Dark circles around your eyes look unsightly and even your best dress and layers of make-up sometimes does not quite succeed in concealing them! Blame it on your genes or your lifestyle, but, you cannot deny the fact that these are a blot on your beauty. And they become more prominent as you age.

Let’s just debunk some of the myths as well as unearth some of the facts about the causes of these ‘panda eyes’.

Dark circles under eyes usually are temporary and not a medical concern. You may be surprised to learn that fatigue usually isn't the cause of dark circles. Instead, the most common cause is nasal congestion. When your nose is congested, veins that usually drain from your eyes into your nose become widened (dilated) and darker.

Another cause of under eye circles is eyelid swelling during sleep. When you lie down, gravity can cause fluid to collect in your lower eyelids. This swelling may create the appearance of shadows below your eyes. In addition, dark circles can result from chronic skin conditions, such as atopic eczema.

Dark circles under the eyes are generally due to a lack of sleep, fatigue, stress, deficiency or some disease. Black or dark circles under or around the eyes can be caused by many different factors. Take all precautions to avoid strain on the eyes.

Some home remedies

Home remedies are short-term, pocket friendly options for reducing the appearance of dark circles under the eyes but are not usually regarded as permanent solutions.

• Several years of dermatological research has combined effects with skin care product manufacturers and resulted in production of specialized eye cream to remove dark circles. These eye creams and gels, used over a period, contain a balanced combination of compounds and botanicals, including AHA (alpha-hydroxy acid) that can remove dark circles under the eyes and even prevent future occurrence of dark circles. These eye creams are safe to use as preventive therapy and are effective.

• Additional reasons for dark circles under the eyes are stress or lack of sleep, resulting in fatigue and the subsequent effect on the skin. Allergies and malnutrition are other known causes of under eye dark circles and these have simple remedies like drinking a minimum of 8-10 glasses of water daily and getting sufficient rest at night, combined with a healthy diet of fruit, vegetables and sufficient minerals.

• Natural products like cooled tea bags and slices of cucumber can help reduce puffiness under the eyes and minimize the look of dark circles.