin gets thinner and thinner.  Additionally, fat around the eye area atrophies with aging, further compounding the problem.

The single greatest defense in reversing dark circles is to fortify the skin with nourishing agents to thicken it, thus concealing the underlying darkness.  An excellent product for this kind of nourishment to produce collagen and elastin is OBAGI's ELASTIDERM.   Additonally, LASER TREATMENTS to encourage skin turnover and thickening are recommended.

Sometimes a vessel repair cream can help if broken capillaries are involved such as GLYMED's ROSACEA RELIEF.  Bleaching agents do not offer relief as this is not a hyperpigmentation problem.  Some experts recommend retinoid agents to encourage skin turnover; however, they are generally too irritating on this thin fragile skin.