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Journalism of Courage
You blame your under-eye dark circles on a sleepless night. But you soon realise that they are a permanent eyesore,despite the fact that youve been sleeping well lately. Dr Gulshant Panesar,a dermatologist with Moolchand Medcity,New Delhi,explains the physiology behind dark circles. The capillaries under the eye are very thin and when they burst,they cause the blood to leakits only a minor leak though,nothing to get worked up about as such. The deoxygenated blood that is leaked makes the area under the eye look bluish. Its a kind of pigmentation that becomes more apparent because the skin under the eye is one of the thinnest in the body, she explains.
Dark circles,says Dr Paneshar,are a symptom of other bodily changes or conditions and unless those conditions are treated,youll have to bear with dark circles. Dark circles are mostly related to stress,dietary deficiency,hormonal imbalance,prolonged treatment for any chronic illness,ageing and genes, she says.
Eye circles can thus be removed after the underlying medical cause is removed. If the underlying cause is hormonal imbalance,such as in thyroid disease,dark circles will automatically go once the medical condition subsides or is in control, says Panesar. Ironically,prolonged medical treatment of any chronic disease also leads to dark circles.
Sometimes,explains Dr Mukesh Girdhar,dermatologist with Max Healthcare,New Delhi,dark circles result from mild inflammation cause by rubbing the lower eyelid. Its a very subtle low-grade inflammation which is almost painless but can manifest in the form of dark circles,for which we prescribe anti-inflammatory medication, he says.
Its only when dark circles have been inherited from family,that theres no permanent solution. In such case,doctors advise you to wear sunscreen,apply a topical solution consisting of hydroquinone,arbutin and mild acids such as glycolic or cogic acid.
Not much can be done about dark circles when they are due to the shape of the eyes,says Dr Girdhar. People with deep-set eyes often seem to have dark circles but they actually dont. What happens is that the concave surface of the lower eyelid converges the light and affects the colour perception of the person looking at you. Its the opposite of people with high cheek-bones. The convex surface of their cheeks reflects light in different directions,making them look a shade lighter, he explains.
Dark circles also set in as one ages. The skin around the eyes is normally thinner and looser than skin elsewhere on the body. As we grow older,its looseness and thinness increases,thus causing dark circles to appear, says Dr Rishi Kumar Parashar,consultant dermatologist with Sir Ganga Ram Hospital,New Delhi.
