My Dark Circles Blog Forum

[zimmP]

Abit of background on myself first: I'm at 25 year old male and live in Sydney, Australia. I am of european heritage and was basicly born with a tendancy to have dirk circles apprear under my eyes as well as a slightly sunken look.

During my teens it was not as noticeable as it has been into my early twentys. My trivial position is that not only do I have a daily fight with trying to get rid of these but the sunken look in my eyelids does not help make it subtle.

I could sit here and write for pages on different situation where it has made me feel uncoftable and how it affects my life on a daily basis and the strain it has caused me emotionally, but somewhow I manage to forget it's there and try to live with it as hard as it is.

I sat down on my lounge the other day and wondered how obese people feel and compared it to my condition. I sat there thinking how things would be if I could trade off my condition for being chubby and how that would make me feel for the day. This made me realise that on really really bad days - I can look so stuffed people think I am sick or look "stoned" (of course I do not do any drugs, just how bad my condition can look on some days) - which made me think, I would trade it off for being chubby and realise I have something far worse to deal with ....

Reason being is (many of you will see where I am coming from) people form a judgement when they look at you, and with this condition, allot do not know/understand and simply may think you are sick or go "whats wrong with this guy, he looks stuffed" all when I';ve gotten a fine nights sleep, am fit, healthy on the inside - that is the perception the human face gives out - and that is the perception we instictively think when it is seen.

As I have really noticed my problem more over the last 5 years into my early 20's than before, here is a list of things I have tried and crossed off my list and found some to work:

Things that had little affect to correct it: Diet, more sleep, bleaching cream, Growth Hormone, a few under eye creams, potato peels and probally ten things I have tried but can't remember right now

What is working for me now to control it - hence I use the word control because it has better results on some days than others.

Vitamin B12 Injections x 2 weekly with Vit 6 taken I.V has made a considerable difference with the use of Tamoxifen 40 mg. Please keep in mind I am a male and there are several benefits of using Tamoxifen to block certain hormones which I from it's use I have found effective in slightly lowering the darkness with the injections above.

I am using this under eye cream made by NepStrata called Bionic Eye Cream - I use this once to three times a week. It helps ... and I have used about a handfull of other creams in the last 5 years ... and I really mean it. I have spent allot of money, and when you get to my stage when anything counts, you notice when it does work. I guess you can try the oral tablet form of these two B vitamin groups, but I have found the injections just work so much better in my opinion, so double the dosage on the oral forms to acheive a similar result.

I apply the cream then cut a small strip of that first aid tape stuff and tape it under the eye over the cream so that the vapour doesnt irritate my eyes.

With the above, I have also found that tanning has made it less noticeable as it has darkened my overall complexition. This has been a key factor in making it less noticeable.

Exercise has had a slight bearing, but I do about 30 k's of cycling a week and work out with weights once/twice a week. I do find since I am putting out more, the day after the cycling or weight session can leave me back to square one, but I find the above does help allot then.

I sometimes look at people on TV and see them lookign so fresh, people without my condition and imagine myself as them for a while - can feel normal for at least that split few minutes until reality sets in again. Some people might see me here and there and not notice it as much as others on the street who I get paranoid and see staring at me two or three times like I have 3 heads or something. Everytime someone stares at me I always wonder if they are looking at me going "whats up with this guy". It's a terrible struggle I go through week by week, doing what I have to do to get by to try and 'look' normal and really deep down inside, others do not know my struggle first hand and maybe I have done a good job at hiding it considering I still laugh and joke at work - but it's somethign that eventually always needs special attention to look after.

Next comes the slight sunken look .. but that is another story in itself.

You are most welcome to PM me if you want some support or questions, I have found it hard to live with at times

[zimmP]

To add, I have also tried ice packs and also 'hot' packs - noticing no benefit at all

[Dr. Frankenstein]

I've tried almost everything you can think of.  Home remedies and
every cream that is on the store shelves.  Nothing seems to work.

I remember trying Circle Clear, from Skin Doctors in Sydney, Australia.
That cream didn't help at all.  Buy my eyes "burned" so badly that I had
to throw the cream in the trash.  

I'm a Male and my relatives were from Sweden and Poland.  European.
Dark Circles seem to run in the family.  We all hate them, but nobody ever
talks about the problem very much.  Just hints that so-and-so said that.
  
Anyway, what you said about looks is so true.  People do form an impression
about you just from the way that you look.  I've found that this applies to
places like:  church, work, dating, shopping, etc.

I always wondered "why" sales people would watch me from the moment I
walked into a store until I finally decided to purchase something.  I have
tried soo... many creams for Dark Circles, and wasted so... much money on
"junk" that didn't work, that I now spend A LOT of time reading over what
ingredients are in a cream.  I think that sales people at the drug store have
been trained to "watch" for people like me.  I look like a shoplifter.  But I am
NOT one.  I just have these ugly, serious dark circles, folks.  You would think
that drug store people would know better when I'm in the skin care section.
But sales people just keep watching me.

