Dark eye circles are not only caused by a lack of sleep. Genetics, lifestyle, and medical factors can also play a role.
Treatment options may include laser therapy, fillers or collagen injections, and radiofrequency.
Dark eye circles used to be something we desperately tried to hide. Now, Gen Z has turned them into a trend on TikTok. Instead of brightening the undereyes with concealer, the “tired girl” makeup aesthetic accentuates the look of fatigue with brownish-grey eyeshadow.
While the trend plays with the look of being tired, it brings up a more interesting question: Are dark eye circles really caused by exhaustion, or is something else going on beneath the skin?
The truth is, lack of sleep is not the only reason you get under-eye circles. It may make them more obvious, but several other factors can cause or worsen them.
High stress and excessive screen time can strain the under-eye area.
Inherited traits like naturally thin skin, pigmentation, or deeper hollows.
Dehydration, smoking, and alcohol can dull and weaken the skin.
Sun exposure triggers pigmentation.
Allergies or sinus congestion lead to rubbing and poor circulation.
Ageing, where collagen loss and thinner skin make dark eye circles stand out more.
Types of dark eye circles
Genetic & Anatomical Factors
Thin Under-Eye Skin
The skin beneath your eyes is the thinnest on your entire body. On average, it's less than 1 millimetre thick. For some people, this layer is even finer due to genetics. When the skin is very thin, the underlying blood vessels show through more easily, giving the area a bluish or purplish tint.
If your family tends to have more delicate skin or less subcutaneous fat in the under-eye region, you’re more likely to develop visible under-eye circles early on.
With age, skin naturally loses collagen and elastin, becoming thinner, so even those without a genetic tendency may notice circles appear later in life.
Thin undereye skin with fine lines and visible blood vessels
Pigmentation Differences
Some people naturally have more pigment (melanin) in the skin under their eyes. This doesn’t mean anything is wrong with your skin — it’s simply how your body produces and distributes colour.
If you have a medium to darker skin tone, your melanocytes — the cells that produce melanin — are more active. This makes the under-eye area more prone to pigmentation changes when triggered by things like sun exposure, allergies, or even frequent rubbing. The thinness of the skin under the eyes means that any extra pigment shows up more clearly.
That’s why periorbital hyperpigmentation (the medical term for darkening around the eyes) tends to be more noticeable in Asian, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean skin types.
In contrast, people with very fair skin may not develop much pigmentation, but their blood vessels and shadows beneath thin skin are more visible.
Dark eye circle due to accumulation of pigmentation (darker skin type)
Facial Structure
Sometimes, the appearance of dark eye circles is less about skin tone and more about the way light and shadow fall on your face. Deep tear troughs — the hollow grooves that extend from the inner corner of the eye toward the cheek — create shadows that exaggerate the look of darkness. Prominent eye sockets or high cheekbones can have a similar effect.
This hollowing can be congenital (present from a young age) or develop gradually with age as fat pads beneath the eyes shift downward. Even if the skin is smooth and evenly pigmented, these anatomical features can make the under-eye area look tired or sunken.
Sunken undereye and tear trough deformity
Lifestyle & Environmental Causes
Your daily habits and surroundings play a role, too. In a city like Singapore, where long work hours, high screen time, and strong sun exposure are part of everyday life, it’s even more important to be aware of how these factors affect your skin.
Poor Sleep, Stress, and Screen Fatigue
When you don’t get enough rest, your body releases more cortisol, the stress hormone. Cortisol increases blood flow, causing the veins under your eyes to dilate. Because the skin there is thin, the vessels show through more clearly, giving the area a darker or bluish tone.
Stress has a similar effect. It keeps your body in a state of alert, interfering with sleep quality and slowing the repair of skin tissue. Over time, this combination of fatigue and stress makes the under-eye area look dull and tired.
Excessive screen use adds another layer of strain. Prolonged focus on digital devices reduces your blink rate, causing dry, tired eyes. The constant eye muscle activity may also worsen puffiness and accentuate shadows.
Sun Exposure Leading to Hyperpigmentation
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun stimulates melanocytes to protect your skin from damage. Over time, repeated sun exposure causes pigmentation to build up in the under-eye region. This type of darkening is often more stubborn than vascular causes because it involves actual pigment deposits, not just visible blood vessels.
Some dark eye circles are linked to health conditions or the natural ageing process rather than lifestyle alone. These factors may not always create circles by themselves, but they can make them more noticeable and persistent.
Allergies and Eye Rubbing
Allergies such as hay fever, eczema, or chronic sinusitis often cause itching and swelling around the eyes. When you rub or scratch to relieve the irritation, the delicate under-eye skin becomes inflamed. Over time, this repeated friction can break tiny blood vessels and trigger excess pigmentation, leaving lasting darkening. Doctors sometimes call these “allergic shiners” because of the purplish or bruised appearance they create.
