Why We Get Dark Circles Under Our Eyes

Getting a poor night’s rest isn’t the only reason you get dark circles under your eyes!

Many of us have seen those pesky dark circles or bags under our eyes and blame it on a lack of sleep. But there’s actually more to it than that!

The Skin Under Your Eyes Is Very Thin

The skin underneath and around your eyes is much thinner than the skin on the rest of your body. On average, it’s about 0.5 mm thick, while the skin on other parts of your body is around 2 mm thick. Because it is so thin, it’s much easier to see blood vessels underneath, making your skin appear darker in that area. But why are dark circles worse at some times than at others, and what causes them to appear in the first place?

Dark Circles Can Have A Variety Of Causes

Contrary to popular belief, dark circles are caused by more than just fatigue. They can be caused by a number of other issues, such as:

Allergies–When your body releases histamines in response to allergies, your blood vessels can dilate, causing dark circles under your eyes to appear worse.
Eczema–Rubbing or itching the sensitive skin around your eyes can cause swelling and inflammation, and sometimes blood vessels to break, causing dark circles.
Age–The skin underneath our eyes thins as we get older, making it even more transparent.
Sun exposure–If our skin isn’t protected from the sun, our bodies produce more melanin, the pigment that gives skin its color. This can sometimes cause the skin around the eyes to appear darker.
Heredity–Some people have more prominent dark circles than others simply because of genetics.
Pigmentation issues–Certain conditions such as Periorbital Hyperpigmentation can result in an increased amount of melanin to be produced around the eyes.
Loss of fat– Over time, we lose orbital fat the same way a child will lose the plump baby fat that makes them so cute. This loss in plumpness plus light projected from above or below our eyes can produce a shadow.

Take Care Of Yourself

For most people, dark circles can be treated with cold compresses, which help dilated blood vessels and puffiness go down–this is usually why people put cucumbers on their eyes! You can also make sure to take your allergy medication if you suffer from hay fever as well as get some well-deserved shut eye. And as always, don’t forget to wear sunscreen!

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning a little bit more about your body today and why we get dark circles under our eyes! Do you have any other burning questions about your eyes or your vision? Let us know and we’ll be sure to address them!

Thank you for being such wonderful patients!

Top image by Flickr user Daniel X. O’Neil used under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 4.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.