Under eye dark circles or periorbital melanosis is a common cosmetic condition that occurs in both young and old and has always been a challenging condition to treat.

It is of great aesthetic concern to those that suffer from it as is not only makes them look tired and dull all the time but also ages them well beyond their years.

The key to treating periorbital hyper melanosis, like any other condition, is to find the main cause and work on eliminating the causes.

Factors affecting POH:

Factors that occur due to aging

  • Tear trough deformity (structural anomaly)
  • Fat loss under eyes
  • Fat loss/ fat descent over cheeks
  • Thinning of skin under eyes

Factors due to lifestyle (changes in skin color under eyes)

  • Excessive intake of caffeine/alcohol (dehydration)
  • Hyperpigmentation due to sun damage
  • Smoking
  • Vitamin deficiencies

Other causes

  • Allergies
  • Lack of sleep
  • Hereditary

It’s important to talk to your doctor and determine what’s causing the pigmentation before attempting to treat the under eye pigmentation.

Fat Fills and dermal fillers are popular treatments for restoring the volume loss under eyes.

Dermal fillers contain hyaluronic acid which when injected will provide a cushion of support to the skin under eyes and help minimize that illusion of hyperpigmentation.

Fat fills/ fat grafting are a more permanent solution. Fat fills are done in the hands of a cosmetic surgeon who will remove excess fat from unwanted regions like love handles or the abdomen, filter it and use it to replace the fat loss under eyes.

Blepharoplasty is a day care surgery involves removing extra fatty tissue and excessive skin from upper and lower eyelids, tightening skin and muscles to reduce puffiness and wrinkles. It’s indicted in those who have extra fat pockets/fat bags under eyes.

If you have only a pigmentation issue your doctor may recommend using chemical peels combined with topical creams containing ceramides and a brightening agent like kojic acid/licorice root extract. These peels will be done at three weeks apart and the peels will gently exfoliate the dull pigmented layer over time thus diminishing the dark circles.

It’s said that the under eyes are the barometer to a person’s vitality so take extra care of them and watch those dark circles fade away .