Eliminate These Foods From Your Diet To Help Treat Dreaded Under-Eye Circles

Aside from hyperpigmentation and scarring, one blemish that is a pain to get rid of is dark circles, aka the stubborn pools of doom under your eyes that make you look like you haven't slept for 72 hours, all day, every day. More often than not, you get dark circles when you're sleep deprived (don't we all?), but you can also be born with them.

According to Dr. Courtney Rubin, a board-certified dermatologist, dark circles can also result from dehydration. The more dehydrated you are, the more your eyes will look hollow. "Remember, water makes up about 60% of the human body. If you are seriously dehydrated, your body's tissues will start to shrink, including your skin and the delicate tissue under the eyes," she explained to Byrdie. Dark circles can be a sign of aging, too. Dr. Rubin added that as we grow older, the soft tissue below the eyes "shrinks and descends," resulting in darker circles.

If you want a shortcut to treating them, you can always book a trip to your dermatologist and ask for fillers. But as it turns out, lightening them can be as simple as avoiding certain foods.

As much as you think caffeine is integral to your daily function, you may want to learn how to go without it if you wish to eliminate your dark circles. Unfortunately for some, the same goes for booze. Since the two are considered diuretics, they often cause dehydration, resulting in darker circles. What's more, dermatologist Dr. Edidiong Kaminska pointed out to AARP that: "[they cause] the small blood vessels under the skin to dilate and expand, making them more prominent." As fun as it can be to chug coffee and sip alcohol, they only trigger under-eye discoloration.

You may want to lay off your hands from salty and sugary foods as well. According to John Hopkins Medicine, sodium-packed food apparently leads to fluid retention and puffier eyes, whereas sweets induce insulin resistance, which dermatologist Dr. Paula Morgan notes also leads to fluid retention and more prominent dark circles. What's more, she told SheFinds: "[sugary foods] stimulate your adrenal glands to produce more cortisol," one of the hormones that play a big part in boosting puffiness in the eye area.

If you're tired of looking like a zombie with how dark your undereye area is, there are other things you can try other than getting enough sleep, drinking more water, cutting some things out of your diet, and wearing eye cream. For one, you can eat more foods with high water content, like tomatoes and watermelons. For another, you can try the age-old method of putting pieces of cucumber over the eyes. It apparently works wonders in reducing puffiness, boosting collagen production, and hydrating the area, per Byrdie.

Ironically, caffeine also helps reduce the appearance of dark circles, but only if they're in the form of tea bags. According to Healthline, by soaking tea bags and putting them over your eyes, the caffeine and antioxidants found in them will work to facilitate blood circulation in the eye area and reduce inflammation. Cold spoons and ice offer a similar effect, as they relax and shrink the blood vessels under the eyes.

If none of these natural treatments work, perhaps it's worth looking into what else may be causing your dark circles. If it's not genetics, it could be due to an underlying health concern. "If your dark circles persist, it is always a good idea to have an annual checkup with your doctor, including a physical exam and blood work, if necessary," board-certified dermatologist Dr. Andrea Suarez told mindbodygreen.