How do I get rid of the dark circles under my eyes?

Question

First off, a little information about me to hopefully help you help me. :-)

I'm a male, so no makeup to cover them up. I get over 9 hours of sleep a night. I work out 7 days a week and eat well. My stress level is moderate. I really don't have allergies either. I also don't drink or use any type of drugs.

Anyway, I have had dark circles under my eyes for a very long time now. I am very self conscious about them. People are all the time asking me if I'm tired and or worse yet, am I on drugs. I have tried all sorts of creams (expensive, cheap, and in between), but none have worked. Is there anything else I can do besides using cucumber slices and/or Prep. H cream around my eyes? Thank you for your help!

Answer 1

Dab vasaline (dont rub) under your eyes before bed, you can put it on your lips too!

Answer 2

Buy a box of regular, old fashioned unflavored gelatin (e.g. Knox) from grocery store. Take a small cup or bowl and put in 1 teaspoon of the gelatin mix. Add one tablespoon of boiling water & stir for a minute. Test it on your wrist to make sure it is not too hot. Then, using a cotton ball, pat it under your eyes as you would an eye cream or gel. Go lie down and listen to some music, or take a bath & let it stay on for at least 30 minutes. Then just rinse it off.Gelatin is very high in Vitamin K & Biotin. It will not remove your dark circles on the first application (but you will notice a difference), but if you do it daily for a week, and then 2-3 times a week for maintenance, you should notice a drastic reduction in dark circles.
Fore more home remedies and tips to reduce dark circles, visit http://www.mydarkcirclesblog.com/2007/01/01/special-spa-home-remedy-to-reduce-dark-circles/

Answer 3

Hello! I saw your question and thought that I could give you some insight into your dark circle issue. I'm a Professional Makeup Artist with over 11 years experience in the field. I've worked with both women and men, both of whom experience darkness under their eyes. Here's the long and short of it:

First, you should know that typically, the most common factors that lead to many skin issues, mainly under eye darkness, are issues that you've stated AREN'T issues for you: too little sleep, diet, excersize. These are aspects of your daily life that you, obviously, cannot attribute your under eye issues to. What you probably can attribute them to is good old fashioned heredity. From my experience, it seems that many people who's parents had various skin issues (including under eye darkness) will also suffer from the same skin issues. Unfortunately, in your case, it sounds as if there may not be much you can do (barring a visit to a cosmetic surgeon) about this particular issue.

There is one other thing. You, as a guy, should not feel self concious about wearing a little makeup. If you don't know, whenever you watch TV or see a movie with a male in it-may he be in the background or a star the caliber of Brad Pitt-you can bet he's wearing some amount of makeup. Yup. All your favorites wear makeup. Here's an even bigger secret. Some of them even wear it in public for personal appearances. I know because I've applied it on some of them! Here's my advice for you:

If you go (perhaps under cover of darkness if it makes you feel more comfortable) to a reputable makeup store which employs TRUE PROFESSIONAL Makeup Artists, they will be able to show you a concealor for your under eye area that will blend seamlessly and not make you look like Joan Rivers. More specifically, go to MAC Cosmetics. I would rather see you go to a freestanding MAC Store than one in a department store (usually at a MAC Store you'll be dealing with a real Professional Makeup Artist). Tell them that another MAC Artist (me!) told you to check out the concealor Select Moisture Cover (they'll be able to help you choose the correct color for your skin-make sure the color starts with NW). This is my favorite concealor-ESPECIALLY for guys because it's moisturizer based. Because of that, it blends beautifully so you won't be able to tell you're wearing anything. If you do decide to wear concealor, you have to train yourself not to touch your face. I know alot of guys (myself included) have a habit of touching, rubbing or wiping their faces. This is a no-no when wearing makeup. Obviously if you do this, the makeup will wear off. After wearing it for a couple of weeks, I have faith that you'll have yourself trained to NOT touch your face.

Well, I know this is kind of long-winded but I really wanted to try to help you and others out there with the same issue. Should you have any other questions, feel free to drop me a line here or at [e-mail].

Good Luck!

Ron! :)

Answer 4

How to Get Rid of the Black Rings Around Your Eyes
http://dark-rings-around-eye.blogspot.com/

Answer 5

Puffiness or skin discoloration under the eyes affects just about everybody at some time or another. For some of us, however, these “bags” or “dark circles” are a near-constant bother. While these conditions are occasionally symptomatic of other illnesses, the usual cause is allergies, tiredness, or, unfortunately, heredity. No matter what the cause, you can still reduce the appearance of puffiness or dark circles, and in some cases, you may be able to get rid of them altogether.

