How to Remove Darkness From Under the Eye

Concealer can temporarily remove dark eye circles.

Dark under-eye circles can be caused by everything from lack of sleep and aging, to vitamin deficiencies and underlying medical conditions -- such as kidney or liver disease. The darkened area under your eyes makes you look tired and fatigued, even when this is not the case. Instead of hiding behind sunglasses, there are various things your can do to eliminate dark circles under your eyes.

Instructions

1. Apply a hydrating eye cream to your under-eye area on a daily basis. Look for eye creams that contain alphahydroxy acids, vitamin C or vitamin K, because these plump the under eye area and add volume resulting in reduced under-eye shadow.

2. Dot your under-eye area with concealer and use your ring and middle finger to gently pat and distribute the cream over the darkened area. Dust translucent, loose facial powder over the concealer to set it.

3. Apply a topical bleaching cream to your under-eye circles to lighten and remove them. Bleaching creams work on under-eye discolorations caused by hyper pigmentation, which occurs when your body produces an excess of melanin, due to sun exposure.

4. Undergo laser resurfacing treatment, intense pulsed light treatment or a chemical peel. These in-office procedures all remove the damaged top layer of skin, so there is room for new skin to grow. Capillaries, noticeable veins and pigmentation, that can cause darkness under your eyes, are removed. Multiple treatments may be needed to get the desired results.

5. Get dermal fillers injected into the skin underneath your eyes. Dermal fillers fill in the hollow, shadowed areas underneath your eyes and eliminate the dark circles. Fillers last up to six months and to maintain the results, repeat treatments are required.

Tips & Warnings

• Consult your doctor to determine the cause of your under-eye darkness. If it's determined that a vitamin deficiency, medical condition or disturbed sleep pattern is responsible for the discoloration, the appropriate treatment is required to eliminate the dark circles.

References

• The New York Times: Puttin g'You Look Tired' To Rest; Katie Zezima; Jun. 2008
• DocShop: Undereye Circles
• Style Chicago: Concealing Under Eye Circles
• Facial Rejuvenation: Under Eye Dark Circles Treatment
• MayoClinic: Laser Resurfacing - What You Can Expect; May 2009
• Derma Doctor: Intense Pulse Light; Kori Ellis