


For under-eye bags caused by external factors, eye cream can be beneficial. But that doesn’t mean you should toss your favorite products. “If the dark eye circles result from your facial anatomy, you can't truly ‘get rid’ of them,” Dr. Why Eye Cream Isn’t EnoughĮye creams target common concerns like tightening, brightening, and depuffing, but they often aren’t enough to erase dark circles - particularly the ones caused by genetics or age. Certain medications like oral contraception, hormone therapies, psychiatric medications, iron, gold, and chemotherapy treatments can contribute to dark circles around the eyes.Įven so, “what we see most commonly is a combination of fatigue, volume loss around the eye, and a genetic component,” Dr. For some patients, culprits include eczema, contact dermatitis, or any airborne or food allergy. “Systemic conditions like wasting syndrome (weakness and wasting of the body due to severe chronic illness), gastrointestinal disease, thyroid dysfunction, vitamin K deficiency, hormonal abnormalities, and heart and kidney disease can also cause this type of dark discoloration,” Dr. Less commonly, certain medical conditions can impact the under eye.

Alcohol consumption, smoking, and excessive intake of caffeinated beverages can exacerbate darkness, too. “Fatigue, stress, exhaustion of the muscles around the eye, and aging may also play a significant role,” Dr. As we lose volume in our faces, dark eye circles can become more prominent.īut dark circles aren’t always hereditary. The natural aging process can also play a role in the appearance of the under-eye area. “The make-up of your face can cause some people to have eyes that are more ‘sunken,’ which then leads to shadowing that appears as dark circles under their eyes,” explains Orit Markowitz, MD, a board certified dermatologist in NYC. In fact, facial anatomy is the most common cause of dark circles. “First, there may be a genetic component,” Dr. In order to know how to treat dark circles, you need to know what’s causing them. So, what are the best treatment options for dark circles and under-eye bags? Here, two dermatologists share their solutions for brighter eyes. “Since dark under-eye circles are often due to a combination of causes, we often need more than an eye cream to get notable improvement,” says Amanda Doyle, MD, a New York City-based board certified dermatologist. So much for beauty sleep.ĭarkness and bags under the eyes most often appear due to lack of sleep, dehydration, and genetic predisposition, and eye cream alone is rarely enough to treat them. Instead, you wake to find dark circles under the eyes that make you look tired and worn out. When you go to sleep at night, you expect to wake up to skin that looks rejuvenated and energized - especially if you take your nightly skincare routine seriously.
