19 Ways To Deal With Dark Circles And Under-Eye Bags

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So you won’t have to look like a zombie if you don’t want to.

1. First, know what actually causes dark circles. They can be hereditary, or a result of blood vessels lying under your skin.

Darker pigmentation around the eye area can be hereditary, or the result of blood vessels under the eye that are swollen or not draining properly. “The thin skin of the eyelid is translucent in many individuals and therefore it easily reveals the underlying vessels below,” Dr. Dendy Engelman, a dermatologist, tells BuzzFeed Life. Dark circles can be made worse by lack of sleep, consuming an excess amount of sodium, and the presence of allergens around the eyes.

2. Then understand what causes bags under the eyes.

Bags under the eyes are actually a herniation, or an abnormal protrusion, of the fat pads surrounding the eye. When these fat pads swell or move beyond where they’re supposed to be positioned, they cause the skin to bulge, which gives the appearance of “bags.” It’s also important to note that you can have dark circles and bags under your eyes at the same time.

3. Start wearing sunscreen around your eye area now.

“There is a great new nonmigrating sunscreen formulated specifically for the eye area called Physical Eye UV Defense. This should obviously be applied in the morning. Thicker eye creams are usually best used at night to help hydrate the skin and repair skin overnight,” says Engelman.

4. Freeze tea bags or a wet spoon and let them sit over your eyes.

“As antiquated as it sounds, there really is truth in using a frozen tea bag or spoon to help minimize the appearance of dark circles. The reason these techniques are helpful is because they induce vasoconstriction, which makes the vessels underlying the skin smaller and, therefore, the circles look lighter,” Engelman tells BuzzFeed Life.

5. Try using red lipstick under your foundation to cover up dark circles.

The pigment of the red lipstick will counteract the blue tone of dark circles. Once foundation is applied on top of the red lipstick, the darkened skin will be completely neutralized and covered. For the full tutorial on this trick, watch Deepica Mutyala’s tutorial.

Own them.

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