Effective Home Remedies for Dark Eye Circles

Dark eye circles are dark patches of coloring that appear just beneath your eyes. The causes for dark eye circles are numerous and include causes such as lack of sleep, allergies, pallor, dehydration and aging. There are all-natural remedies you can implement at home in order to treat the underlying condition that cause dark eye circles, so you can improve your overall appearance and look refreshed.

Getting Adequate Sleep

• According to Dr. Leslie Baumann, the Director of Cosmetic Dermatology at the University of Miami and the author of Cosmetic Dermatology: Principles and Practice, getting adequate amounts of sleep each night is one of the best treatments for under-eye circles. The average adult requires at least eight hours of sleep every night in order to feel fully refreshed and for the healthiest skin possible. Dr. Baunmann suggests wearing sunscreen when outdoors to prevent further hyperpigmentation of under-eye skin.

Tending to Allergies

• When you have allergies, you tend to scratch at your itchy eyes and rub the delicate area just beneath your eyes. This can contribute to what Robert A. Norman, author of 100 Questions & Answers about Aging Skin, calls "allergic shiners." Broken capillaries are formed by excessive eye rubbing and these capillaries darken the surface of your under-eye skin. Use a cold compress to help constrict the blood vessels in the under-eye area. You can significantly diminish the darkened areas of skin as well as reduce any kind of swelling associated with your allergies.

  To treat allergic rhinitis, a condition that occurs when you breathe in a substance you are allergic to, you can consume Butterbur capsules at a dosage of 500 milligrams per day for a period of sixteen weeks. This herb is used to deal with bronchitis, asthma and hay fever. If food allergies are causing your symptoms, stop eating the food that is causing you difficulty. Use a standardized milk thistle extract at a dosage of 80 to 160 milligrams two to three times each day to help detoxify your body.

Counteracting Pallor

• During menstruation, pregnancy or times of inadequate sleep, your skin can become pale, and the pale skin contrasts with the darker skin around your under-eye area, making it seem even darker. Sometimes pallor is caused by an iron deficiency, too. Take an iron supplement to help diminish issues caused by an iron deficiency; men ages nineteen to fifty need 8 milligrams of iron each day; women of the same age need 18 milligrams daily. Everyone over fifty needs 8 milligrams of iron a day, and pregnant women need 27 milligrams of iron daily.

Getting Adequate Hydration

• Ensuring that you are adequately hydrated not only ensures the suppleness of your skin, but it also frees your body of unnecessary toxins. Consuming eight glasses of water every day is highly recommended if you seek to get dark eye circles under control. Moisturize your skin with a light lotion to maintain flexible and supple skin.

Fighting the Effects of Natural Aging

• As you age, your skin thins, and this natural thinning can make dark under-eye patches more prominent. Dr. Baumann asserts that the consumption of vitamin K supplements proves beneficial for some people who deal with under-eye circles. Vitamin K can be consumed as a daily supplement. Males require 120 micrograms per day; females require 90 micrograms daily; pregnant women and lactating women need 90 micrograms of Vitamin K daily.