What Causes Brown Circles Around Eyes?

What Causes Brown Circles Around Eyes
Dark circles under your eyes happen when the skin beneath both eyes appears darkened. It’s different from bruising around one eye from an injury or redness and swelling in one eye caused by an infection. Dark circles under your eyes usually are not a sign of a medical problem.

Dark circles under the eyes are usually caused by being tired. Sometimes, what appear to be dark circles under your eyes may merely be shadows cast by puffy eyelids or hollows under your eyes that develop as a normal part of aging. Dark circles under the eyes usually aren’t a medical problem. If discoloration and swelling appear under just one eye and seem to get worse over time, talk to your primary care doctor.

If you want a more lasting solution than concealers and over-the-counter creams can provide, see a dermatologist for advice. Depending on what’s causing the circles under your eyes, your doctor may recommend prescription creams or a combination of treatments to erase or reduce discoloration.

Do dark circles mean anemia?

Dark Eye Circles How do we get dark circles and how do we get rid of them? It’s disheartening to look in the mirror and see dark circles under your eyes. You might expect them after pulling an all-nighter, but what if those pesky shadows don’t seem to go away even with a full night’s rest? It turns out it’s not just a lack of sleep that can bring them on with genetics being most at fault.

But don’t despair–it’s not too difficult to make them go away or at least appear lighter.
What are they? In most cases, dark eye circles are blood vessels under the eyes that can be seen through the skin.
Since deoxygenated blood is blue, when it passes close to the surface of the skin it gives off a bluish tint.

What causes them? Genetics If you’re fair skinned, unfortunately you can add dark eye circles after sunburns to your list of skin-related issues. Fair skin is more transparent allowing more of the blue tint of the blood vessels to show through. Other inherited traits that contribute to dark eye circles are having thinner skin than most, Periorbital Hyperpigmentaiton, and deep-set bone structure which can cause shadowing around the eyes.

Age As we get older, skin loses collagen and thins out causing it to become more translucent.
Skin also begins to sag which can cause shadowing around the eyes.
Allergies The histamines released during an allergy attack inflame the blood vessels and cause swelling.
Rubbing the eyes due to itching doesn’t help either as it can cause broken blood vessels.

Illness and/or Medications Anemia or an iron deficiency can result in dark eye circles as not enough oxygen reaches the body’s tissues. Liver problems can also be a cause. Any medications that make blood vessels dilate can cause eye circles to darken as well.

Nasal Congestion According to the Mayo Clinic, nasal congestion can cause dark eye circles due to the veins that drain from your eyes to your nose becoming widened and darker.
Try a neti pot or a saline spray to release some of the pressure.
How to treat them There are some simple steps you can take to improve the appearance of dark eye circles.

What foods get rid of dark circles?

Foods high in iron – An iron deficiency – known as anaemia – hinders the supply of oxygen in body tissue and makes under-eye circles more pronounced. Include iron-rich foods such as soya beans, red meat, chia seeds, dried apricots and spinach in your diet.

Do dark circles get worse with age?

Who do dark circles under the eyes affect? – Dark circles under the eyes affect people of all ages, races and sexes. All can show varying levels of dark circles too. Dark circles under the eyes are more common in certain groups of people, though. These groups include:

Elderly people. People with a family history of dark circles under their eyes. People with darker skin tones.

Dark circles under your eyes can happen for many reasons. One of the most common causes of dark circles is aging. As you age, the below your eyes begins to loosen and thin out so the blood vessels under your skin may become more visible. This can darken the appearance of your under eyes.

Genetics: Studies have shown that dark circles under your eyes may run in families. Dermatitis: and can cause the blood vessels under your eyes to dilate and show through your skin. Rubbing your eyes: Rubbing and scratching your eyes can cause your under eyes to swell and your to break. Lack of sleep: Poor sleeping habits cause the skin under your eyes to appear pale. Your blood vessels can easily show through your skin. : Too much exposure to the sun triggers your body to make more melanin. Melanin is the substance (pigment) that gives your skin its color. : The skin under your eyes can start to look dull when you don’t drink enough water. Lifestyle factors: Other factors such as stress, and smoking can cause dark circles under your eyes.

