What Causes Dark Spots and Dark Circles Under Your Eyes?

The under eye area is the focus of a lot of attention. If the appearance of dark circles and discoloration is prominent, it can make you look tired, sick, or even add years to your age. 

If you can rid yourself of under eye concerns, it can take years off your appearance. Some of our favorite MiamiMD skin care products were designed specifically with the under eye area in mind. 

Let’s learn more about common causes of the dark spots and dark circles under eyes, and what you can do to get rid of dark circles with a dermatologist-approved topical eye cream that will help you toss your concealer in the bin.

What Are Dark Spots?

Dark spots, or hyperpigmentation, are different than dark circles under the eyes. 

Hyperpigmentation is the result of an excess of melanin in certain areas of the face. While it isn’t a medical condition all on its own, it can be the result of one. It can occur in small patches, cover large patches, and can even affect the entire body. 

Hyperpigmentation can be caused be a variety of different things, like melasma (which is the result of hormonal changes, and often occurs during pregnancy or by those on hormonal birth control), trauma (like a post-inflammatory response to a blemish or scar), or even things as simple as the aging process. In fact, even lightbulbs and the light from our computer screens have been said to be able to cause hyperpigmentation.

Most commonly, though, the pigmentation of these dark spots is caused by excessive sun exposure. As the UVA rays that the sun emits make contact with the skin, they can trigger the production of melanocytes. Active melanocytes create pigment (or melanin), which can be a good thing under certain circumstances. In fact, melanin is what makes you look more tan when you come into safe contact with the sun, and it absorbs the sun’s energy, helping to redistribute it and making you feel less hot.

However, with too much sun exposure, or after a lifetime of sun exposure without proper sunscreen use, that melanin can start to become triggered in smaller and smaller areas. In addition to all of the other potential side effects of sun exposure, its ability to really impact  the general wellness of our skin grows quickly. 

What About Dark Circles?

While dark spots are small areas of hyperpigmentation (or excessive melanin) that can occur anywhere on the face or body, dark circles are a different problem, more specific problem.

That is because dark circles occur strictly in the under eye area. While they happen in a small area, they can be caused by a large number of different issues, including:

• Allergies
• Fatigue
• Genetics
• Rubbing your eyes
• Sun exposure
• Aging

Essentially, dark circles are usually do to any of the above issues combined with the fact that we naturally lose collagen as we age. This happens at a rate of about 1% a year after your mid-20s, and even more so once you really hit menopause. As we lose that natural collagen, the under eye area is especially prone to thinning out.

What this means is not that dark circles suddenly appear, it’s that the skin in the area is thin enough that the capillaries that exist in the under eye area are more easily seen.

There are two tones that can occur in the under eye area: blueish purple and brown. 

In general, under eye circles that have a more blueish purple hue tend to be related to blood circulation. Whether this is related to enlarged blood vessels around the lower eyelid, an accumulation of fluid in the under eye area, or lack of sleep. This type of under eye discoloration can usually be mildly relieved with a cold compress. Brownish under eye circles, on the other hand, are usually more genetic in nature. It can also be related to melanin production, meaning under eye circles that are caused by sun exposure or even rubbing the eyes can be grouped in this category.

Skin Care Products for the Under Eye Area

MiamiMD has two different skin care products that focus on the under eye circles: our Eye Rescue and our Intensive Eye Repair Serum.

Eye Rescue

Eye Rescue is a magic-like formula that can help improve the under eye area significantly. It helps to target three different concerns: dark circles, puffy eyes, and under eye bags. Tired, droopy eyes appear to vanish within minutes, which can do wonders for restoring self confidence without expensive medical treatments at the dermatology office (while still using ingredients that are dermatology-approved!). 

The main ingredients in Eye Rescue area are chondrus crispus, stem cell complex, and magnesium aluminum sulfate. 

Chondrus crispus is a rare form of mineral-rich seaweed that is able to dramatically improve the skin in the under eye area by helping to reduce puffiness. It also has a high sulfur content (which is a good thing in this context) as well as other essential elements that can help to improve brightness, tightness, and the appearance of puffiness, swelling, and darkness in the entire eye area. Chondrus crispus works so dramatically that some people have even started referring to it as being “Spanx” for the face!

The second ingredient, stem cell complex, is exclusive to MiamiMD. The key ingredient in the complex is Chinese Basil Extract (sometimes referred to as Holy Basil). It also contains omega-3s and rosmarinic acid, both known for their ability to be able to plump up and smooth saggy, aging skin types. Their stem cell complex also includes several different age-defying peptides, which they chose for their ability to help fade fine lines and wrinkles.

The final ingredient in Eye Rescue is magnesium aluminum sulfate. The reason this ingredient was included is not for its skin benefits but for its ability to be able to hold the other ingredients in place so that they are able to act on the skin for a longer period of time. 

Intensive Eye Repair Serum

Intensive Eye Repair Serum was designed to help renew the eye area for a more youthful look. It helps to reduce the appearance of those fine lines around the eye area, known as crow’s feet, dark circles, and wrinkles. It can also prevent and fight under eye bags.

There are four main ingredients in Intensive Eye Repair Serum: Eyeliss, Matrixyl 3000, Haloxyl, and Progeline.

Eyeliss combines three different age-defying peptides: Hesperidin, Dipeptide, and Lipopeptide. When they work together, they can help to drain the fluid away from the under eye area, which reduces swelling and the appearance of both under eye bags and under eye circles.

The next ingredient on the list is Matrixyl 3000. It is made from a potent age-fighting peptide that works by sending signals to the body that it needs to replace lost collagen from around the under eye area. As a quick reminder, collagen is responsible for being able to keep the skin strong and firm.

Haloxyl is next on the list. It has a pretty strong reputation as being one of the most popular anti-aging treatments on the market, a reputation that it has thoroughly earned. The ingredient is able to lift the under eye area, and help to return a youthful look by helping the area when it starts to sag, wrinkle, and lose its radiance. 

The final ingredient in Intensive Eye Repair Serum is Progeline. It was designed to target a toxic protein in the body that has been linked to aging skin. In addition to fighting off the effects of that protein, many people also noticed an increase in volume, firmness, and skin density while including Progeline in their skin care routine.

What Else Can I Do?

In addition to treating under eye circles with one (or both) of the eye skin care products from MiamiMD, there are few other considerations to factor in to your plan.

If your main concern is under eye circles, especially the vascular kind that are blueish purple in color, it’s important that you also consider any environmental factors that may be making the issue worse. Take a close look at your sleep schedule, treat any allergies you may be dealing with, and make sure that you’re eating a healthy diet and drinking plenty of water. When combined with the right skin care product, small efforts can really can make all the difference. 

You should also start wearing sunscreen every day if you haven’t already, even with a darker skin tone. While sunscreen can’t treat any concerns you may already be having, it can help stop them from worsening or causing any more damage anywhere else on the face or body. It’s just great to focus on, in general. Sunscreen is one of the best products in the world to help hold off the signs of aging as long as possible.

In Conclusion…

When you’re looking into finding skin care products that can help to counteract any dark spots or dark circles that may be occurring in your under eye area, look no further than MiamiMD. 

We have multiple products that take the many causes of these issues into consideration, and target the specific triggers that can make them happen. You’ll have a brighter, tighter under eye area in no time flat, which can help you really love the skin that you’re in.

Sources:

https://www.allure.com/story/what-causes-dark-spots

Melanin – an overview | ScienceDirect Topics

https://www.webmd.com/beauty/qa/what-is-collagen