Question:
Apart from the obvious - not enough sleep and genetics, what else can be the cause for puffiness and dark circles under the eyes/
I am 35 so maybe it's an age thing, but I have just recently noticed that I am getting like a puffiness and darkness under my eyes and want to get to the bottome of it so I can hopefully get rid of them. I try to get enough sleep (I have little kids so it doesn't always happen - about 7 hours a night on average I'd say) I drink lots of water and it is not a genetic thing that other people havei n my family so what other health type things may cause this?
I have been reading lots of threads on what creams to try and I have been using l'oreal Visible results for while but it doesn't seem to do anything so I might try something else. Once again what do you guys use and love?

Answer:
I had to cut out sugar from my diet for medical reasons and my dark circles have just about gone! This is amazing, especially considering the fact that I have an Italian background, and that pretty much guarantees dark circles! Cutting out sugar meant the obvious, like no more eating cakes and biscuits, but also things like fruit juice ( I used to drink gallons of it!) and dried fruits like dates. I should rephrase- you don't have to be militant about it and never eat lollies ever again, but just try to reduce the amount you do eat.

Answer:
that's interesting, Lara_L. Could it be that the reason you needed to cut down your sugar was the same reason you had the dark circles, though? My dark circles are always much worse when I'm sick or tired, even at the end of an exhausting day.
I have dark skin too, like an Mac nc30-35, and I notice many Arabs and Indians have dark circles, but I haven't noticed it in Italians as much.

Answer:
As far as I know, dark circles are caused by tiny blood vessels in the skin under the eye area bursting or being squashed or under too much pressure (as the skin there is the most delicate on the face and body, so if you scrub or rub or whatever there, it'll show more and be damaged), so it gives the appearance of bruising almost, or dark circles/shading.
Puffiness is caused by fluid retention...not sure why this is. LOL.

Answer:
Dark circles have also been put down to poor liver function.
That would explain why cutting out refined foods, sugars and meat from your diet can help with that.