How to get rid of dark circles?

How can I get rid of my dark circles?

• I've been getting progressively less ugly for the past year, next challenge: eliminate dark circles. Okay, well here's some information about me/my family: I'm 16 and I almost always get over 8 hours of sleep every night. I also drink 80 ounces of water everyday and limit my salt intake. Some people in my family have dark circles, some don't. Unfortunately I do. They're year round too. I've read that usually dark circles are caused by water retention or allergies but I drink plenty of water now so my body shouldn't be retaining water and I feel pretty good; no drainage, runny nose or congestion. I also have a condition called Keratosis Pilaris which everyone in my family has and I'm not sure if that could be a contributing factor or another effect of whatever is causing the dark circles. Since not everyone in my family has them I'm wondering if there's something hereditary that causes the dark circles. Maybe a gluten intolerance or increased susceptibility to some kind of vitamin deficiency? I'm also very pale so that probably contributes a lot to the visibility but could vitamin D deficiency be a cause of dark circles? I've read too much sun could cause them but nothing about the opposite. Could someone recommend some things for me to try? :) I've tried teabags and cucumbers but they didn't help much. I don't want to use any creams since I've had nothing but bad experiences with skin creams and pharmaceuticals.

• Answer:

  The colouring around your eyes is dependent on so many things and can sometimes indicate undiagnosed illnesses, the usual causes are allergies, tiredness, or it may just be heredity. You can reduce the appearance of dark circles but you may not be able to get rid of it completely. The main cause is a vitamin deficiency of some kind. The fact that your body absorbs vitamins form your daily diet while you sleep will tell you why it's important to establish a good sleep pattern for any health concern. But if you do not have a healthy diet, no amount of sleep will do the job. Get plenty of "good sleep" - its the quality not the quantity that matters Get a good diet and ensure you have good digestion Give up smoking. Do you suffer with allergies? If so get medical advice for the best treatments which will help. Drink plenty of Water Reduce your salt intake Moisturise (you can get tinted moisturisers, which aren't make up and may help conceal them)