Do you or others notice those dark circles under your eyes? They can
be very prominent and compel people to seek remedies including “make
up.” Before spending your money on “make up” to cover up those dark
circles, think about finding the underlying cause.
Dark Circles under eyes: Causes
- Allergies: With nasal congestion, the small veins in the
infraorbital (under eye) area become engorged with blood leading to the
dark discoloration that is termed “allergic shiners.” An allergist can
perform allergy testing to identify the cause and develop a treatment
plan that will, over time, lessen those dark circles.
- Colds and sinus infections: any disorder that leads to frequent or
ongoing nasal congestion can result in dark circles including recurrent
colds or chronic sinus infections. This occurs from engorgement in the
small veins that are close to the surface.
- Irritant rhinitis: the symptoms feel just like allergies, but the
triggers are substances that are irritating to the nasal and eye
mucosa. This includes smoke, perfume, cologne, air fresheners, cleaning
chemicals, and candles to name just a few.
- Atopic Dermatitis: this is also called “allergic eczema.” The eye
findings include small creases on the lower lids called Dennie’s Lines
and frequently puffy lower eyelids. Many people with eczema also have
allergies.
- Hereditary: Mother had dark circles, Grandmother had dark circles,
and Great Grandmother had dark circles and so on. This physical
attribute can run in families. Also, deep set bone structure of the
orbits can lead to shadows that appear as darkening around the eyes.
- Rubbing of the eyes: Frequent rubbing of the thin skin surrounding
the eyes can lead to skin trauma manifesting as puffiness and even
small capillary breakage with resulting dark circles.
- Sleep deprivation: a lack of sleep and fatigue may lead to a
paleness of the skin under the eyes which accentuates the blood
vessels. In addition, rubbing the eyes from being sleepy can lead to
puffiness.
- Sun Exposure: the quantity of melanin pigment in the skin increases
with sun exposure leading to darkening. The degree of darkening is
dependent upon the total number, size and distribution of melanin
granules. Other pigmentation irregularities can be seen in blacks and
Asians.
- Aging: As we age, it is common to have thinning of the skin and a
loss of fat and collagen. This can make the blood vessels under the
eyes more obvious.
- Anemia: a person who is anemic (low blood hemoglobin) may have
pallor (paleness) and this would accentuate the blood vessels in the
thin skin around the eyes.
- Medications: any medication that leads to venous engorgement can
potential also affects the eyelids. There are cases of certain
chemotherapy medications including gemcitabine and docetaxel leading to
TEC (toxic erythema of chemotherapy) of the eyelids.
- Periorbital bruising (ecchymosis). This is also called “Panda sign”
or “raccoon eyes.” “Panda sign” is associated with a skull base
fracture from trauma, but rarely can be related to severe coughing as
seen in an asthma attack or severe sneezing. “Raccoon eyes” can be
related to infiltration by tumors of the orbit (eye socket) including
multiple myeloma, Kaposi’s sarcoma, lymphoblastic lymphoma or
neuroblastoma in children. Certain infections can present with
bruising around the eyes including Dengue Fever or even Hepatitis B.
Another condition that is rarely associated with periorbital bruising is
amyloidosis (amyloid protein build up). Typically with these
conditions, there are other signs or symptoms that will provide
important clues to the physician.
At Family Allergy Asthma & Sinus Care, we acknowledge those dark circles and will work to find the cause and solution. It’s not magic and you won’t need make up! |
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