Have dark circles around your eyes? This is probably what's causing them (2024)

UPDATED: Oct 18, 2016 17:08 IST

Remember how mom used to ask us to not stay up till late, to avoid the dreaded dark circles?

Most of us believe that dark circles around the eyes are caused by tiredness, sleep deprivation or staring at the screen for long hours. But we have some news for you: even if you've been sleeping for 8 or more hours, you can be plagued with zombie eyes.

Watch: The best beauty hack to hide dark circles uses a red lipstick

Contrary to popular belief, dark circles are not caused JUST by exhaustion; the truth is much beyond that. According to nakedscientist.com, the dark skin under your eyes is a result of body fluid problems that appear as darkness or as puffiness. The bags may occur when fluid accumulates in the area under the eyes and this is where the skin is thinner than anywhere else on the body. With age, the puffiness may become more prominent or permanent. This is because the skin gradually loses its elasticity and may begin to sag. Now, what appears as dark or blue-black tint, the circles around the eyes, is actually blood passing through the veins which are located just below the surface of the skin. So, here are a good set of reasons that you might just see those circles darkening further.

1. Genes

Heredity can be one of the major reason you have prominent dark circles around your eyes. Genes can be a boon when you get lustrous hair from your mother, but they can be a pain if you get those dark circles to go with them!

2. Aging

The skin under the eyes is extremely delicate. Aging leads to facial skin become less voluminous, which can cause shadows and create the illusion of under eye bags. As one gets older (as mentioned above), the skin tends to become thinner and the blood vessels become more evident, making the skin look darker.

3. Sleep deprivation

Working too late? Binge watching your favorite shows on the laptop? It is no secret that falling short on your 8-hour sleep mandate can cause circles under your eyes to become more evident. Lack of sleep causes the blood vessels under the thin skin of the eyes to dilate, giving it a darker tint.

4. Less water intake

When your body is dehydrated, the skin loses its elasticity, making the skin under the eyes look transparent. Excessive sweating, alcohol use and exercise can drop the level of water in your body. This lack of water leads to sunken eyelids. Thus, it is usually said that one should consume minimum 8 to 10 glasses of water in a day.

5. Lack of nutrition

According to dailymail.co.uk, increased vegetable intake provides the body with fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to support detoxification. Maintaining healthy eating habits makes your skin look better over all, including your under-eye area.

6. Anemia

Anemia, caused by iron deficiency, is one of the most common causes of dark circles. Iron is vital for the production of hemoglobin in the body. Low iron levels in the body means poor supply of oxygenated blood to the skin under your eyes.

7. Sun exposure

Direct exposure to the sun causes pigmentation, especially around the skin under your eyes. Increased sun exposure is known to cause more production of melanin, giving the sensitive skin around the eyes a darker colour.

8. Smoking/alcohol

Cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption can cause adverse effects on the skin. Smoking is not just terrible for your heart and lungs, it also leads to premature aging of the skin, making the skin around your eyes look dull.