One of my best girlfriends has very dark circles all around her eyes. We have known each other for years, and before her, I had never heard of this phenomenon. I had never even noticed it on anyone else. 

She is one of the hardest working women I have ever met, raising four kids plus one stepchild, heading off to work five days a week, keeping up an active social life, and building her own business from the ground up. 

I asked her once how she does it all. “I don’t sleep.” She said, only partly joking. It is, after all, mostly true. She grabs a few hours of sleep each night and otherwise survives on coffee and sheer will. 

As an avid health and beauty naturopath, I have discovered that her condition, the dark circles around her eyes, is quite common, it is called hyperpigmentation, and it is not always caused by lack of sleep. It has many causes. 

Table of Contents: 

• What Causes Hyperpigmentation around Eyes?
• 5 Tips for Fixing Hyperpigmentation Around the Eyes
• Sleep!
• Target Your Allergies
• Morning Cucumber
• Tea Bags
• Antioxidant Skincare Products
• Oils for Your Skin
• Wow Skin Science for the Skin Around Your Eyes

What Causes Hyperpigmentation around Eyes?

Hyperpigmentation like that of my girlfriend is genetic. She already has a darker skin tone and she is predisposed to darkening around her eyes from excessive stress and lack of sleep.

The darker circles appear as a result of constricted blood vessels, which cause your skin to appear blue or even black, depending on your natural skin tone. 

Add to her genetic predisposition her lack of sleep and she has brewed a recipe for hyperpigmentation. 

Other causes of darkened skin around the eyes can be allergies, the natural aging process, and even excessive rubbing and scratching of the area. In each case, hyperpigmentation is caused by constricted blood vessels, and while it cannot always be reversed entirely, it can almost always be helped. 

5 Tips for Fixing Hyperpigmentation Around the Eyes

There are some obvious tips for fixing hyperpigmentation around the eyes, and then there are some lesser-known ones. Remember, as always, that restoring and repairing the damage will always be a matter of trial and error, patience with the process, and finding what works for your unique body.

Sleep!

Obvious, right? When I tell you that hyperpigmentation around the eyes can be caused by a lack of sleep, the instant thought that comes to your head is “well duh, I need more sleep.” But, like many women in this day and age, it can be hard to simply sleep more. Just ask my girlfriend. I constantly text her to “sleep!” And she just texts me back “I wish!”

Target Your Allergies

Figure out what you’re allergic to and try to target treatments for those allergies. Local honey can be great for seasonal allergies, reducing the sneezing and rubbing of red itchy eyes. 

Morning Cucumber

Cucumbers are all water, and they can help restore moisture to tired eyes in the morning. They are also chock full of vitamin C, a natural antioxidant. Place a slice of cucumber on each eye in the morning while enjoying your coffee or tea. 

Tea Bags

Speaking of tea... the caffeine in tea bags has antioxidant properties which can stimulate the blood circulation around your eyes. Each afternoon as you enjoy your favorite cup of green tea, place the bags over each eye after you pull them from your cup. 

Antioxidant Skincare Products

If your hyperpigmentation around the eyes is severe, be sure to invest in skincare products, from serums to lotions, that contain antioxidants. You want to help those dark circles get your blood circulating and working its way back to as normal as possible as much as you can. 

Oils for Your Skin

Applying a 100% oil to your skin before bed each night can go a long way toward keeping the skin on your face moisturized and even. Consider investing in your favorite ingredients and fragrances and building your essential oil application into your skincare routine. 

Add to that a good night's sleep and plenty of water and you may see the hyperpigmentation around your eyes eventually fade away into a bad memory. Remember, you cannot make up for years of lost sleep or poor skin care. Catch it now while you can, so you do not find yourself regretting it later. 

Wow Skin Science for the Skin Around Your Eyes

I have included below a few links to vitamin C products, full of antioxidants, for your perusal.

Vitamin C Serum

This vitamin C serum is designed specifically to support healing skin and its hyperpigmentation. Full of antioxidants, vitamin C not only heals damage to skin but it also helps prevent further damage by protecting you from free radicals in the environment. 

Vitamin C Face Cream

Support the above serum with an all over face cream that will help you even out your skin tone and go further toward repairing the hyperpigmentation around your eyes. 

Take your time browsing the site at the links above. A solid skincare routine will not only make you look better, it will also make you feel better. What’s not to love about that?