One may be young and beautiful but of late, that unsightly pigmentation below the eyes is stealing their sparkle making the person look dull and tired. However, it might be comforting to know that there is nothing to fret as this is a problem shared by many.

Dark circles are the bane of life for a lot of youngsters because of an unhealthy lifestyle like consuming 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. One must remember that dark circles are sometimes genetic and related to one’s skin type. In that case, there’s not much one can do.

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One needs to know the underlying cause and deal with it accordingly. A regular skin and health care programme needs to be followed and overnight results should not be expected as it takes time.

Tip on how to get rid of dark circles

Keep yourself well hydrated: It is important to flush out toxins from the body. One way of doing this is to drink plenty of water. Start with at least sixeight glasses. In the rush of daily life, most youngsters forget to drink enough water.

Check for any health issues: Seek an appointment with your doctor to rule out any health problem. Sometime low haemoglobin can also give you dark circles. Get your levels checked, supplement with iron if the counts are low.

Stick to a healthy, balanced diet: Cut out junk food. They are often laden with preservatives which could give you sallow skin and dark circles. Eat plenty of seasonal fruits, vegetables and salads. Citrus fruits like oranges, lemon, kiwis and melons have a high Vitamin C content. Include them in your diet to avoid dark circles.

Reduce your stress levels: Modern life is full of stress. Reduce your stress level through exercise, yoga and meditation. Calm your nerves and let the endorphins flow. Your skin will glow and dark circles will slowly fade away.

Get enough sleep: Youngsters are known to be night birds – often studying late at night or partying into the early hours of the morning. Whatever you do, make sure you get six-eight hours of sound sleep. Lack of sleep can land you with ugly dark circles.

Avoid alcohol: People who party hard, smoke excessively and have more than a few pegs a week often end up with dark circles. Smoking and drinking is bad for the skin and must not be indulged in excesses. Settle for a healthy lifestyle with enough recreation.

Follow a skincare regimen: To avoid dark circles, follow a good skin care regimen and be gentle with the skin. After removing eye makeup massage the area around the eye with almond oil or a good Vitamin E cream or serum. Always use a sun screen when stepping out in the sun.

Use lightening cream: Despite all these precautions, one might still get dark circles if it is genetic. Others could get dark circles because of an allergy. Check for allergies and avoid the allergan. Take an antihistamine. It will help clear up the dark circles.

Retinoid 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.

Apply cucumber, potato or tomato juice: Home remedies like these are excellent solutions for getting rid of dark circles, as they have skin-lightening properties. All you need to do is to apply a teaspoon of juice 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.

Use cold tea bags: Another simple home remedy is using cold tea bag. Soak a tea bag, preferably a green one, in water. Keep it in the refrigerator for a while. Place the chilled tea bag over your eyes. Use this remedy regularly to get results.

Go for laser treatment: But if none of this works, you can go for laser treatment. The treatment goes beyond circles as it also tightens, smoothens and removes wrinkles under the eyes.

With these useful tips one 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 writer is  CEO, president, StemGenn)