Under eye circles may be caused by a number of reasons including our genes, nasal congestion or a lack of sleep. In addition, certain medical conditions plus the natural aging process (due to a thinning of the fat pads under the eyes), may be the culprit.
What often happens is that red blood cells leak from capillaries in the eye area, releasing hemoglobin into the nearby skin tissue. The iron-rich hemoglobin can give rise to a bruised appearance to the skin under the eyes and sometimes on the eyelids. It still isn’t clear why the capillaries leak, although inflammation—due to the above factors – is believed to be a key trigger to the appearance of under eye circles.
A study with an under eye product that contains Vitamin K plus retinol (as found in Neostrata Dark Circle Night Serum) was shown to helps reduce the appearance of dark circles under the eyes. However, cosmetics manufacturers are also developing new products. Two of the most promising include a peptide blend (Haloxyl) by the cosmetics company Sederma and a peptide and enzyme blend of botanical ingredients (Regu-age) by Pentapharm of Switzerland.
Company sponsored studies of the ingredients have demonstrated significant visible reduction of dark circles. However, it’s important to keep in mind that these have not been published in any scientific journals. For this reason, it’s difficult to give them a firm stamp of approval.