Allergic shiners- dark eye circles and swelling due to allergies
Nasal Congestion and Poor Circulation
When your nose is blocked — from allergies, sinus infections, or even a common cold — blood flow slows down in the small veins around your eyes. The blood can pool in this area, and because the skin is so thin, the pooled blood appears as bluish or purplish circles. This type of darkness often improves once the congestion is treated, but it can become recurrent if sinus problems are frequent.
Age-Related Changes in Skin and Fat
As you get older, the under-eye area undergoes several changes:
Thinning Skin: The skin loses collagen and elastin, becoming more transparent. This makes blood vessels beneath the surface easier to see.
Loss of Fat and Volume: The natural fat pads around the eyes shrink and shift downward with age, creating hollows that cast shadows.
Reduced Elasticity: Skin that was once firm begins to sag, emphasising lines and folds that deepen the look of darkness.
The undereye area is one of the first to show signs of ageing
Why Identifying the Cause Matters
If your dark eye circles are due to pigmentation, creams or lifestyle changes alone won’t fully resolve them. If they’re caused by hollows, no amount of brightening cream will fill in the shadow.
By understanding whether your circles are related to pigmentation, skin thinning, volume loss, or lifestyle and medical factors, you can choose a treatment that actually targets the problem. Otherwise, you may spend time and money on remedies that make little difference.
In many cases, more than one factor can be at play, so a combination of treatments may be needed.
Dark eye circles due to pigmentation, thin skin and volume loss
What Can You Do to Lighten Dark Eye Circles
Laser Treatments: For Pigmentation
The Picosure laser at Bay Aesthetics Clinic delivers short bursts of energy that break down pigment deposits beneath the skin’s surface. Over time, your body gradually clears the pigment, which may lighten the under-eye area.
An additional effect of the treatment is stimulation of collagen, which can improve texture and brightness. While many patients notice changes after a few sessions, the degree of improvement varies depending on skin type and pigmentation depth.
For a natural and subtle approach to undereye rejuvenation, collagen injections are recommend. As an alternative to hyaluronic acid fillers, purified collagen injections function to replace lost volume and improve the skin quality of the undereye, with less risk of filler migration or fluid retenion.
Skin Tightening: For Age-Related Skin Changes
Radiofrequency treatments use monopolar RF technology to deliver controlled heat into the skin, which stimulate collagen and elastin production. Oligio RF Eye is specifically designed to rejuvenate the delicate eye area, using a specialized treatment tip for the eye area. A single treatment helps to firm and tighten the under-eye and eyelid area, making dark eye circles and fine lines less prominent, with full results seen in 1-2 months after treatment.
Treat Dark Eye Circles with a Personalised Plan at Bay Aesthetics Clinic
Dark eye circles have different underlying causes, so a personalised assessment is the best way to understand what treatment is right for you. Our doctors at Bay Aesthetics Clinic have over 20 years of combined medical experience, and have managed a wide range of under-eye concerns.
Book a consultation today to discuss your concerns and explore treatment options tailored to your needs.
Mole and skin tag removal by doctors
FAQs on Dark Eye Circles
What deficiency causes dark eye circles?
Dark eye circles can sometimes be linked to iron deficiency (anaemia), which reduces oxygen delivery to the skin and makes blood vessels more visible. Other nutritional deficiencies, like vitamin B12 or vitamin K, may also play a role, but genetics, allergies, and ageing are more common causes.
How to remove dark eye circles in 2 days?
Undereye fillers and collagen injections can provide quick and long lasting results for dark eye circles.
Do dark eye circles go away naturally?
They may fade naturally if they’re caused by temporary factors like fatigue, dehydration, or mild nasal congestion. However, dark eye circles linked to genetics, pigmentation, or age-related thinning of the skin usually do not go away on their own and may need in clinic treatments.
How to tell if dark eye circles are hyperpigmentation?
If the skin under your eyes looks brownish or darker than the rest of your face, the circles are likely due to hyperpigmentation. In contrast, bluish or purplish circles often come from visible blood vessels or shadows caused by hollows. A doctor can confirm the cause with an examination and recommend appropriate treatment.
With over 10 years of experience in aesthetic treatments, Dr Hoe Ying Min serves as the Medical Director at Bay Aesthetics Clinic. She has extensive hands-on experience in lasers, injectables, body-shaping and skin-rejuvenation procedures, and is known for her careful, personalised approach that aims for natural-looking outcomes.
Bay Aesthetics Clinic and Medispa is a doctor-led clinic located in the Marina Bay Financial Centre that delivers medical aesthetics and medispa treatments in a calm, professional setting. With a focus on safety, visible results and accessibility, the team uses only US FDA and HSA-approved technology, applies a holistic view to beauty and wellness, and avoids hard-selling or pressure tactics.
Open from 11 am daily (until 8 pm Mon-Fri; 6 pm Sat/Sun) and conveniently situated within walking distance of two MRT stations
Relevant articles
Helpful Links
Contact Us
B2-12 Marina Bay Link Mall, 8A Marina Boulevard, Marina Bay Financial Center, Singapore 018984
