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8 Ways to Lighten the Visibility of Dark Circles Under Your Eyes
Noticed dark circles appearing under your eyes?
This could be down to a few different reasons. A lack of sleep is one of the most common but allergies, hyperpigmentation, dehydration, and aging cause these dark shadows to appear as well. Genetics play a part too – if dark circles run in your family, then your genes could be partly to blame.
If you’re not sure what the cause of your dark circles is, or you suspect that they could be due to multiple factors, don’t worry – Vine Vera is about to share eight ways to lighten the visibility of dark circles and shadows under your eyes!
1. Start Using an Eye Serum…and Pick the Right One!
One of the first steps that you should take after noticing dark circles under your eyes is to add an eye serum to your skincare routine. If you’re already using one, make sure that it’s a formula capable of tackling the appearance of hyperpigmentation. Eye serums can be designed for various purposes, from dealing with the look of puffiness and fine lines to lightening the visibility of dark circles. If yours doesn’t contain proven complexion-lightening ingredients, then it’s unlikely to be able to noticeably help.
How do you know if an eye serum is going to make a difference to the dark circles that you see?
There are certain ingredients to keep an eye out for. Some of the most important are licorice root extract, vitamin C, resveratrol, and peptides. We’ve used all four in the Vine Vera Resveratrol Eye Collection Age Defying Eye Serum. Not only will this potent blend help to make your dark circles look less visible in a matter of weeks, but it will also soften the appearance of fine lines.
For best results, make sure that your skin has been thoroughly cleansed before using your eye serum. Any dirt or sebum on your skin will only block your serum from penetrating through.
2. Add More Vitamin C to Your Skincare Routine
Vitamin C is a fantastic ingredient to turn to if you’re struggling with dark circles. Research shows that this antioxidant is able to significantly reduce the visibility of dark circles while also leaving the eye area feeling thicker and stronger. It has an overall brightening effect on the complexion too, leaving the skin with a radiant glow.
Ideally, the eye serum that you’re using contains vitamin C, just like the eye serum featured above does. However, if you want to see results as soon as possible, try adding the ingredient into other stages of your skincare routine too.
For example, with the Resveratrol Vitamin C Cleanser, you’ll be giving your skin a splash of the antioxidant as soon as you start your skincare routine. You could then follow up with the Resveratrol Vitamin C Serum, which combines two forms of the ingredient. Add your vitamin C-infused eye serum into the mix and top it all off with the Resveratrol Vitamin C Moisturizer. By giving your skin vitamin C in so many different layers, the ingredient will be able to work its magic on your complexion so much more efficiently!
3. Gently Exfoliate Your Eye Area
As we mentioned earlier, dark circles will often fade on their own. Over time, the skin will shed those layers of discolored cells. One way to speed things up is by exfoliating your skin. This removes the outer layer, allowing the layer below to show through sooner.
With that said, the eye area is very fragile – much more so than the rest of the face. Many of the more abrasive or acidic facial exfoliators won’t be suitable for the delicate skin here. Use the wrong product and you could end up making your dark circles even worse.
So, what’s the solution?
The Vine Vera Resveratrol Vitamin C Peeling. It makes use of mandelic acid, the gentlest of the alpha-hydroxy acids, combining this with bamboo powder, which will physically exfoliate without tearing or irritating your skin. Even better, it’s packed with vitamin C. As we discussed earlier, this ingredient is worth incorporating into several steps of your skincare routine. Using an exfoliator that contains it gives your skin one extra layer of this hard-working antioxidant.
4. Invest in an LED Light Therapy Skincare Device
Topical skincare combined with the other tips we’re about to share is often enough to fade the appearance of dark circles. However, if you’d like to take things a step further, consider investing in an LED light therapy skincare device.
LED light therapy is renowned for the numerous ways in which it can help the skin. One of these is its ability to lighten the look of hyperpigmentation. This applies to all forms of hyperpigmentation, including dark circles.
LED skincare devices are available in many shapes and sizes. Ideally, you want one that has been designed specifically for the eye area. This will ensure that it’s capable of accommodating the various contours around the eyes.
