Poll posted by BR Natalie
Many a wordsmith has waxed lyrical about a woman's eyes. The windows to the soul. Shining bright like the stars. All that kind of stuff.
As lovely as that sentiment is, I'm guessing that these poets didn't look at our eyes after a heavy night, a tiring week or 5 years of being a parent. They certainly wouldn't be seeing windows or stars, more bags big enough to carry our groceries in, and circles so dark they'd be comparing us to a black hole in space.
If there's any part of your face that'll give the game away it's your eyes. Whether you're tired, stressed, ill, dehydrated, hungover or just getting older, your eye area will show it.
"Late night?", "You look tired", "What were you doing last night?" Three sentences guaranteed to make you curse your preorbital dark circles.
What are dark circles?
Simply put, dark circles are the blood vessels under your skin. Blood pools there for a number of reasons (commonly due to slower circulation, especially when you're tired) and the blood accumulation will eventually cause the capillaries to stretch and leak.
What causes dark circles?
Genetics. If you've inherited fair or thin skin under the eyes, it’s more obvious when blood pools there. So thin skin + tired girl = major dark circles.
Age. Aging causes skin to lose collagen, sag and thin, so veins show through more prominently. Exposure to sun speeds up this process by breaking down collagen and mottling skin color. (In case you needed another reason to slap on the sunscreen!)
Seasonal allergies. Allergies trigger the release of histamines in the body, which in turn inflame blood vessels and cause swelling.
How do I know the cause?
Look at your relations - it should be easy to tell if they're inherited. A simple test is to gently stretch the skin under your eyes. If that area becomes darker, the circles are probably due to genetics or aging. If the color doesn’t change, UV rays or allergies are probably the cause.
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Oh that makes sense now... it is blood pooling under the eyes. I never knew that. My dark eyes are definitely caused by a mix of thin skin and tiredness! I habe never found a product that can do anything about it though - I just cover with concealer.