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Wednesday, 20 May 2015

Dark circles – anything to worry about?

periorbital circles, commonly known as dark circles, are dark discolorations under the eyes. They are very common and often occur due to lack of sleep, stress or when you are not well.
Alcohol, too much make-up, smoking, over-exposure to sunlight, certain medication, allergies and cold or a sinus problem may also be reasons for dark circles.Often, these dark circles clear when these problems are fixed.
They could also become more noticeable and permanent with age.
Dark circles sometimes run in the family. In periorbital hyperpigmentation more melanin is produced by the skin below the eyes causing dark circles to appear.
But there could be more to dark circles than that meets the eye. It’s often said that eyes are a reflection of the soul.  Likewise, dark circles around the eyes could reflect certain medical conditions occurring elsewhere in the body! Here are a few conditions that could cause those baggy, dark under-eyes:
Anaemia:
Dark circles could be a sign of iron deficiency anaemia. Lack of minerals such as iron can cause lesser than required supply of oxygen to body tissues contributing to the discoloration of the area under the eyes.
Periorbital cellulitis:
Inflammation and infection of the eyelid and surrounding skin (periorbital cellulitis) can cause dark circles.
Parasite infection:
Trichinosis, a parasitic disease caused by eating raw or undercooked meat, can show up as swelling around the eyes (circumorbital oedema) and a purplish discoloration occurring under the eyes. This classic sign is due to swelling of the blood vessels around the eyes caused by the parasite. Chagas disease is a parasitic disease spread by insect bite. It can cause swollen eyelids (Romaña’s sign) on the bitten side of the face.
Atopic dermatitis (eczema):
Eczema, a condition that makes the skin red and itchy, can cause red to brownish-gray patches on eyelids too.
Thyroid problems
In some people, thyroid hormone deficiency can cause darkening of under-eye skin due to water retention around the eye tissue.
Kidney damage:
Kidney damage (nephrotic syndrome) causes extreme fluid retention beneath the skin. One of the first symptoms of this condition is extremely swollen and puffy eyes with dark circles.
Liver dysfunction:
Dark circles can also indicate liver dysfunction due to various reasons like fatty liver, hepatitis, etc.
Refractive errors of eyes:
Myopia or nearsightedness, the most common refractive error of the eye, causes exhaustion of muscles lining the orbit of the eyes leading to hyperpigmentation around the eyes.
Amyloidosis:
Amyloidosis is a condition in which there is accumulation of abnormal proteins known as amyloid. It can cause skin bleeding in such patients. Spontaneous and bilateral bruises on the eyelids (periorbital purpura) due to fragile tiny blood vessels of skin is a classic sign of amyloidosis.
Porphyria:
It is a condition in which there is a problem with the production of heme (an iron containing compound used to make hemoglobin). Porphyria affecting the skin (porphyria cutanea tarda) can cause pigmentation around the eyes.

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