The Photonix-2 Jade Eye Wand is one such device. It offers two LED wavelengths; red and blue. Both colors are beneficial when it comes to lightening the look of dark circles, making this device perfect. Start with red and then switch to blue and you should start to see some improvements soon!
5. Stay Hydrated
Dehydration can lead to a number of different skin concerns, one of which is dark circles. This is due to how the skin starts to look sunken when it lacks moisture. Since the eye area sits so near to the underlying bone, this results in the skin taking on a darker and more shadowy appearance.
If dehydration is your issue, then there are two steps that you need to take to turn things around. The first is to hydrate your body. Make an effort to drink more water – aim for the recommended eight glasses a day. Including more water-rich foods in your diet, such as watermelon, cucumber, celery, and lettuce, will help to give your hydration levels a boost too.
The next stage is giving your skin some extra hydration. While drinking more water will benefit the inner layers of your skin, there often isn’t much moisture left by the time this filters out to the outer layers of your skin.
This is why the use of hydrating skincare products can sometimes be a game-changer for those struggling with the appearance of dark circles. Ingredients like sodium hyaluronate, collagen, glycerin, seaweed, and peptides all have moisture-binding properties that leave the skin feeling plumper and fuller, with dark circles looking less noticeable.
For best results, find yourself a serum that contains several hydrating ingredients, such as the Vine Vera Resveratrol Chianti Revival Serum. It features all of the must-haves mentioned above, along with kojic acid. This ingredient is revered for how it lightens the look of hyperpigmentation, enabling this serum to help with the visibility of dark spots in multiple ways.
6. Eat Foods Rich in Iron and Vitamin B12
If your diet is lacking in iron and/or vitamin B12, dark circles can arise. The deficiency causes poor oxygenation in your body’s tissues, resulting in those bluish veins becoming more pronounced. Since the skin under the eyes is so thin and near to the bone, that darker tone is more visible in this area, causing shadows under the eyes.
Although supplements are available and can be helpful in the short term, try incorporating more natural sources of these nutrients into your diet. Animal foods are packed with vitamin B12, from meat to eggs to dairy products. Plant-based foods don’t naturally contain the nutrient, but there are fortified options available. Meanwhile, you’ll find large amounts of iron in red meat, beans, and nuts.
7. Adjust Your Sleeping Habits
If you’ve had a poor night’s sleep and wake up with dark circles under your eyes, then the cause is clearly sleep deprivation. This affects the skin in a couple of ways…
Firstly, a lack of sleep can cause the skin to turn pale and dull. This means that the blood vessels underneath the skin look more prominent. With the eye area already being very thin, those blood vessels show through more noticeably, resulting in dark circles.
Sleep deprivation also leads to fluid building up under the eyes. This makes the area look puffy, resulting in dark shadows being cast.
The simple solution to this is to make an effort to get better sleep. Studies show that this alone can lessen the appearance of dark circles while also improving the skin’s overall health. Aim for seven to eight hours of quality sleep each night and you should immediately see a difference in your complexion.
Elevating your head more while you sleep can help too. This encourages blood to travel downward, away from the face, which leaves the eye area looking lighter and brighter.
8. Use Makeup to Your Advantage
If you’ve woken up with dark circles and need them gone ASAP, you can always turn to makeup. Concealers and color correctors are the best tools for the job. The shade that you pick to counter-balance your dark circles should be influenced by your skin tone:
- Peach tones for light skin
- Yellow tones for medium skin
- Orange tones for dark skin
Start by applying your color correcting shade and then follow up with a concealer. Ideally, use your fingers, rather than a makeup brush, when working on dark circles. The warmth from your fingertips will encourage the product to melt into your skin, giving you a much more seamless finish.
Once you’re done, finish off with a setting powder to lock your makeup in place and save you from having to touch it up throughout the day. A powder with light-reflecting minerals can be particularly beneficial as it will give your skin an extra glow!
Summary
Although dark circles aren’t harmful in any way, they’re a sign that your skin isn’t happy. Whether this is due to dehydration, a lack of sleep, aging, or anything else, putting things right should be your priority. Sure, makeup will help temporarily but getting to the root of the problem is the best way to ensure that you’re able to get rid of the appearance of your dark circles for good!
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