How to Get Rid of Dark Circles: Home Remedies vs Treatment

To get rid of dark circles, first work out the type. Brown pigment may lighten with sun protection and a suitable eye cream, while puffiness and visible veins can improve with cold compresses and sleep. Hollows usually need a treatment such as filler, because a hollow casts a shadow no cream can fill.^1,2,3

What causes dark circles under the eyes?

Dark circles, or aankhon ke halke, have several causes, and many people have more than one:^1,2

• Brown pigment: often left by sun, allergies, eczema or rubbing your eyes, and common in brown skin.
• Veins showing through: thin under-eye skin lets blue or purple blood vessels show, more so with age.
• Hollows: losing fat under the eye creates a shadow, linked to ageing, genes and smoking.
• Puffiness: swollen lids cast a shadow too, and are often worse in the morning or after a salty meal.⁴

Tiredness makes all of these look worse, but sleep alone won’t clear pigment or fill a hollow.

Home remedies for dark circles: what actually helps?

• Sleep with your head raised: aim for at least seven hours, with an extra pillow to reduce swelling.^1,2
• Cold compresses: a cold cloth, cold tea bags or cucumber slices can calm puffiness for a while.¹
• Sun protection: sunglasses are a key step, because sun darkens pigment.²
• Stop rubbing your eyes: and get allergies or eczema treated, as both can leave pigment behind.²
• Less salt in the evening: this can help if you wake up puffy.⁴
• Stop smoking: smoking is linked to the fat loss that causes hollows.²
• Concealer: a light-reflecting concealer hides what’s left straight away.²

Keep lemon juice and other harsh kitchen remedies away from your eyes. Eyelid skin is sensitive and irritates easily, and irritation can leave more pigment behind.²

Eye creams for dark circles: do they work?

Some can help a little, but choose by ingredient and not by price. Many over-the-counter products have no evidence behind them, and creams struggle to reach pigment that sits deep in the skin.²

• Caffeine: in a controlled study, a caffeine gel reduced swelling and pigmentation.⁴
• Vitamin C: may help lighten the look of dark circles.¹
• Hydroquinone: a bleaching agent that may lighten pigment, but use it only on a doctor’s advice, because high strengths can make pigment worse.^1,4

Give any cream a few weeks, and stop if it stings or your skin turns red.

Can dark circles be removed permanently?

Not always. Dark circles can’t always be prevented, and even procedures may bring only partial improvement.^1,2 Results depend on the cause, and pigment can return with sun or rubbing. The right match still helps: in one study of a mild chemical peel, more than 90% of patients saw an improvement.⁴

Which treatment suits which type of dark circle?

A review of 39 studies matched treatments to causes, while noting that high-quality evidence is still scarce:³

• Pigment: creams and chemical peels, with lasers giving mild to moderate benefit.
• Veins: lasers can give mild to moderate benefit.
• Hollows: fillers or fat grafting are the most effective.
• Loose skin: eyelid surgery is the best option.

On brown skin, the choice of laser matters. Some types carry a lower risk in darker skin, so experience counts.⁴ Poor technique can leave circles looking worse.²

When should I see a doctor about dark circles?

Dark circles usually aren’t a sign of a medical problem. See a doctor if you have a dark circle or swelling under just one eye, or the circles don’t go away or you have a lot of swelling.¹ Puffy lids can sometimes reflect thyroid disease, dermatitis or hay fever.²

Dark circles treatment at Cutera Aesthetics

Our doctors start by finding the cause in good light, then plan your dark circles treatment: under-eye mesotherapy or a pico laser for pigment, a skin booster or PRP for thin skin, and fillers for hollows. Many people need around 3 sessions, while fillers usually take one. Consultations are free, and there are 12 clinics in 7 cities.

Medically reviewed by Dr Sadaf Saleem, Dermatologist, FCPS (Dermatology), PM&DC 62494-P; Dr Junaid Rabbani, Dermatologist, PM&DC 44510-S; and Dr Shegref Mushtaq, Dermatologist, FCPS (Dermatology), PM&DC 19827-N

1. Cleveland Clinic. Dark circles under the eyes.
2. DermNet. Dark circles under the eyes.
3. Michelle L, Pouldar Foulad D, Ekelem C, et al. Treatments of periorbital hyperpigmentation: a systematic review. Dermatologic Surgery, 2021; 47(1): 70–74.
4. Vrcek I, Ozgur O, Nakra T. Infraorbital dark circles: a review of the pathogenesis, evaluation and treatment. Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery, 2016; 9(2): 65–72.

Treatments in this article

Sessions, downtime and results for each, on its own page.

Dark Circles TreatmentAppointment: 20–45 minutes · Downtime: Possible bruising for a few daysPico Laser for PigmentationAppointment: 10–30 minutes · Downtime: Redness for a few hours to 2 days

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