I am not sure if this is worse than acne. When I look in the mirror I can see these dark circles under my eyes, they glare back at me worse than any spots I get. I have no idea why all of a sudden they have appeared. Maybe because it is around one of the focal points of me that it comes across to me as bad. I wouldn't mind but I don't actually feel that exhausted or ill, but I certainly feel it after looking in the mirror.

What are these dark circles doing to my overall confidence and well-being? Not a lot it has to be said. I wouldn't mind but looking into this I have found that they are not medically harmful. Well this may be the case but this look I have at the moment is not doing me any favours at all. When looking around I can see I am not the only person to suffer with this problem and some of it must be to do with the fact I am getting older as when I look at teenagers these big black bags under the eyes are nowhere to be seen,(oh to be a teenager again, then again maybe not!).

So lets us have a look at what I have found out about these vile and as far as I'm concerned completely unnecessary things that appear under our eyes. As I thought it is a very common problem and as we get older or suffer from ill health are unavoidable. However, the good news is that the many factors that can cause our puffy eyes can be prevented and treated. Which has to be said is good news and a huge relief.  

Here are a few of the causes of the dark circles under our eyes:  

By eating, sleeping and drinking well you will help to prevent the dark circles from appearing. Also making sure you are as stress free as possible.  

Unfortunately as we get older our skin becomes thinner, meaning that we are able to see our blood vessels. This is what we see when we have the dark circles, quite simply blood vessels. If we have been prone to the sun then this could make it worse as the sun weakens our skin.  

As with a lot of conditions you can blame family genes. If your parents and grand-parents suffer from puffy eyes then it is highly likely that you will to. If you have fair skin then they are going to be much more obvious.  

One of the more common reasons and this will come as no surprise to you and that is lack of sleep. If you have not had enough sleep then you are going to look paler than normal, meaning your blood vessels are going to show more through your skin.  

Two factors that can cause these circles under your eyes and which I did not know about before reading about the subject. Are Dehydration and Iron Deficiency Anemia both which have symptoms that include the darkness under your eyes.  

Finally another common reason is an allergy or hay-fever. How many people have you seen with puffy, swollen dark eyes in the height of the pollen season. Or when reacting to something in the air or in food their eyes swelling up and becoming dark underneath?  

Dark circles under your eyes as we can see have many reasons as to the causes. How do we prevent them or treat them? From looking at the causes above some ways of reducing them are obvious. Such as making sure we get enough sleep. However, in the busy lives we lead it is not always as easy as getting an extra few hours sleep. Sometimes we need other solutions such as eye creams or treatments.