How to get rid of Dark Circles around your Eyes – The Effective Way

How many times, I wonder, does google log a search for Dark Circles and how to get rid of them.  How many times, I wonder, do people go out and buy several products only to find out nothing worked.   It is a misconception that on the red carpet people Only utilize makeup to mask dark circles.  There are some definite eye health activities that we use, but if you’re looking for a miracle cure I’ve got both bad news and very useful practical news for you.

Many know that I am not a fan of makeup. I can get away with it as a dude, most sets and beauty folk don’t insist on it when I balk (with the exception of HLN, for some reason HLN has a rule that you can’t go on camera without letting their staff powder you full of makeup).   Truth be told, I can’t even tell the difference most of the time.

And as you can tell from the Perfect Storm video, I clearly did nothing to hide my dark circles – there are times when you need to own it and realize your natural look is You.

HOWEVER, that being said, like many of us – I also get tired of hearing “You Look Tired” when indeed I AM NOT! Also, let’s face it, in this business sometimes we Are tired.   In the image below at the Oscars Gifting Suite, I WAS tired – got in on a late flight, stayed up most of the night, caught a cold, and had an early morning call time! You can see the dark circles, and yeah I heard the you look tired line – something you don’t want to hear even when you are.

In today’s version of the entertainment industry (vs. the Vince Neil Motley Crue Era of life being a fun party with no consequences https://www.amazon.com/Vince-Motley-Anand-Bhatt-About/dp/B01B5L5246  ), celebrities work hard and are under a lot of pressure.  So aside from makeup How does everyone do it?

One of my go to formulas is actually my mother’s homemade “Serum” (that’s her word).  Not sure what’s in it.  But it works well.  Of course, you can’t get a hold of it 😉 and even if you had some you can’t really travel with it unless you port it in a tiny unmarked jar or bottle.  Unmarked jars and bottles are not your friend when it comes to airport security.  In this article I’ll mention a couple of new products in my arsenal that I’ve been turned on to as well as some tips.

“If someone claims that one can get rid of hereditary and blood vessel dark circles with any cosmetic product or a home remedy, that person is lying. Hereditary and blood vessel dark circles can fade away with the right product and [by] following the skincare routine religiously,” says Beauty and Lifestyle Expert Hetal Shah.

Now, while this sounds contradictory, she makes a great point. Your average product or home remedy is not going to cut it.  Everyone’s anecdotal experience shows that the easy stuff just doesn’t work.  However, she is also correct in that there are some natural products with non-every day ingredients that do pretty well.

You’ve heard me talk a lot about Purlisse lately. Perhaps I’m into it because I’ve been using it for over a month now but what I’ve noticed is an over the time reduction in the sunken-eye thing that we get.  That in turn seems to improve the dark/tired look.    THIS IS THE PURLISSE EYE CREAM I HAVE BEEN USING: https://amzn.to/2W93h1z

Also, here is one that is shockingly inexpensive.  Too early to tell the results, but it feels great on the skin and the ingredients are what I usually look for.  It is a Parsley Eye Serum from Colorado Aromatics.  Maybe I like it because it sounds like something my mother would make, “Serum” :D.   What I like about this product vs. most other lightening eye creams is that it can be used anywhere on the face.  Other eye creams, especially those with Kojic Acid or Hydroquinone, have to be isolated to the immediate eye area of concern which makes them very difficult to apply.  This parlsey eye serum is basically a concoction of essential oils that you can apply anywhere.  My only concern is my bottle smells slightly “off.”  It still feels amazing on my face, but I suspect that ingredients that are This natural can go rancid quickly.  I suggest that when buying this product you request the most recent batch, and use it up quickly.

L.A. Dermatologist, Dr. Tsippora Shainhouse, says “there are 3 main causes of under eye bags and under eye discoloration:

1. Vascular congestion: the blue vessels under the thin eye skin are enlarged, swollen. This is common is people with allergies.

2. Loss of the under-eye fat pad, the natural fat that sits under the thin eye skin. We lose our facial fat as we age, and the fat separates into islands that can leave an obvious crease under the eye.

