Millions of people have dark circles under their eyes. Most have inherited the color and features of their lower eyelids from their parents. Dark circles under the eyes often appear during childhood, many people tell me they first noticed their dark circles when they were 9 or 10 years old.
There are many causes of dark circles, but in this article I will focus on broken blood vessels, small vascular structures (blood vessels) in the skin of the lower eyelid. Broken blood vessels are the easiest cause of dark circles under the eyes to treat and correct.
How Broken Blood Vessels Cause Dark Circles Under Eyes?
In reality, what most people call broken blood vessels are not really broken blood vessels. What most people see are visible blood vessels (vascular structures) in the skin in areas where you would not expect to see blood vessels. These small vessels are arterioles, venules, and capillaries. The arterioles carry fresh blood to the skin, and Venus removes the old blood from the skin and returns it to the heart and lungs to be refreshed with oxygen. Capillaries connect arterioles and venules.
Normally, the blood vessels are deeper in the skin and are not visible. Visible or broken blood vessels are noted in the following situations:
thin skin– The skin of the eyelids is the thinnest skin on the body. The skin on the eyelids is only 1/6 the thickness of the skin on the rest of the face. The skin is so thin that you can see through it. In fact, you can see the small arterioles and venules in the skin of the eyelid. These same structures are present in all skin but are not visible in thicker skin on other parts of the body. The muscle of the lower eyelid is purple in color, and this color is visible through the skin of the eyelid. That is why all the lower eyelids have a darker color. This color is what most people call dark circles under the eyes.
o Telangiectasias o Spider Veins– The arterioles, veins and capillaries in the dark circles under the eyes can become dilated or enlarged, a condition called telangiectasia or often referred to as a spider vein. Telangiectasias are usually caused by inheritance. However, aging, pregnancy, the use of topical steroid creams, overexertion such as lifting weights, and rosacea can also cause telangiectasia.
o Aging and Inflammation– Ultraviolet radiation and other skin aging factors cause inflammation or irritation of the skin, especially the thin skin around the eyes. When the skin of the eyelids becomes inflamed, new arterioles, veins, and capillaries grow into the skin to repair the damage. These new structures remain in the skin and are visible. The presence of these vascular structures darkens the skin color of the lower eyelid and may appear as dark circles under the eyes.
How to get rid of dark circles under the eyes caused by broken blood vessels
Lasers can remove telangiectasias and small vascular structures under the eyes, but newer light-based treatments are safer and better. The newer technique called Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) or facial photo is a much gentler procedure that is very effective and does not leave marks or white areas under the eye, a major problem with older laser techniques.
or IPL-Facial Photo– Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) is not a laser. IPL uses a bright flash of visible light that is tuned to be absorbed by the specific color of the blood. Light passes through the skin without damaging it and is preferentially absorbed by the blood in small telangiectasias, venules, arterioles, and capillaries. The light energy causes the blood to boil and the heat causes the wall of the structure to shrink and close. The process takes about 6 weeks.
Usually 3 IPL treatments scheduled 6 weeks apart are required to lighten the skin color causing the dark circle under eye. Eye shields should be placed on the eye to protect the eye from light. IPL is the best treatment for rosacea.
oLaser– Blood specifically absorbs two laser wavelengths: the 532 nm and 1064 nm laser wavelengths. The 1064nm laser is usually too strong to use on the eyelids. The 532nm laser is the most used in the lower eyelids. However, because the laser is so strong, the skin of the eyelid is often damaged and a scar or white area may appear on the skin of the eyelid.
Since IPL was developed, laser is no longer the choice for eyelid treatment. Eye shields must be placed on the eye to protect the eye from the laser.
o Vein injections– Very large and visible veins in the lower eyelid can be closed by injecting a sclerosing solution which is most commonly used in the lower legs to treat spider veins. This is a very complicated procedure and should only be performed by an expert experienced in this technique.
o Fractional laser resurfacing to thicken the skin– Newer fractional laser resurfacing techniques are safe to use on eyelids with eye shields in place. These new fractional laser techniques fill in or thicken the lower eyelid skin and lighten the color. The thicker skin of the lower eyelid helps camouflage vessels and telangiectasias.
Prevention
Inherited eyelid skin color cannot be prevented. However, there are things we can do to prevent new telangiectasias and vascular structures from forming that darken skin color. Since ultraviolet radiation from the sun causes inflammation and vascular regrowth, sun protection is paramount.
or sunscreen– Always make sure to apply sunscreen to the eyelids when applying sunscreen to the face.
or eye protection-Always wear protective sunglasses that cover the crow’s feet areas as well as the eyes.
or anti-inflammatory-Medical Grade Topical Vitamin C Serum is a powerful anti-inflammatory medication. Using it on the face and eyelids can help reduce inflammation that can cause telangiectasias and new vascular growths on the skin of the face and eyelids.
If you are not satisfied with the color of your lower eyelids, IPL may be the answer you are looking for.
