Dark Circles

Dark circles under eyes also known as periocular hyper pigmentation is a common cosmetic problem, most prevalent in the age group of 16 to 40 years. We have found that 3 % of our out door clients from mohali / chandigarh suffer from dark circles. The various causes are lack of sleep, late night duties, stress, excessive alcohol, smoking, skin allergy, thin skin, under eye swelling and ageing. Loss of orbital fat pad causes hallowing effect on orbital rim which worsens the shadowing in the under eye area. Thinning of the eyelid skin makes the underlying blood vessels and muscle prominent due to which the under eye skin appears dark. Medical conditions like liver, heart, thyroid & kidney problems may also contribute to periocular hyper pigmentation.

Types Of Dark Circles

There are different types of dark circles under eyes such as vascular, constitutional, post inflammatory and shadow effects. An experienced dermatologist is able to diagnose the cause and type of dark circles clinically and the treatment is prescribed accordingly. In many patients, there can be more than one type of dark circles & therefore combination of different therapies is required.

Treatment For Dark Circles

A large variety of treatment options are available for dark circles & your doctor decides best treatment line depending on your expectations & budget.

Creams Or Injections

In medical management of dark circles kojic acid, hydroquinone and arbutin based creams are used. That can be reduce the under eye pigmentation. If there is thinning of skin with increased vascularity then vitamin C, retinoid based creams and serums are preferred. Intradermal injections of Rejuveyes is effective in many patients. Medical grade concealers are helpful in camouflaging dark circles.

Chemical Peels

Chemical peels containing arginine, lactic acid etc. accelerate the rate of improvement in pigmentation. The peels are repeated every 2 to 4 weeks interval to achieve good cosmetic results.

Laser Treatment

Laser treatment with Q switched laser is used by experienced dermatologists to improve the appearance of the under eye region.

Fillers

In patients with loss of fat from the under eye area, use of fillers or autologous fat transfer is used to decrease the shadow effect and achieve good results for dark circles. Some patients need cheek augmentation before going for under eye fillers for best results. Fillers now a days give long term improvement ( 2 years).

Since the periorbital area is an important component of face aesthetics and has a huge impact on perception of age and stress of a person, always consult a dermatologist for expert opinion and proper management of particular hyper pigmentation.