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Creams, concealers, lifestyle changes... is there an answer to this perennial beauty problem? Beauty journalism evokes images of an elegant desk adorned with antique Parisian perfume bottles, clusters of psychedelic lipsticks and beautiful thoughts inked across pink Post-it notes; but that's only when we're not languishing at the spa. In reality, we're human guinea pigs testing one potion after another, armed with scientific stats and the occasional allergic reaction. All in the hope that one day, someone will invent an eye cream that will end the dark circle turmoil. Although many of the factors causing them are beyond our control (those pesky genes), I still want to understand why my eye area has taken a sudden turn for the worse. "The darkening in colour is due to the thinning of skin around the eyes as we age," explains Dr Nick Lowe, consultant dermatologist and professor at UCLA. "It lets the superficial blood vessels show through the skin, resulting in darkly pigmented circles." However, post-inflammatory pigmentation caused by sensitivity or eczema in the eye area also causes skin to become pigmented, especially darker skins, but needs to be treated immediately by a doctor. Prevention and minimising the appearance of dark circles are both key in this beauty battle. All the usual suspects contribute to their woeful intensity, so getting enough sleep, lowering stress levels and leading a healthy lifestyle will all help in the fight. Ditching the KFC, cigarettes and actually using the gym rather than treating it like a walk-in shower will also prove useful. But unfortunately, a scoop of eye cream won't rectify these little lifestyle misdemeanours either. I go through pots of the gloop, to Lowe's utter dismay. "You should go easy on how much eye cream you apply. Excessive amounts can cause puffiness and block pores in the delicate eye area," he warns. But, applied correctly, they definitely help to a certain degree by moisturising and plumping. Having tried every eye cream that has landed on my desk I've racked up a few favourites. Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye (£36, esteelauder.co.uk), Origins Plantscription Anti-ageing Eye Treatment (£35, origins.co.uk), Bakel Cool Eyes (£75, spacenk.co.uk) and Dr Lowe's Dark Circles Correcting cream (£15.31, boots.com) are the few that delivered any noticeable improvement. Through my quest, I've also become aware that the constant removal of make-up with wipes and removers is tugging at my skin, causing it to weaken further and those dark circles to worsen. Switching to Clinique's Naturally Gentle Eye Make-up Remover (£13, clinique.co.uk) was a stroke of self-appointed genius. Although the area looks a little brighter than before, I still rely heavily on my trusty concealer. You know a product is unspeakably good when you stop looking for something better. Bobbi Brown's Creamy Concealer Kit (£23.50, bobbibrown.co.uk) is easy to apply (pat gently around the eye area with your index finger,) doesn't settle into fine lines and comes with its own super-fine setting powder. The immense shade range means you'll never fall foul of the cardinal dark skin sin of applying a too-light concealer around the eyes, causing that reverse panda effect. We've cared for our dark circles with creams, treated them lovingly with concealer, altered our lifestyles but for those who have tried everything else, dermatologists recommend Fraxel lasering, one of the newer laser treatments that is said to be more effective on darker skins. As I consider it for a moment, Lowe reminds me of one of the biggest causes of dark circles – sun damage. "Everyone, even those with darker skins, should wear wide, UV-protected sunglasses in sunlight and dab an SPF15 with UVA protection lightly under the eyes. If you don't even do that, there is no point doing anything else." Consider me told – I might never remove my shades again. • Thanks to Dr Nick Lowe (drnicklowe.com). Please email the fashion desk at
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or comment below for any specific questions or suggestions for future columns. Anita is the beauty assistant at Stylist magazine.
Anita Bhagwandas
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