How Consuming Alcohol Often Can Lead To Dark Eye Circles
Drinks with high amounts of alcohol can damage your body in numerous ways if consumed excessively, and your under-eye skin is no exception.
"Alcohol causes blood vessels to dilate," Mokaya explains. "When the veins around the eye area dilate, they are more prominent, and they amplify the darkness of the skin around the eyes," she adds.
Wasserman says alcohol can also dehydrate you, which can definitely worsen the issue. "The diuretic effects of alcohol can cause body dehydration resulting in soft, flabby skin with prominent dark bags," she explains.
Mokaya adds that due to alcohol interfering with sleep (hangovers, daytime sleepiness, etc.), it can "reduce the quality of your sleep" and "exacerbate the appearance of dark eye circles."
Wasserman concurs: "Drinking can interfere with quality REM and restorative sleep," she says. "This induces fatigue in the body characterized by extra projecting dark bags or circles under the eye." Yikes!
Ultimately, the darkness of your under-eyes won't be fixed by consuming alcoholic beverages, and could even be worsened by them. For people over 50, the skin under your eyes is very delicate and in need of vital nutrients like Vitamin K or Vitamin C.
Tips For Reducing The Appearance Of Dark Circles
Dark under-eye circles can certainly be a pain to deal with. So, in addition to limiting your alcohol intake, what else can you do to reduce their appearance? Mokaya has some helpful tips to share, starting off with essential advice for most skin-related issues: drink more water.
"To prevent dark eye circles from nutritional causes, ensure your diet is rich in protein, iron, vitamin B12, folic acid and omega-3 fatty acids," she advises. She stresses "ensuring you also get adequate sleep" and to always "avoid harmful practices like smoking and tanning bed use." (Got it!)