“There are three main causes of dark circles under our eyes,” explained Kerr. “The first is pigmentation, the second is having a thin skin, and the third is having hollowing under the eyes. It’s really important to be treating the right cause because a lot of people think that an eye cream can help with dark circles, but if the dark circles are caused by a loss of volume, for example, there is no way it’s going to help.”
Kerr explained that pigmentation is more common in darker skin types but can also be caused by inflammation and friction. “For example, wearing waterproof makeup and having to rub your eyes to remove it or frequently rubbing your eyes,” she said.
Having naturally thin skin means that you can see the veins and muscles underneath, which means that dark circles can be more visible. “This can also be caused by tiredness,” explained Kerr. “But also, it can be caused by allergies, or it can also just be from having very fair skin and it being more transparent.”
The hollowing under the eyes is “caused by a loss of volume that happens with age,” said Kerr. This loss of plumpness and elasticity almost creates a “trough,” which then creates shadowing and dark circles.