3. Actual pigment deposition in the skin under the eyes, as opposed to just seeing the blue vessels that lie beneath the thin under eye skin. This can develop from post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (due to previous rashes or skin sensitivity to products; from inflammation and skin irritation due to eye allergies; or from chronic rubbing of the eyes or from rough eyelid and skin care). It can also be associated with hormone changes: pregnancy, hormonal supplements (birth control) or menopause. ”

She suggests as treatments, respectively:

”

For Vascular congestion:

1. Take an antihistamine daily.

2. Consider taking pseudoephedrine to dry up reduce swelling, but it can make you feel wired (it is the “daytime” part of cold medicine)

3. Cold cucumbers on eyes: it works! Cucumbers are high in sodium and will draw out the water from under the skin to reduce puffiness and swelling and temporarily shrink superficial blood vessels.

4. Splash ice cold water on face in the morning to shrink up blood vessels and reduce swelling

5. Hemorrhoid creams can help temporarily, by shrinking the vessels, too. It’s a modeling trick!

6. Use a tinted primer under your foundation to even out the base color of the skin. Yellows will neutralize purples. There is actually a great YouTube tutorial on using red primers as a base under makeup to eliminate the blue!

7. Caffeine-based products can temporarily decrease vascular dilatation. Consider a topical gel or serum with caffeine.

For loss of fat:

1. In office procedures like hyaluronic fillers (Juvederm, Restylane, Belotero) can be carefully injected to hold the place where the fat once was. This creates a smoother, more opaque surface over the underlying vessels

2. Fat-transfer: fat from other parts of the body can be transferred to the under eye area. This is a minor surgical procedure. Sometimes, the migrating fat pads can actually be sewn down or sewn together.

3. Ulthera- this is an in-office procedure. It involves ultrasound waves that can be used around the eye area to lift and tighten loose skin. It can take up to one hour and is painful.

For Skin Discoloration:

1. Consider discontinuing exogenous hormone (estrogen)treatments

2. Wear sunscreen, sunglasses and even a wide-brimmed hat every day to reduce sun exposure to the already dark and skin, and prevent it from darkening further.

3.. Look for eye or face products with lightening agents such as: kojic acid, hydroquinone, licorice root, vitamin C, azaleic acid. It can take months for these ingredients to have an effect. Hydroquinone is available over the counter, but your dermatologist can prescribe stronger versions.

4. Try a brightening under eye cream or concealer that scatters light to create a lightening effect.

5. Consider laser treatments like Nd:YAG or PDL to reduce inflammation and pigmentation. Be cautious with IPL, as it can actually worsen this pigmentation, if it is related to hormone changes.”

I second the decongestant and antihistamine trick.  Sometimes a steroid nasal spray helps.    Now, if you’re not squeamish to try something stronger but in between any of the prescription grade suggestions above, there is a brand that you can easily spot because on the bottle it sweetly says “Love, Amy.”  The Uplifted Eye Cream might have ingredients we don’t quite understand, but it does have a healthy amount of the natural remedies too.  Quite a bit actually.  This eye cream shows promise.

Another eye cream I just recently came across is January Labs Advanced Eye Technology.  While this eye cream is touted for puffiness, I didn’t use it for that.  I actually laughed out loud a bit when opening the box because the jar is so tiny.  Actually, pretty much all the high end brands have tiny jars – so it is not that the jar itself is any smaller than most just that the box is 4x its size.  Just didn’t expect it lol.  NOW this cream had gave me noticeable improvement in tone and dark circle reduction by the 4th application! Which is about 48 hrs.  That’s something.  You can see more about this eye cream here: https://amzn.to/2FK5Pg6

Right now my go to regime might seem quite intense but easier than most go through: an occasional decongestant + two to three times a day of Mom’s Serum, plus the parsley oil complex a couple times a day, plus some purlisse when at home and am going to try the Uplifted and the January Labs on the road (they are just the right size for travel).  Occasionally I might mix some of my green tea brew with a little of the too-thick-to-use-without-the-tea-but-surprisingly-effective-in-a-pinch Priori eye cream from here: https://amzn.to/2udCSnj    .

What has worked and hasn’t worked for you? Share for sure – we need to know!