Concern guides

Dark circles: understanding the concern and care options

Dark circles describe a darker or shadowed appearance under the eyes. Pigment, visible vessels, puffiness and facial structure can each contribute.

SkinGenious editorial team

Explore the guide ↓

Understanding the concern

The most common complaint that we hear from people who suffer from dark circles is that they always ‘look tired’. Dark circles appear when the skin under your eyes is either of a darker shade or appears to be of a darker shade than the surrounding areas. Why we talk about ‘appearance’ of darkness is the fact that this also depends on how light rebounds off the skin.

Dark circles under the eyes are caused by:

Vascular changes under the eyes or increased blood vessels
Hyperpigmentation or the increased presence of melanin in the undereye area. This is also known as periorbital pigmentation.
Hollowness or loss of volume. This is where the light rebound comes into play. When there is a depression in the region, it may look dark although the actual skin tone may not be different from the surrounding areas.
Genetic reasons

Once you read more about treatment options for under eye darkness on this page, you will likely choose a method yourself, under the expert guidance of a top dermatologist at SkinGenious!

Dark circles describe a darker or shadowed appearance under the eyes. Pigment, visible vessels, puffiness and facial structure can each contribute.

Causes and contributing factors

Inherited anatomy, thin skin, rubbing, allergies, sun exposure and volume changes may affect the appearance. Lack of sleep is not the explanation in every case.

How it is assessed

Assessment separates true pigment from shadows and swelling. The surrounding skin, eye symptoms and previous treatments help guide the plan.

When to seek medical advice

New one-sided swelling, pain, visual symptoms or a rapidly changing area should be assessed promptly.

Treatment and management options

Options depend on the cause and may include managing allergies or irritation, skincare, pigment treatment and selected procedures. Filler is relevant only for carefully selected structural concerns.

Treatment guide

Dermal Filler ↗

In case the treatment plan decided is to go ahead with dermal fillers to reduce the hollowness, the treatment duration is much shorter. It takes 15-30 minutes.

Steps include: Application of numbing cream at the site of injection Injection of the dermal filler product.

There is no specific after care required apart from the fact that you must avoid rubbing the area for the next 4 hours. The filler act in reducing the hollowness, thereby improving the reflection of light and reducing the appearance of the dark circles.

Treatment guide

PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) ↗

PPRP treatment involves the use of growth factors from our own blood. The factors are extracted and re-injected into the target area to achieve desired results.

Treatment guide

Q-switch laser ↗

The pico laser or Q-switch laser is a revolutionary technology used for hyperpigmentation treatment. The name of the laser comes from the fact that this type of laser machine can produce a pulsed output beam which enables it to produce pulses of very high power.

It has a very high pulse rate and very high energy. It directly effects the excess pigment cells, breaks them down and helps in reversion of natural skin tone. It does not affect the surrounding normal cells. Our dermatologists will guide you properly on pre-care and after-care for this hyperpigmentation laser treatment. It is useful for deeper as well as superficial pigmentation and hence provides quick and visible results.

You may require multiple sessions with any of these treatment options to achieve desired results.

What improvement can look like

Improvement is often partial because several causes can coexist. A treatment aimed at pigment will not necessarily correct a structural shadow.

Dermal Filler for Dark circles

Dermal fillers are the most commonly used treatment to resolve the issue of dark circles that gives desired results.

PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) for Dark circles

The treatment is experimental, but the science behind it is under research. It has been shown to be effective in facial rejuvenation, including for the peri-orbital area.

Before and after results

These photographs come from the existing treatment and concern records. They illustrate individual outcomes. Your starting point, treatment plan and healing response affect your own result.

Before and after: Dermal Filler for Dark circles — Dermal Filler for Dark circles

Understanding your treatment choices

Dark circles can come from pigment, visible vessels, thin skin, a hollow beneath the eye or shadows from puffiness. These often overlap. A cream aimed at pigment will not fill a hollow, and a volume treatment may not address brown colour in the skin itself.

Look at the area in even daylight and explain whether the concern changes with sleep, allergies or swelling. Rubbing itchy eyes can contribute to pigmentation and irritation. Family traits and facial anatomy may also play a part, so a persistent shadow does not automatically mean that you are unwell or sleeping badly.

Treatment should follow the main cause. Skincare or a selected pigment treatment may help some people, while another person may need management of allergy or a discussion about structural options. The under-eye area is delicate, so procedures need careful assessment and a clear explanation of risks and expected change.

Compare progress without filters and with the same head position. Shadows can look very different when the light moves above or below the face. Sudden one-sided swelling, pain or a new eye symptom needs medical review rather than a cosmetic treatment. For longstanding circles, a balanced improvement is often a more useful goal than removing every natural shadow around the eye.