Dr. J P Verma

For long, under eye dark circles have been associated with stress, fatigue, or lack of sound sleep. However, there are a lot more factors that contribute to the appearance of dark circles. It is a well-known fact that the skin under our eyes is thinner as compared to the other body parts.

Dark circles appear when there is a dilation of the blood vessels present under eyes. It is these dilated and swollen blood vessels that appear as dark circles under the eyes.

The dilation, inflammation, irritation or rupture of the blood vessels can be an outcome of

1. An increased use of eye makeups, skin allergies, dermatological conditions such as Eczema.
2. Increased exposure to sun rays.
3. Dark circles can be a hereditary condition.
4. The dark circles can also be an outcome of the eye bags or protruding fats pockets.
5. With age, the lower eyelid (along with the rest of the face) may lose volume.

Treatments for Dark Circles

1. In case the dark circles are an outcome of allergies or eczema, consult a doctor. The use of over the counter antihistamine medicines can reduce the swelling and the puffiness to a great extent, thereby reducing the dark circles. Caution: Avoid self-medication. The medicines used should be the doctor recommended.
2. Cosmetic Blepharoplasty: This is a surgical procedure to enhance the appearance of your eyes by taking care of problems including dark circles, eye bags, droopy eyelids. Depending on the requirement, Blepharoplasty helps to get rid of the excess fats, muscles, skin or tissues either from the upper or lower eyelids or both (lower eyelids in the case of dark circles) to provide significant improvement.
3. Chemical peels and Acugel therapy: Peels and acugel treatment help in reducing dark circles and eye bags to a great extent.
4. The Laser therapy that uses an intense light beam into the target skin area (in this case, the skin under the eyes) can play an instrumental role in reducing the dark circles, thereby making the eyes look younger and rejuvenated.
5. One can also try out some home and natural remedies such as
   • Potato, known for its bleaching properties can be used to deal with dark circles. Extract the potato juice (you can grate the potato). Dip a cotton in the potato juice and apply it on your closed eyes ensuring the dark circles are covered. Rinse off the eyes after 10-15 minutes with cold water. You can carry out the same procedure with rose water to reduce the dark circles.
   • Applying chilled cucumber slices or chilled green tea bags on the dark circles will produce fruitful results.
   • Packed with Vitamin E, almond oil can work wonders to reduce the dark circles. Gently massage the dark circles with almond oil before retiring to bed and then rinse it off (use cold water) the next morning.
6. In addition to this, make sure you follow a healthy sleep routine (6-8 hours of daily sleep is a must).
7. Take care of your diet. Foods such as eggs, salmon, green tea or avocados can produce significant improvement in the case of dark circles.
8. Keep the body hydrated.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

The thyroid gland within the body plays an important role in regulating your metabolism among many other functions. This is a butterfly-shaped gland located in your neck and plays an important role within your body. However, a common condition that may afflict it is hypothyroidism or an underactive thyroid gland. It is even more of a problem if you are pregnant as it may affect your baby’s development in the womb. It has also been noticed that pregnancy in itself may cause hypothyroidism.

Symptoms of Hypothyroidism-

Pregnant women may also exhibit symptoms common to other patients who are suffering from hypothyroidism. These may include:

1. Fatigue along with lethargy.

2. Mild to significant weight gain.

3. Constipation.

4. Feeling cold with severe chills

The thyroid gland produces the T4 hormone responsible for regulating many mechanisms within the body such as metabolism. With hypothyroidism, the production of this hormone decreases or stops altogether. This is important as disruption in the production of the hormone may disrupt the normal development of your baby.

Effects of Hypothyroidism on your baby-

Hypothyroidism during pregnancy can affect your child’s developmental abilities. Many studies in this field have shown that such children tend to have learning difficulties and may even display lower IQ scores during tests. It was noticed that sometimes, hypothyroidism during pregnancy wasn’t diagnosed correctly as the pregnant mother did not show much apparent symptoms. This is also a major issue in the early diagnosis of the problem. Hence, it is absolutely imperative to test for thyroid problems early during pregnancy.

Prevention is the Best Cure-

It is thus very important that mothers be screened properly for thyroid issues even before they are pregnant and while they are pregnant. Some of the medically recommended steps that should be taken are –

1. Screening before pregnancy as this can help to devise a solution for this condition.

2. Women with goiter or enlarged thyroid should most certainly be screened.

3. Women with a family history of hypothyroidism should be screened.

Treatments for Hypothyroidism During Pregnancy-

The doctors may suggest thyroid hormone replacement therapy wherein artificial T4 hormone is introduced into the body. This helps to maintain a constant rate of the thyroid hormone within the body. This can be done even before pregnancy as the developing fetus is completely dependent on the mother for its thyroid hormone until at least 12 weeks when the baby’s body can start producing it on its own. Also, the levels of this hormone should be regularly checked within the body through the TSH or the thyroid stimulating hormone tests to ensure that the levels are at a safe minimum. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a doctor and ask a free question.