You didn’t choose the goth life, the goth life chose you. Those dark circles under your eyes make you look less like a business professional and more like the frontman of an early 2000’s emo-punk band. 

It’s hard to be taken seriously in the boardroom when you’re not taking self-care seriously in the bathroom. We’re talking skin care, especially how you take care of the skin under your eyes. 

If you aren’t taking care of your skin, we gotta ask why not? Great skin is a crucial part of your look. Ths solution? We’ve got a few for you. 

Disco is the men’s skin care line founded by a man, for men’s skin. Most of the products you find at your local store have been formulated for women’s skin. Men’s skin is tougher, thicker, and grows hair. Men’s skin also has a different pH balance than women’s skin. 

Disco’s products work synergistically with your skin to help it stay healthy and hydrated and help eliminate dark circles under your eyes. We’ll talk about what’s causing your dark circles and what you can do to fix them. 

Why Do I Have Raccoon Eyes?

There are several reasons you could be waking up with hollow, dark eyes. The majority of the problems men have with dark circles under the eyes are usually related to sleep (or lack of it). Here’s what could be causing your tired look.

Lack of Sleep

You can’t consistently lose sleep and avoid repercussions. Lack of sleep is the number one reason men develop dark circles under their eyes. Lack of restorative sleep (the kind you get when you hit between seven to nine hours of rest) can cause your blood vessels to dilate. When this happens, blood naturally pools under your eyes.

The skin under your eyes is incredibly thin. Elsewhere on your face and body, your skin covers layers of muscle and fat, which help it stay firm and youthful. The skin around your eyes doesn’t have these filler elements, which makes it one of the first places you’ll see signs of aging...and lack of sleep. 

When blood pools under the eyes, it’s extremely visible as dark circles, because the skin is so thin on that part of your face.

Age

As you age, that thin skin under your eyes gets even thinner. Your collagen production also begins to slow. Collagen is the basic material that keeps your skin plump, firm and youthful. Couple that collagen loss with the natural loss of facial fat you experience as you age, and you’ve got the perfect storm for dark circles. 

If your dark circles are related to aging, you definitely need a product to help you fight not only the dark circles but also the signs of aging. You need a product to stimulate collagen production so that the skin under your eyes is better supported. 

Lucky for you, we’ve got a product rec coming up. 

Too Much Device Time

All those long hours at the office starting at your laptop can pay you dividends in profit-sharing options, corner offices, and possibly dark circles under your eyes, especially if you are straining to see what you’re typing or texting. 

Typing, texting, and reading computer screens and smartphones can cause eye strain, which can make your blood vessels enlarge. When this happens, there’s more blood flow under your eyes, which can make them appear darker. 

Even if you wear corrective lenses and don’t feel like you’re straining to see your screens, the blue light emitted from your devices is more taxing on your eyes, which can cause them to fatigue more easily, and cause the blood vessels to enlarge. 

Dehydration

You may chug coffee or tea all day, but if you aren’t getting enough hydration to your skin, your eyes can begin to look hollow and dark. Even if you’re drinking water every day, your skin is last in line to get it. 

Other organs in your body get the water you consume first, so skin cells are often dehydrated even when you feel like you’re drinking plenty of fluids. 

With skin, adding topical hydration is crucial to keep your skin well moisturized and healthy. The skin around the eyes is especially in need of topical moisture because it’s paper-thin and contains fewer ceramides than the rest of your skin. Ceramides are fatty lipids in your skin that help your skin retain water. 

Keeping the skin around your eyes hydrated is difficult through drinking water alone. Stepping up your skin care routine and investing in a specific eye product can make a huge difference. 

You Got it From Your Mama

Or your dad, or maybe even an uncle. Dark circles and bags under the eyes can be hereditary, so if you notice the gothic trend in family photos, chances are you’re experiencing the same thing because of genetics.

You can still use products to help lessen the appearance of dark circles, so don’t think you’re stuck with them for the long haul. 

Best Treatments for Dark Circles Under the Eyes

You might have found the reason why you have them, but there are ways you can prevent them and get rid of them fast when they crop up. 

Sleep (Obviously)

You need the right amount of sleep, and you need it consistently. Not getting enough sleep is detrimental to your overall health, not just the health of your under-eye skin. 

Making sure you get proper sleep can make you feel like a completely different person and will rid you of your vampire eyes if that’s what causes them. 

Less Screen Time

We don’t want to sound like your mom...but you need less screen time. If that’s not an option for you, invest in some blue light-blocking glasses so that your eyes experience less fatigue and strain while you’re working and reading. 

If you haven’t had an eye exam in over a year, it’s time. Making sure you’re wearing the proper prescription of corrective lenses will help you avoid eye strain and also protect your vision. 

Better Skin Care

We said from the beginning it was important to take care of your skin to avoid dark circles under the eyes, and using a dark circle correcting eye product is the best way to eliminate the hollows and look like you’ve been on vacation the past week. 

In terms of ingredients, there are a few that stand out for helping remove dark circles:

• Pycnogenol. Weird name, amazing ingredient. This plant-based extract is derived from a coastal French pine and has some pretty great eye-restoring benefits. Pycnogenol is a potent antioxidant that helps protect against free radical damage. 
  
  This extract also works as a skin brightener, making dark circles appear less visible and brightening up the entire eye area. 

• Niacinamide. This ingredient is a form of vitamin B3, the same vitamin you find in foods like avocados and fatty fish. Niacinamide is an excellent skin brightener but also has anti-aging benefits. 
  
  Niacinamide helps fight the formation of fine lines and wrinkles around your eyes which can cause them to look older and more tired. It also helps even and smooth the skin, and improves overall texture.
  
  *Bonus: Niacinamide is a great product for anyone who suffers from blemish-prone skin. If you think you can’t try an eye product because if any of it got on your cheeks you’d get a pimple, this ingredient can help counteract blemishes and keep your skin looking clarified. 

• Caffeine. Caffeine works topically for your skin the same way your triple espresso works at 1:00 p.m. Caffeine helps tighten and constrict blood vessels in the skin making it firmer. When the skin under your eyes is firmer, there’s less room for blood and fluid to pool beneath the surface and cause dark circles. 
  
  Unlike caffeine’s effect on your nervous system, when it is applied topically, it has the ability to soothe skin. If the skin around your eyes is also feeling itchy and/or irritated, caffeine can help settle it down. 

These ingredients are great, but how do you get them on your baby blues? You use a product that delivers them all in one single swipe. 

Eye Treatment for Dark Circles

You can get the skin brightening effects of pycnogenol, the age-defying benefits of niacinamide, and the skin tightening and soothing of caffeine in one great product: Disco’s repairing eye stick. 

Our eye stick contains all three ingredients, plus other plant extracts like calming chamomile and hydrating eucalyptus oil to give your eyes the royal treatment they deserve. You can apply your eye stick in the morning, evening, and throughout your day as necessary. 

It’s literally the game-changing tool in your hip pocket. If your thirty-slide presentation doesn’t wow them, your incredibly healthy, well-rested-looking eyes will. 

Sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4924417/ 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/dark-circles-under-eyes/basics/causes/sym-20050624?p=1

https://preventblindness.org/blue-light-and-your-eyes/

https://www.uwhealth.org/madison-plastic-surgery/the-benefits-of-drinking-water-for-your-skin/26334