How to get rid of dark eye circles reddit

(Resubmitted, the original post was removed "for lack of a descriptive question in the title.")

So here's the deal, ladies. I'm a young guy, 25. I get plenty of sleep--8 hours per day as a bare minimum, usually closer to 10. My life and attitude are very low-stress. I spend plenty of time outdoors. I take vitamins. Yet I have these dark raccoon circles under my eyes that make me look like a tired, overworked old man.

How do I make them go away? Is there some sort of cream that will help with this?

I'll say flat-out that I'm not interested in concealing the circles, so please don't suggest make-up products. (Call me hopelessly old-fashioned, but I'm pretty firm in my conviction that guys shouldn't wear makeup. And in fact, I absolutely love it when a girl says "screw the media-industrial complex and their 'you are not good enough' propaganda" and goes makeup-free).

I'm just wondering if you ladies know of any sort of non-makeup method (Pond's cream, moisturizer, home remedies, whatever) to reduce the appearance of the dark circles. I have absolutely zero knowledge of cosmetic products--I don't even use lotion or hair products--so feel free to explain this to me like I am a drooling moron. Thanks.

Edit for updates and clarification, with lots of info that may/may not contribute to diagnosis:

• I do not smoke (except for a pipe, grandpa-style, maybe once a month) or do drugs. I'll occasionally drink socially, but I have not had more than two drinks in one night since for maybe three years now.

• I do suffer from allergies. I recieved shots for about 6 years growing up and I still take Clarinex D on a daily basis, and occasionally take eye drops for itchy eyes. Would treatment for allergy-induced eye discoloration go beyond this? Or could I rule out allergies as the cause based on the fact that the problem persists while allergy treatment is ongoing. I do live in a major East Coast city, so I'm well aware that air quality could probably be better.

• I do suffer from a vitamin D deficiency, and I take 4000 IU's per day to compensate. My lab results are normal, but could this be related?

• My skin is on the dark side, thanks to Native Hawaiian blood on my mom's side, and naturally very tolerant of sunlight--I've never worn sunscreen, I can spend day after day outdoors without a sunburn, and I barely even develop a tan.

• It's been a pretty bitter winter here, so I haven't spent much time outdoors of late. But during spring, summer, and fall, I spend as much time as possible working and playing outdoors. The dark circles are present year-round.

What Are Dark Circles?

It's a condition characterized by darkness around the eyes and possesses many names: Periorbital Dark Circles, Infraorbital Venous Stasis, Infraorbital Dark Circle, etc. etc.

What Causes Them?

There are unfortunately, many and endless lists of causes. Some causes aren't even related to skincare and are more health related. The general assumption is that this happens as you age or just have a genetic disposition to it, but other reasons can contribute it.

This study as an example lists: overproduction of melanin, an allergy reaction through the skin, swelling of the eye area, visible veins either due to thin skin or them being closer to the surface and muscles weakening.

This study on fatigue and facial appearance notes that lack of sleep and general fatigue has a link with dark circles.

This study talks about how Anemia was one of the causes but more commonly iron deficiency anemia. Stress seems to result with dark circles. Hormone Imbalances may have some ties. They also talk about how those with Myopia may end up with dark circles due to exhausting the muscles in their eyes.

This study refutes that lack of sleep and lifestyle (drinking, smoking, etc.) causes dark circles. And says that it's mainly genetics playing at hand. And that blood deoxygenation and overproduction of melanin are the leading causes. The study also believes that the geometry of the face matters as it may cast a shadow around the eye area.

Poor blood circulation can also cause you to look pale, sickly and in some cases causes problem areas to look bluish. Which may result with dark circles, according to this study if it's happening around your eyes.

How Do We Treat Them?

Treatment will vary and depends entirely on the reason why you have the eye circles in the first place.

Topical solutions will be of no help if you're anemic, lack sleep, constantly stressed, depressed, hormones are on fire, the muscles around your eye are growing weak due to age or other issues, caused by allergic reactions, etc. You would have to speak to professionals about these and/or learn to take better care of yourself.

It's important to note that some of the reasons above can cause things like melanin overproduction. In that case topical problems will aid with the results, but not the cause of the problems.

If the issue is thin skin around the area, then ingredients that boost skin renewal and collagen would be beneficial.

There are however some studied ingredients that do target specific causes for dark circles:

• Chemical Peels: In the study they specifically used a peel with a combination of trichloroacetic TCA 3.75% and lactic acid 15%. [Helps with pigmentation and thin skin by increasing skin renewal.]

• Caffeine: It stimulates the blood circulation around the eyes and also accelerates the flow of blood in the capillaries around the eyes. The test uses 3% caffeine and vitamin K in Emu oil bases. [Increases blood circulation.]

• Vitamin K: The use of 1% vitamin K combined with retinol 0.15% for the treatment of periorbital hyperpigmentation, demonstrated that this preparation was effective in the treatment of under-eye circles in 93% of the patients studied. [Increases blood circulation.]

• Vitamin C: The study used 10% sodium ascorbate, the aim was to use the collagen boosting effects of Vitamin C to treat dark circles. They also used ascorbic acid glucoside, but it didn't show any relevant results. [Increases skin thickness]

Outside of products there are actually a wide range of effective cosmetic procedures available to treat this issue: Intense Pulsed Light, Q Switched Lasers, Pulsed Dye Lasers, Radiofrequency Treatments, Tattoos, HA Gel fillers, etc.

Conclusion

Dark circles are a broad topic with multitude of causes and with multitude of solutions. If you find that nothing topical has helped, it may be much more worth it to seek a specialist or consider that something in your lifestyle is causing the issue.

How can I permanently remove dark circles?

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