I liked your section about trading your Dark Circles for being Obese.  Interesting.
Sometimes I've wondered  if being a Female with Dark Circles is easier than
being a Male with Dark Circles.  Many people have told me that Dark Circles are
a problem that only Women have.  Well, then why do I have Dark Circles?

I'm testing yet another solution to my Dark Circles.  I hope that this solution works.

[zimmP]

Hey, yes it is interesting on everythign that you can try. What I'm interested to know is if you also have a slightly sunken lower eyelid/eye area aswell? I have got this from my dads side of the family and it seems to make mine look a touch worse on some days as my under eye area is not flush liek some other peoples.

I have studied other peoples with 'normal' under eye areas and they seem to have the same thick skin that is prominent around other areas of their face like cheeks and forhead, also under their eyes. This coupled with a decent amount of either muscle or fat to make it stay flush against the rest of their face.

If you look at my face the skin aroudn the under eye is slightly transparent, and there is missing the layer of fat most other people have to make it appear flush to the rest of the face.

To try and tackle this, I am looking at ordering some -restylane which is a facial filler. I may use 0.1 mL right between the fold of the high cheekbone and lower eye area and check results.

I seem to have two problems to tackle........


I was watching cable TV the other day, and they had a special on this street girl that was doing drugs everyday for about 6 months or something ridiculous liek that. She had a 'normal' face. Sure the after pictured of her looked tatty also, but what surprised me the most is this girl had been abusing drugs for so long, and yet her under eye area was unchanged. Yet me, never touching anything of that nature can have a long night and wake up looking worse than someone that has been smoking ice or whatever - this really frusted me and just proved how unfair life can be, especially since it seems every day can be cruel to myself and honest working tax paying person in society.


That aside, I see what you mean about walking around shopping, I get that also sometimes.

I was considering getting laser resurfacing to the skin under the eye in an attempt to try and thicken it up abit to see if it makes a difference. I went to see a cosmetic surgeon about doing a fat graft but he said it would be too hard.

Sometimes you need to give doctors the back door and move on with hope and try things yourself and keep pushing to look and search beacuse they are not going to do it for you.

I'm glad to hear you are going to try something new and let us know how it goes.  Until then I have my B vitamin injections + Tamoxifen, together with the supplementation of the solarium and Eye cream to 'control' what is occuring.

Hey , you know the funny thing, and it's kinda sick twised in a way - and that is the difference it would make, if I woke up one morning and I had an under eye area liek everyone else ...... Like only a handful of people here might understand the releif ... because normal in every other way except for this which seems to be a struggle .....  and yeah I have thought about I wish I could soemthing else off about me and get rid of these circles ...

I will let you know how the -restylane goes and on any new developments.   Just remember to keep trying, because if you don't - no one else will.

Hopefully we can share new things and maybe hit the nail on the head sometime soon and let everyone else know.

[Dr. Frankenstein]

Thanks for the quick reply.  I was beginning to wonder if I was the ONLY person
on this website.  Or, maybe the fact that Dark Circles are a rather unsightly, and
uncomfortable, subject keeps others away.  I wasn't sure.

Yes, I do have sunken lower eyelids, under eye areas, and very thin skin there.
I can see the blood vessels through the top layers of the skin.  That is why I have
serious dark circles.  Thin skin over areas with A LOT of blood vessels.  Both of
my parents have this situation.  I first noticed this when my dad broke his nose
while playing ice hockey.  The blood vessels under his eyes swelled A LOT.  Genetics
being what they are, I soon noticed that I also have the same skin situation.  My
mom has thin skin under her eyes too.  How I wish that I could make my skin thicker
in those areas!  That would cover up my serious dark circles.

The strongest drugs that I use are:  Coca Cola, Pepsi Cola, and Mountain Dew.  I
have read some articles that all the sugar and caffeine in those soft drinks can make
Dark Circles worse.  So, I tried not drinking any soft drinks, or other caffeinated drinks,
for a few months.  No change at all in my Dark Circles.  Argh!

I don't use Marijuana, which is illegal in the United States.  Is this legal in Australia?
There have been debates about whether Marijuana should be legalized for medical
use in the United States.  Sometimes, I wonder if Marijuana would help people get
rid of their Dark Circles.

My serious dark circles are the result of my thin under eye skin and leaking blood vessels
in those areas.  Creams like HYLEXIN claim that they will help.  I'm not sure about that.
I tried using NULEXIN, which is said to be a generic version of HYLEXIN, and it did improve
things, but not totally.  My treatment log is posted in the Eye Creams Products Reviews
forum.

I've given up on talking to doctors.  I've seen many advertisements about their services,
for fixing Dark Circles, on the Internet or in newspapers or in magazines.  However, when
I call their offices, they want a lot of money just to discuss my situation.  Huh?  At this time,
doctors can't really guarantee much of anything as far as treating Dark Circles.  They can
only sell you hope.  Hey, I don't need to pay any doctor for that.  I'll just try another
treatment and hope that it works.   Doctors can leech money out of you.  Be careful!

