Those sparkling eyes...

You are young and beautiful and lead an exciting life. But of late, that unsightly pigmentation below your eyes is stealing their sparkle, making you look dull and tired. Fret not. You are not alone. Dark circles are a common skin ailment thanks to the unhealthy lifestyle that includes junk food, lack of sleep, hormonal changes and stress.

Make-up and concealer can help temporarily, but the problem needs to be tackled at the root. Dark circles are also genetic. You need to know the underlying cause and deal with it accordingly. You need to follow a regular skin and health care regimen.

Here are some of the things you can do to avoid or get rid of those ungainly dark circles:

Keep yourself hydrated. It is important to flush out toxins from your body. Drink at least six to eight glasses of water.

Low haemoglobin levels can also cause dark circles. Get your levels checked,
supplement with iron if the counts are low.

Cut out junk food. Eat plenty of seasonal fruits, vegetables and salads. Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, kiwis and melons have a high vitamin C content, which cures pigmentation.

Get enough sleep. You might be a night owl, studying late into the night or partying into early hours of the morning. Whatever you do, make sure you get six to eight hours of sound sleep.

Follow a skincare regimen. Ensure that you remove your eye make-up each night. Massage the area around your eye with almond oil, a good vitamin E cream or serum. Always use a sunscreen when you step out in the sun.

Despite all these precautions, you might still get dark circles. Dark circles might also be a result of an allergic reaction.

Retinoids can help. Retinol can stimulate the production of collagen. Regular use of a retinol cream will make the under-eye skin less thin and reduce dark circles.

Home remedies

Apply cucumber, potato or tomato juice, as they have skin-lightening properties. All you need to do is to apply a teaspoon of any of these juices under your eyes; let it remain for 10 minutes and wash it off with cold water. Repeat the remedy twice a day to get rid of dark circles.

Soak a tea bag (preferably a green tea) in water. Keep it in the refrigerator for a while. Place the chilled tea bag over your eyes for that clean, fresh feel.

Laser treatment

But if none of this works, you can go for laser treatment. The treatment will also tighten, smoothen and remove wrinkles from under the eyes.

With all these useful tips you can tackle the problem of dark circles head on. But remember, nothing works without discipline. Be regular, be persistent and see the dark circles vanish!

(The author is CEO & president, StemGenn)