Experts Explain What Causes Dark Circles + How To Deal 

Endless products on the market claim to reverse dark under-eye circles or cover them up completely. Many of these products can certainly help ease the look of these shadows, but have you ever wondered why they happen in the first place?

If you feel like you've tried everything, you might want to start over with a new goal: Rather than trying every product under the sun to lighten those half-moons under your eyes, you should work to find the root cause.

Dark circles, officially called periorbital hyperpigmentation1, appear as discoloration below the eye. "This can either be due to hyperpigmentation of the skin, or thin skin that allows blood vessels and underlying tissue to show through," explains board-certified dermatologist Rebecca Marcus, M.D., FAAD. 

This discoloration is starkly different from eye bags in terms of cause and appearance. Eye bags are consistent outpourings of tissue below the eye that are "usually caused by fat herniation as the tissue becomes less firm with age," Marcus says. 

"Poor sleep is associated with more skin dryness, which can further worsen the appearance of under-eye shadows," explains board-certified dermatologist and YouTube creator Andrea Suarez, M.D., FAAD. 

"Genetics certainly can play a role, with some people more prone to either hyperpigmentation or under-eye shadowing as a result of the shape of the anatomy around the eye socket," Suarez tells mbg. 

Like we mentioned, dark circles can be caused by increased hyperpigmentation—something that has a long list of initial causes. Hyperpigmentation, by definition, is when melanin in the skin is produced in excess, causing the skin to darken. 

"With age, collagen and elastin loss3 leads to thinner skin, making shadows more obvious," Suarez says. These same factors lead to crepey skin, fine lines, and wrinkles alike. 

If you needed another reason to keep up with adequate hydration, let it be this: "If you are dehydrated, this can cause the tissues of the body to shrink, including under-eye skin, making dark circles look more noticeable," Suarez says. 

Like we mentioned previously, dry skin around the eyes can lead to more prominent dark circles. In order to keep the skin nourished, hydrated, and protected, you may consider adding an eye cream to your skin care lineup. 

A few ingredients Marcus suggests looking out for in your next eye cream include caffeine, niacinamide, peptides, hyaluronic acid, and gentle retinol. 

You can't change many of the causes listed above, so concealer may be your best bet at managing your dark circles.

If a lack of high-quality sleep can lead to dark circles, that means adequate rest just might do the trick. Improving the quality of your sleep is no easy task, especially given the fact that there's a plethora of causes for the lack of shut-eye. 

Now you know that dehydration contributes to dry skin and may even lead to more prominent dark circles because of that. Consuming enough water comes more easily to some but can be a stressful task for others. 

Even if you drink your daily dose of H₂O, get high-quality rest, and use eye cream, your dark circles may be coming from something else that might not offer a quick fix. It's important to consult your doctor about severe, unchanging dark circles as they may be a symptom of a larger, full-body health concern. 

As a general rule in skin care: It is always easier to prevent than treat. Well that goes for dark under eye circles as well. Along with the remedies above, here some ways to help keep the appearance of dark circles minimal. 

Your skin and body are yours to make choices about however you see fit. This is a judgment free zone! But before you make any decision about injectables, minimally invasive, or surgical procedures, you should be well informed.

And many folks are curious what sort of professional intervention can help them address dark circles—most notably, can filler help? The answer is dependent on several factors. 

First, filler (called tear through filler) can only help if your dark circles are caused by density loss in the area, not due to pigmentation. “There are many causes for discoloration under the eyes, and one of them is hollowing or loss of volume. This leads to a depressed ‘tear trough’, which is a groove between the lower eyelid and cheek, and can contribute to a tired appearance,” explains board-certified dermatologist Brian Hibler, M.D., of Schweiger Dermatology Group in New York City. 

For example, a good candidate may be someone whose eye area appears sallow, which casts shadows in the area. By strategically injecting hyaluronic acid filler into the area, it smooths out the skin, reducing shadows.     

It’s very important to note that this type of filler requires a more skillful hand than other areas might. This is because it comes with notable risks: “The major risks are bruising and swelling, with less common risks including infection or nodule formation. If the filler is inadvertently injected into one of the blood vessels it can cause necrosis (death) of the overlying skin or can cause occlusion of the blood vessels leading to the eye and result in blindness,” says Hibler. “Therefore, it is important to see a board-certified dermatologist with appropriate training in safely performing these procedures.”

It’s also a more challenging injection method. As Hibler explains, “It is typically performed using a cannula (long, flat-topped tube) to thread the filler into the hollowed area using a small insertion point in the mid-cheek. Some injectors opt to use a needle in this location, however, a series of needle punctures could lead to more bruising and increase the risk of inadvertent injection into one of the blood vessels.” 

The best way to treat dark circles is to look for the root cause. A few reasons your under-eye shadows may be especially noticeable include exhaustion, allergies, dehydration, age, skin tone, and genetics.