I'm still hoping that someday I will discover a secret treatment for my serious dark circles.
Then I can wake up and go about my day WITHOUT getting looked at like a weirdo.  I hate
to admit that Dark Circles make me look weird.  I'm sure that I would be much better at
everything if only I looked better.  Like you said in your last message, if you don't look
the best, other people treat you like you have some problem, impairment, disability, etc.
Well, once I discover that secret treatment for my serious dark circles, I will finally be
normal.

I've been searching for that secret treatment for 5+ years now.  I have a lot of stuff
that just didn't work for me.  I spent too much money on all that stuff to justify throwing
it away.  Yet, much of the stuff "burned" the skin in my under eye areas and/or made my
serious dark circles look even REDDER  than before.  And so, it all just sits and collects
dust.

I keep trying to find my secret treatment.  What I am currently working on seems to be working,
but I've had so many "false" starts, that I want to try things for a longer time before I say
anything.  I will let you and the others on the website know.  My latest test was with NULEXIN.
I found an article on the Internet that HYLEXIN seems to have a lot of "hype" without
any verifiable results.  The same seems to be true with NULEXIN.  At least that is how things
were with me.

Everyone's skin, blood vessels, etc. are different.  If I mention that I had a problem, like
with Circle Clear from Skin Doctors in Sydney, Australia, don't let that discourage you from
trying that cream.  What didn't work for me might well work for someone else.  It always
seems like some group of people are "allergic" to certain creams.  I'm not sure why.

It seems strange that the doctors, laser therapists, etc. don't know what to do about
Dark Circles.  From talking to them, I think that they might know what to do.  However,
many are concerned about any possible legal problems.  At least in the United States.
I don't know what kind of legal system Australia has.  I find it hard to believe that the
seemingly smartest people in the United States -- medical doctors -- don't know how to
treat a simple medical problem like Dark Circles.

We'll just have to keep on trying on our own.  Please update this website if you make
any new discoveries that might be helpful to other people.  Thanx.





     

[Dr. Frankenstein]

See the Alternatives forum.

[admindc]

Dr. Frankenstein, thanks for providing useful comments around the forum and thanks for sharing your experience with us..

[zimmP]

ya, and no thanks to anyone else around here that put time in to write eh?

anyhow, I'll private message Dr Frank , I'm trying a couple of new things too and will let you know to see if you get similar results

[admindc]

nah.. zimmP...  I appreciate everyone who spend the time to write here..

Just would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Frank for sharing his experience on treating dark circles here...

[Dr. Frankenstein]

Yesterday, I was at a McDonald's restaurant.  I'm a junk food "junkie".

A guy was looking right at me and asked the woman who was with him:
     "Why would a man use RED paint on his face"?

I hope that I don't sound "paranoid", but that comment was rude and hurtful.

Any discoveries from the land of Austrailia?

I really want my serious Dark Circles to go away before I go "crazy"!

"CRAZY?  We'll see who's CRAZY!"
      (Dr. Frankenstein in the 1931 movie)

[justaguy]

Dr.F. Nope, Marijuana does not get rid of dark circles. It is however good for arthritis, if you should ever get that problem in the future

zimmP, we do apprechiate your posting here. If you've read my posts you will see that I have about the same problem as you (a bit sunken eyes and dark circles from thin undereye skin). Before I reached about 18 it seemed like no one really was bothered majorly by my circles (except for myself). But since this age up until now (I'm 24) I get the occational stare where I imagine people thinking that there is something seriously wrong with me. I am currently a student and do not have to spend a lot of time up close with people, but I am kindof anxious about going to a job interview, getting a job, and having to face people 8 hours a day..

I get sick when watching ads of beautiful people complaining about a zit or looking tired since they only slept 1 hour last night. It absolutely disgusts me that people actually complain about those things, when all I want is to look normal. Not perfect, just normal.

There are some posts around by people writing things like "this cream may have slightly reduced my circles..", but I have still not seen anyone write like "OMG!! I put this stuff on and my circles disappeared!!!".
I'm hoping that it will actually happen some day soon. I can't stand the idea of living the rest of my life looking like this.

I could also write a ton of words about my situations, but I won't. I just wanted to let you know that I feel the same as you and really hope there is a solution out there for us..
I will definitely let everyone know if I come up with something that works!

[slimfinger]

And yes, Dr. F., I share your thoughts and amazement about the doctors.  You (and I) have a certain condition that clearly has an underlying cause.  You would think that if this cause is known, it could be addressed.  I am no doctor - I am an engineer.  And I learned a long time ago that there is no problem that cannot be solved when you fully understand it.  So I am extremely frustrated (and I would even say ashamed) that doctors seem to be so impotent with this issue, as well as many others.