Post-Pregnancy Dark Circles Under Eyes - Causes & Tips To Overcome Them
Congratulations on delivering your bundle of joy!
As you soak in the warmth of motherhood, allow us to ask - how you doin? While you focus on the wellbeing of the apple of your “eye”, don’t turn a blind “eye” to self-care. And by that, we specifically mean your delicate under eye area that is currently battling long, sleepless nights. And all this means that those dark circles under eyes might start showing prominently. But, what causes them? And how can you get rid of them? Let’s get you an in-depth analysis of what dark circles are, their causes, and 5 simple ways to reduce those harsh dark circles under eyes after your delivery. Here you go:
Under Eye Dark Circles - Definition And Causes
Dark circles under the eyes are also known as periorbital dark circles. They are usually characterised by darker under-eye skin tone compared to the surrounding areas of the facial skin. The under-eye skin skin colour of a person is strongly influenced by inherent factors such as ethnicity and genetics. It also includes the quality and amount of melanin, the skin-darkening component, present in the skin1.
However, several lifestyle and external factors also play a critical role in the appearance of dark circles. While tiredness, fatigue, and sleep deprivation are the usual suspects, factors such as stress, illnesses, hormonal changes, eye strain, dehydration, smoking and many such lifestyle factors also contribute to worsening the dark pigmentation under the eyes1.
The most common physiological change during pregnancy is darkening of the under eye area. The increased oestrogen and progesterone levels in pregnancy simultaneously result in melanocyte-stimulating hormone, thereby causing hyperpigmentation (darkening) of skin.2
Anatomy Of The Under Eye Area
Besides the intrinsic and external factors, the anatomy of the under eye area is also a major factor in giving rise to dark circles under eyes.
The complex anatomy of the eye area can also be a contributory factor toward dark circles under eyes. For instance, there is less infraorbital subcutaneous fat and the under-eye area is prone to irregular blood flow and swelling. Additionally, the eye-lids have the thinnest skin of the face. The bone structure and contour of the eye socket can also lead to shadowing effects around the eye1.
Results from a scientific review of periorbital dark circles, involving ultrasound imaging, suggest that under-eye dark circles are linked to thinner skin in the under-eye area. The increased blood vessel dilation and hyperpigmentation is more evident through thinner skin, thus increasing the visual appearance of dark circles1.
Now that we’ve given you an eye-to-eye account of what contributes to dark circles under eyes, let’s check out how to get rid of them in the next section.
5 Tips To Deal With Dark Circles Under Eyes
There are many reasons for under eye dark circles, including stress, lack of sleep, lifestyle or diet changes, etc3. Following delivery, a new mom might experience some or all these factors. It is believed that hormonal changes during pregnancy can also cause an increase in melanin production, and thereby increase dark circles4. But the silver lining is that these dark circles under eyes are temporary and may fade away gradually after pregnancy 4. Until then, you can try these 5 tips to take care of dark circles under your eyes:
1. Improve Sleep Quality
Your new mommy duties will make it practically impossible for you to get long stretches of sleep. This lack of sleep can also make your under eye area look tired, dull and darker5. So, focus on the “quality” of your sleep rather than the “quantity”. Follow the thumb rule of ‘sleep when the baby sleeps’. Take small, but deep naps. Try taking a warm bath immediately after bathing your baby. This will help you get a relaxed sleep along with your baby. You can also try listening to soothing music, head or foot massages, or room fragrances to help you get a relaxed, deep nap.
2. Home Remedies
The arrival of a baby also heralds digging into age-old home remedies to handle the baby’s delicate skin. So, even for a new mom’s skin-related worries, our go-to hack is always home remedies! And when it comes to home remedies for dark circles under eyes, green tea bags are our best bet. Simply refrigerate used green tea bags and use them on your eyes to relax whenever you get time.
Green tea and its phenolic compounds are believed to prevent melanogenesis (production of melanin pigment) that causes skin darkening 6 7. So, now you know. When you’re done sipping your favourite green tea to relax yourself, don’t just throw the tea bags away.
3. Combat Stress
Stress is largely believed to be a cause of many ailments. And dark circles under eyes are no different. In fact, a study suggests that the dark pigmentation becomes more intense with stress. Whereas good health and rest might aid in lessening the coloration8.
While it’s difficult for a new mom to escape stress completely, there are hacks to combat & control it. Remember all those prenatal Lamaze, meditation, and yoga classes you’d been to before your baby arrived? Now’s the time to put them to practise again.
Another surprising stress buster is - CHOCOLATE! Yes, research proves that consuming about 40 gm of dark or milk chocolate daily, for at least 2 weeks, can help reduce perceived stress9. We hope this bit of information has lightened your mood, and, hopefully, brightened your beautiful eyes!
4. Reduce Screen Time
What do long, boring nights and OTT platforms have in common? Nothing,...except us! We all (new moms included) are guilty of straining our eyes to binge-watch OTT content as a boredom-survival instinct.
But for new moms, this eye strain combined with other factors listed above, might add on to worsening the dark circles under eyes1. So, to all you new moms seeking the guilty pleasure of binge-watching popular K-dramas or answers to a crime-show cliffhanger, we recommend the 3 “R”s (no, it’s not RRR, the movie). It’s- Restrain, Refrain, and Reduce Eye Strain!
5. Use A Good Under Eye Serum
And last, but certainly not the least- what does a new-mom’s tired eyes need? A gentle massage coupled with a soothing effect of potent, natural ingredients! And all this comes together in AreoVeda’s Bullet Coffee under eye serum that contains a blend of all-natural ingredients.
The Pentavitin in the serum provides under eye skin hydration for up to 72 hours!10 It has Quinoa seed extracts that help reduce under eye skin folds and puffiness, with visible results in just 28 days11. The CryoCoffee’s caffeine component helps inhibit the production of skin-darkening melanin.12 What’s more? Unlike conventional under eye creams that require usage of hands, this Bullet Coffee under eye serum comes with a stainless steel roller mechanism. Not only is this hygienic, but also prevents friction to the delicate under eye skin, which is otherwise caused by direct hand application. It also provides a cooling, massage effect, thus helping relax the under eye area.
This brings us to the end of our list of tips to take care of the dark circles under eyes after childbirth!
Rolling Up(Pun Intended)!
The joy of becoming a mother is unmatched. Yet, it brings with it innumerable challenges and changes - including physical changes like skin pigmentation. Since the under eye skin area is the thinnest compared to the rest of the face, dark circles under eyes appear prominently.13 The change in the new mom’s lifestyle and routine can also worsen this condition.
The good news (not another one, not so soon) is that the pregnancy-related dark circles are believed to be temporary which will resolve gradually.4 In the meantime though, you can still take care of dark circles under eyes with the tips provided by us. While a few lifestyle changes and home remedies for dark circles will help, rest assured you’ll hit the bull’s “eye” with AreoVeda’s Bullet Coffee Under Eye Serum! Made of potent, all-natural ingredients, it comes with a stainless-steel roller that provides friction-free, cooling massage effect to the eyes. So, what are you waiting for? Order one for yourself - Today!
To order AreoVeda’s Bullet Coffee Under Eye Serum, click here.
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