With time, people have become very conscious about how they look, what they wear and how they carry themselves. Especially talking about women, they are a lot concerned about pimples, acne, puffy eyes, blackheads, etc. One more such thing that can make you look dull and tired is the Dark Circles. Dark circles usually appear as purple, blue, dark brown, or black circles under the eyes, depending upon the skin complexion.
To know more about how Ayurveda looks at this condition, the ETV Bharat Sukhibhava team had a conversation with Dr. S Yasmin, MD Ayurveda, Assistant Professor at SASAS Ayurveda Medical College, Andhra Pradesh. “The area under the eyes can appear darker due to constricted blood vessels, causing hyperpigmentation or from thinning of the skin around the eyes.”
She further explains that in children, dark circles may occur as a result of lack of sleep or due to veins around the eyes getting larger and darker, in the case of a blocked nose. Kids often have nasal congestion when they have a cold or allergy. It can also be caused by large adenoids. Coming to older people, dark circles may appear because of the loss of fatty tissue and thinning of the skin around the eyes, as a part of the aging process.
Reasons You Didn't Know Could Cause Dark Circles
Dr. Yasmin explains that Ayurveda looks at this condition as a result of disturbed dosha balance. Some of the reasons as she states are:
- Straining the eyes too much by concentrating too hard on minute objects or looking too far in the distance constantly.
- Excessive anger, jealousy, or negative feelings
- Stress is an enemy of the eyes. When you're tense, angry, or unhappy, your eyes look swollen, dull, and unhappy.
- Suppression of natural urges like hunger, thirst, sleep, and tears
- Suppression or neglect of sleep or sleep deprivation
- Allergic rhinitis (hay fever)
- Atopic dermatitis (eczema)
- Contact dermatitis.
- Heredity.
- Pigmentation irregularities.
- Scratching or rubbing eyes.
- Sun exposure
- Smoking
- Dehydration
- Injury to face or eyes
- Longer screen time can cause eye stress and dark circles
- Iron deficiency can also cause dark circles. It may happen when enough oxygen does not reach the body tissues.
- Improper or unhealthy dietary habits.
- When recovering from a long illness, dark circles could begin to appear due to internal weakness.
What You Can Do?
Here are some of the tips suggested by Dr. Yasmin, that you can keep in mind to prevent dark circles.
- Avoid exposure to direct sunlight between 9 am-4 pm. Wear sunglasses, a hat and carry an umbrella when stepping out in the sun.
- Apply 2 – 3 drops of ghee or coconut oil all over the face and especially around the eyes before going out in the sun. Post sun exposure, you may apply cucumber juice or aloe vera gel.
- Apply a cold compress. A cold compress can help reduce swelling and shrink dilated blood vessels.
- Elevate your head.
- Apply a cold compress. A cold compress can help reduce swelling and shrink dilated blood vessels.
- Avoid consumption of carbonated water, cold drinks, tea, coffee, etc. The best drink for those with puffy eyes and dark circles is plain warm water, which detoxifies the system.
- Lemon has great bleaching properties. Therefore, consuming rich in vitamin K, C, A and E may help reduce dark circles.
- Quit smoking and avoid alcohol consumption
- Avoid spicy, astringent and bitter foods. Take nutritional supplements like citrus fruits, berries, fresh fruits, salads, as well as almonds, dates and ghee.
- Avoid exposure to wind while traveling.
- Practice pranayama to deal with stress, anxiety and cope up with depression.
- Sleep for at least 6-7 hours in the night. Avoid daytime sleeping. However, you can take a small nap after lunch.