Steps
Establish whether or not this condition runs in the family. Dark circles in particular are believed to frequently be hereditary. This doesn’t mean that you can’t do anything about the conditions, but you should be prepared for minimal success actually trying to get rid of them.
Identify allergens. Allergies may be the most common cause of skin discoloration and puffiness under the eyes. If allergies are the root of your problem, you simply need to treat them or remove the allergen (i.e., the thing to which you are allergic). Seasonal allergy problems such as hay fever can frequently be effectively treated with over-the-counter and prescription medications. For other allergies the best course of action is usually avoidance. If your dark circles or puffiness are constant, you may have an undetected food allergy or an allergy to a chemical in your home or workplace. Talk to a dermatologist for help determining what you may be allergic to.

Bloodshot EyeGet plenty of sleep nightly. It’s not entirely clear why inadequate sleep results in dark circles under the eyes, but we’ve all seen it happen either to ourselves or someone we know. For one thing, lack of sleep tends to cause the skin to become paler (thus increasing the appearance of darkness under the eyes), and it reduces circulation. It’s also believed that too little time lying down is a cause in itself. Determine how much sleep you need (it’s usually 7-9 hours per night) and try to get that amount regularly for a couple of weeks to see if that helps. Remember that alcohol and drugs can adversely affect the quality of your sleep; abstain from these products or use only in moderation for best results.
Treat your skin while you sleep. There are overnight facial masques available that may help reduce the appearance of puffiness or discoloration, but you can also make your own. Just before you go to bed, take a washcloth and wet it just a bit with cold water. Then squeeze out any excess water and place it over your eyes as you sleep.

Cucumber TherapyApply cool tea bags, an ice cube wrapped in soft cloth, or cucumber slices to your eyes daily. The tannin in tea bags has been shown to reduce swelling and discoloration, and cucumber slices have long been used to reduce puffiness and refresh the appearance of skin around the eyes. Lie down, preferably in the morning, and leave fresh cucumber slices or cool, damp caffeinated tea bags (you can refrigerate them overnight so they’ll be ready) over your eyes for about 10-15 minutes. Keep your eyes closed.
Wash your face with cool to somewhat cold water in the morning or when puffiness occurs. The cold water will cause blood vessels to constrict, and thus reduces swelling.
Try to relax the space. You can do this by wetting a Q-tip and then freezing it for a little while. Then you should gently wipe under your eyes in the areas where the circles are occurring. When wiping, close your eyes and try not to flinch.
Apply an eye cream containing vitamin K and retinol. Dark circles may be caused by a deficiency of vitamin K. Regardless of the cause, however, recent research has shown that skin creams containing these two ingredients reduce puffiness and discoloration significantly in many patients. Long-term daily use seems to have the greatest effect.
Avoid rubbing your eyes. Usually rubbing of the eyes is brought on by allergies, but not always. Regardless of the reason, stop doing it. The rubbing irritates the skin and can break tiny capillaries beneath the skin, causing both puffiness and discoloration.
Eat a healthy, balanced diet and drink plenty of water. A whole host of cosmetic problems can be attributed to vitamin deficiencies. Dark circles and puffiness are often attributed to lack of vitamin K or inadequate antioxidants. Be sure to get plenty of fruits and vegetables—especially cabbage, spinach, and other leafy green vegetables—and take a daily vitamin supplement if necessary. Get adequate fluids to improve circulation.
Reduce salt intake. Excess salt causes the body to retain water in unusual places, and this can result in puffiness under the eyes. Too much salt can also impair your circulation, and cause the blood vessels under the skin to appear bluer.
Quit smoking. Smoking causes vascular (blood vessel) problems that can not only threaten your life, but also make your blood vessels appear more prominent and bluer beneath the skin.
Cover the problem up with cosmetics. If all else fails, use a yellow or flesh-toned color which will camouflage the problem.
To do away with the unsightly swelling, use a little Preparation H or hemorrhoid cream. Just be careful not to put it too close to your eyes. It will shrink the skin if it is swollen, but won't make the dark circles go away.
Cutting onions will help you cry out some of the moisture under and around your eyes , however it isn't recommended you carry out this procedure daily .This will reduce the darkness under the eyes somehow . Using tea bags under your eyes straight afterwards also helps . Puffiness may not reduce immediately but will shortly afterwards



Tips
Food allergies and sensitivities play a major part in under-eye circles. Processed foods with artificial colors and preservatives as well as milk allergies can cause this problem.
You could also consult a Chinese medical practitioner, who may be able to alleviate the condition.
The Internet abounds with home remedies. While the most common are cucumbers and tea bags, there are a number of others. Feel free to test them out, as some may work for some people, but use common sense.

Answer 6

Get a brighter smile, your stress level is probably worse than you think.

Answer 7

You may not believe this but preparation H

Answer 8

try a bleaching cream at night while your sleeping.

Answer 9

HMM CONTACT YOUR DOCTER.