Getting rid of dark circles under the eyes.

• A number of factors can cause dark circles to develop, such as insufficient blood flow around the eyes, excessive exposure to the sun, ageing skin, and lifestyle.

• There are several kinds of dark circles: vascular dark circles, pigmented dark circles, and structural dark circles.

• The way you cleanse your skin and apply skincare is vitally important to alleviating dark circles.

• Laboratoires FILORGA uses different active ingredients according to the causes and type of dark circles. You will find more details at the end of this article.

Dark circles under the eyes (otherwise known as periorbital hyperpigmentation) can affect all skin types and are particularly difficult to treat with aesthetic medicine due to their varied and numerous causes, which are unique to each person. They can appear because of:

• Poor blood flow. With fatigue and age, our microcirculation is less efficient and capillary walls weaken. This causes blood pigments (including bilirubin, a natural by-product of the breakdown of haemoglobin) to escape into surrounding tissue. Since the skin around the eyes is less vascularised, drainage of the area is less effective and pigments tend to accumulate there more easily. 

• Excessive exposure to sunlight. UV rays cause an increase in melanin secretion in the skin. The accumulation of this pigment as a result of sunbathing can lead to the development of dark circles under the eyes. Also, the under-eye area has some of the thinnest skin found on the face, so dark patches like this will be more visible than elsewhere on the body.

• Darkening of the skin due to a weakened skin structure around the eyes. With age, the amount of fat in infraorbital skin tends to diminish, resulting in a loss of volume and elasticity in this area. This creates a dark shadow in the depression formed at the tear trough. This kind of dark circle is generally only visible at a certain angle and in a certain light, and can be rendered unnoticeable by a camera flash.

• Poor lifestyle habits. Although lack of sleep, smoking, or stress are not believed to be physiological causes of dark circles under the eyes, they can still aggravate the phenomenon.

• Medical conditions like asthma or allergies. While cosmetic products will not address these issues, it can be worthwhile checking that they are not contributing to or causing your dark circles.

There are as many causes of dark circles as there are kinds. Let’s take a look at them.

Vascular dark circles.

Dark circles with a slightly blue tinge, known as vascular dark circles, appear as a marked blue-purple shadow under the eye. They are directly related to microscopic issues with blood and lymph circulation. This kind of dark circle is the most common.

Pigmented dark circles.

Here we see a different colouration, although the causes are not the same as for vascular dark circles. Dark circles that are yellow to brown in colour, called pigmented dark circles, are caused by a buildup of melanin under the skin.
Two factors are responsible for their development: thinner skin, as mentioned above, combined with exposure to ultraviolet radiation.

Structural dark circles.

Structural dark circles aren’t related to skin pigmentation, but to how the skin around the eye is structured. These are what we usually call “bags under the eyes”. They are largely the result of ageing.

Start with gentle cleansing.

Before applying any kind of dark circle treatment, it is essential to properly cleanse your skin.

This will ensure that all external sources of contamination are removed from the skin, making it ready for treatment. If you need to remove makeup, we recommend the FILORGA Foam Cleanser and Micellar Solution makeup removal combo, which has been specifically formulated to soothe and moisturise your skin at the end of the day.

Use very gentle motions to avoid damaging the delicate eye area. Excessive pressure can actually make your dark circles more apparent due to damage to the blood vessels just below the skin.

Use the right methods to apply your treatment.

If applied incorrectly, even a high-quality dark circle treatment will fail to deliver its full benefits. To get the most out of your FILORGA skincare product, we recommend that our customers:

• Use the right amount of the product. Avoid applying too much around the eyes — this is a delicate and sensitive area. Take an amount around the size of a grain of rice, but no more.
• Lightly tap under the dark circles, as shown in the video below.

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, dark circles are particularly difficult to treat with aesthetic medicine. Thankfully, some cosmetic ingredients are highly effective and can aid in reducing the accumulation of pigment deposits and strengthening capillaries. Let’s have a look at a selection of some specific active ingredients that we use in our formulas.

Chrysin.

This polyphenol is found in passion flowers and helps eliminate the dark pigment responsible for the colour of dark circles, bilirubin, therefore making them less noticeable. It is featured in our OPTIM-EYES treatment.

Persian silk tree extract.

Albizia julibrissin bark extract works to treat dark circles by strengthening the microvascular network, which in turn supports detoxification processes and reduces the accumulation of pigment deposits. Our formulation experts opted to include it in our TIME-FILLER EYES 5XP cream.

Tetrapeptide.

This traps bilirubin to make it easier to eliminate. It is used in OXYGEN-GLOW EYES.

Aescin.

Aescin is extracted from the horse chestnut tree and encapsulated in microspheres called phytosomes that are specifically designed for active plant ingredients. It promotes microcirculation and reduces pigment loss from capillaries due to its properties as a vasoconstrictor.  This helps diminish the visibility and colour of dark circles. Aescin is used in NCEF-REVERSE EYES.

Tuberose extract.

Tuberose cells (Agave amica) stimulate cutaneous microcirculation, which has detoxifying benefits. It is used in our GLOBAL-REPAIR EYES & LIPS treatment.