Part of the issue has to do with people misidentifying which kinds of dark circles they have. According to Dr. Lindsey Zubritsky, a board-certified dermatologist in Pennsylvania, there's a simple way to find out which ones you have: a 10-second pinch test.
In an Instagram video, Zubritsky instructs viewers to "lightly pinch the skin underneath the eyes" for about 10 seconds.
How your skin reacts tells you whether the dark circles are caused by thinner under-eye skin or pigmentation.
Dr. Lauren Penzi, a board-certified dermatologist in New York, confirmed that this is a valid way to "determine the cause, and therefore the best treatment, for your under-eye circles," she told BI.
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I asked thedermatologists to sharethe best skincare products for either kind of dark circles. They also recommendedproducts that tackle multiple issues at once, for people who have both thin skin and pigmentation.
If the darkness briefly fades, the issue is thin skin
If the darkness under your eye fades away and slowly returns after you release your skin, "then your issue is likely due to thin under-eye skin," Penzi said.
For thin skin, Zubritsky told BI that products with hyaluronic acid should help hydrate and plump the skin.
If the color stays the same, pigmentation is the problem
If, however, your under-eye skin remains exactly the same color after you've let go, then the dark circles are "likely due to an overproduction of true melanin pigment in the skin," Penzi said.
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"For pigmentation problems, I recommend using ingredients that target pigmentation like retinol or vitamin C," Zubritsky said.
There is a point, however, where under-eye creams stop working, Zubritsky said. If you have excessive skin under the eyes, significantly crepey skin, volume loss, or fat pad protrusion, those are best addressed with your dermatologist and "may be improved with hyaluronic acid filler, laser, or surgical treatment."
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