Eye Cream for Dark Circles

Dark circles can effectively diminish the beauty of even the most gorgeous face. Not only do they make you look years older, but they also render your eyes a perpetually tired look. There are several causes for dark circles under eyes. Lack of sleep, heredity, eating disorders and smoking are some of the common causes of dark circles. Long hours on the computer, sun damage and other eye straining activities also contribute a great deal to the cause of dark circles. There are several products to reduce dark circles under eyes. However, all of them may not be as effective as the tall claims made by their manufacturers.

What to Look For in an Eye Cream for Dark Circles

Sun Protection Factor
Damage due to sun is the leading cause of dark circles under eyes. Ironically, very few eye creams have sun protection factor (SPF), than can protect your eyes and the skin around, from harsh sunrays. If your cream does not have an SPF, then you might instead go for a regular sun screen lotion to protect the delicate skin underneath your eyes. Even a concealer with an SPF formula is likely to work better than a specialized eye cream, without SPF. Thus, you should always check for ingredient label and see if it contains a protective agent against sun damage or not.

Active Ingredients
Most of the eye creams are likely to contain vitamin K, as it tightens the capillaries in the under eye region and makes them stronger. Vitamin C is also an essential ingredient as it lightens the skin and stimulates collagen production. Licorice extract may also be used for similar uses. Other active ingredients that you must look for are caffeine, retinol, alpha hydroxy acids (AHA), copper peptides etc. These ingredients are also effective against puffiness around eyes as well as wrinkles. Most of the eye creams are formulated to target multiple problems such as darkness, puffiness, sagging and aging. Silica and hyaluronic acid can provide additional benefit by smoothing and hydrating the under eye skin.

Can You Use Face Cream as Eye Cream?

According to the panel of dermatologists who reviewed several eye creams as a part of survey for the magazine, Cosmopolitan, you do not need a special eye cream to reduce dark circles under eyes. Although, most eye cream manufacturer companies tout eye creams as an indispensable part of your skin care regimen, the truth is, these creams rarely contain ingredients different from normal face moisturizers. The ingredients and their formulation does not differ in any way for a good quality hydrating cream and eye cream. The only difference is in their packaging and of course, price! Thus, you are likely to pay more for the same ingredients if you go for eye creams. However, some eye creams may contain high quality ingredients that can actually reduce the darkness under the eyes. Also, the anti-aging ingredients in a face moisturizer may irritate the delicate area under eyes. Hence, you might as well invest in a good quality eye cream for dark circles, if you must.

An eye cream is only effective as long as the dark circle problem is small enough to be solved by topical application. For chronic dark circles, you should consult a dermatologist for sure shot and lasting results.