There are many things you can do at home under your eyes. Home remedies may include:

Get more sleep: Try to get at least seven hours of each night to prevent shadows from appearing around your eyes. Use more pillows: Elevate your head with a couple of extra pillows to prevent fluid from collecting under your eyes at night. This may help with puffiness. Cold compress: Apply cold spoons to your eyes to help shrink dilated blood vessels. This can reduce and the appearance of dark circles. Cucumbers: Lay cucumber slices on your eyes. This can help with puffiness because cucumbers are full of water and vitamin C. Teabags: Place cold tea bags under your eyes. This can increase circulation because tea contains and antioxidants. Facials: Facials that include massage around the eye area can help improve circulation. Makeup: Use an under-eye concealer and makeup foundation to blend the color of your skin to cover your dark circles.

What does iron deficiency look like?

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Iron-Deficiency Anemia? – Symptoms of iron-deficiency anemia are related to decreased oxygen delivery to the entire body and may include:

Being pale or having yellow “sallow” skin Unexplained fatigue or lack of energy Shortness of breath or chest pain, especially with activity Unexplained generalized weakness Rapid heartbeat Pounding or “whooshing” in the ears Headache, especially with activity Craving for ice or clay – “picophagia” Sore or smooth tongue Brittle nails or hair loss

How do anemic eyes look?

Dark circles – Dark circles under your eyes are common and are most often due to lack of sleep, but in some cases, they could suggest other health issues. Iron deficiency can prevent your blood from carrying sufficient oxygen to your eye tissues. What Causes Brown Circles Around Eyes

Can Vitamin D deficiency cause dark circles under eyes?

1. Dull complexion – ‘Much like all organs, skin needs vital vitamins to function properly, and vitamin D is one of them,Vitamin D is primarily synthesised in skin which is exposed to UV light, if not achieved by diet or supplements. A dull complexion can be a sign of a lack of Vitamin D.

Can vitamin B12 cause dark circles under eyes?

A common cause of dark under-eye circles is low iron or B12. A B12 deficiency can result in poor oxygenation of bodily tissues and the effects of this are shown mostly under the eyes. Bluish veins around the eyes may be more visible.

Does Vitamin D help with dark circles?

The thin skin under the eyes allows fluid to build up and dark circles and puffy eyes to appear Photo: ALAMY A team of beauty scientists studied the eyes of 5,000 women throughout the seasons and found bags under the eyes were significantly darker during the colder months. They concluded the ageing process is caused by a lack of sunlight which brings paler skin and emphasises the bags.

This is made worse by a higher level of fatigue in the winter due to a lower level of Vitamin D, generated by the body in sunlight, and subsequently less serotonin, which is the body’s ‘feel good chemical’.
The conclusion was published in the wake of a clinical study by Adonia Organics during the product development stage of their Eye Therapy treatment cream.

Anti-ageing expert Dr Mark Binette said: ”More science is coming out linking the lack of Vitamin D and K as one of the causes that plagues us with dark circles and puffy eyes; especially as it relates to fatigue and immune related issues. ”Our research has shown that women are worried about the ageing effect of dark circles more so than wrinkles which are easier to tackle and overcome.

”Ten years ago women were searching for the next wrinkle attacking cream, it seems the market is more open now to alternative ageing signs such as dark circles.
”Lacking in Vitamins D and K has a considerable negative effect on the appearance of dark circles and puffy eyes and can age a woman by 4.7 years putting over ten per cent on a woman’s age of 40.

It might not be wrinkles or grey hair that ages you most, but dark circles under your eyes. Dark circles are one of the most common skin problems, and are often caused by tiny capillaries that leak blood beneath the surface of the skin. As this blood starts to oxidize, it turns an ugly dark blue colour similar to a bruise.

The thin skin under the eyes allows fluid to build up and dark circles and puffy eyes to appear.
This becomes more obvious in winter as skin becomes more transparent due to lack of sun and tanning.
In the summer dark circles are easier to hide as people suffer less from fatigue and the skin is lightly tanned.

Additionally, during the summer, we experience higher serotonin levels, which raises our mood, when the skin is exposed to sunlight. When sunlight is in short supply, our serotonin levels fall and we don’t have so much energy or so many good feelings.

The Adonia study, carried out during clinical trials at AMA Laboratories in New York, found 82 per cent suffered from dark circles and puffy eyes in the winter as opposed to just 38 per cent in the summer. The study was carried out among women aged 27 and 60 and the results were consistent across the board.

Researchers found women regain their youthful good looks in the summer once the cold, dark nights have eased. Adonia claim the cream which was developed following the study reduces the appearance of dark circles up to 58 per cent when used for three weeks.

No longer easily bruised: due to vitamins, probably vitamin D