Eliminate Those Dark Circles Under Your Eyes

Dark circles under the eyes are caused by several factors. Lack of sleep is the obvious one and I’m not here to tell you to get more sleep.

Other causes such as sinusitis or allergies can also cause those dark circles to appear and usually a medical practitioner is required for treatment.

Hopefully you are not one of those people who has inherited their dark circles - I’m not really going to discuss this cause of dark circles either.

The dark circles that I wish to discuss today are as a result of damage caused to the delicate skin under the eyes with increasing age.The signs of aging include age spots, wrinkles and uneven skin tone. All of these can lead to a darkening of the pigmentation below the eyes.

If we look into the structures of the skin with a microscope we can see the changes that occur that lead to the signs of aging.

It all starts with the damage that free radicals cause to the cells throughout our bodies including our skin.Free radicals are molecules with an unpaired electron and thus they are chemically active within the body, always looking for a spare electron and damaging other molecules and cells in the process.

Damage to molecules within our cells leads to release of certain chemicals which initiate the process of inflammation within our cells. Inflammation is the body’s way to protect itself from further damage.
The downside of inflammation is that the process itself causes more damage. Capillaries in the micro circulation become leaky leading to fluid accumulation in the tissues.

This shows up as puffiness, especially under the eyes.

Once the capillaries are leaky they don’t work as effectively as they once did and the skin cells and tissue are deprived of the essential nutrients that are needed and more damage occurs.

It’s a vicious cycle.

Dark circles under the eyes are caused from the combination of edema (fluid retention), leakage of other molecules from the microcirculation into the tissues and decreased supply of vital nutrients so that the cells are less able to restore themselves.

Lipoic Acid Can Help

There are a number of different names used in the cosmetic industry for the same organic compound. Lipoic Acid is also known as Alpha Lipoic Acid, 5-(Dithiolan-3-yl)Valeric acid, as well as 1,2-Dithiolane-3-Pentanoic acid.

Lipoic Acid acts in various ways to combat the effects of aging and consequently it decreases the exterior signs of aging on the skin such as wrinkles, fine lines, skin discoloration and dark circles under the eyes.

Actions of Alpha Lipoic Acid

1. Anti Oxidant
Lipoic Acid is an extremely potent anti oxidant. An anti oxidant decreases the number of free radicals within the cellular structure thus decreasing the amount of ongoing cellular damage.

Lipoic Acid is both hydrophobic and hydrophilic which means that it is active both in the water compartment of the cell as well as the fat compartment.

When it acts as an anti oxidant in the water compartment it has Vitamin C-like activity and when it mops up free radicals in the fat compartment, it acts like Vitamin E.

Not only that, but Lipoic Acid recycles other powerful anti oxidants like Vitamin C, Vitamin E and CoEnzyme Q 10 so that they are able to more efficiently combat free radical activity. It also boosts the anti oxidant activity of glutathione.

2. Boosts Immune System Activity
Lipoic Acid, through its action on glutathione increases the effectiveness of the intracellular immune system. By increasing activity and levels of glutathione there is decreased release of the pro-inflammatory compounds that can increase capillary leakage and cause tissue edema (swelling).

3. Improvement of Cellular Metabolism
By participating as a cofactor in the metabolism of carbohydrates to glucose, Lipoic Acid plays an essential role in the delivery of energy to the cells. This increase in cellular metabolism by Lipoic Acid fights the effects of aging.

4. Prevention of Glycation
Glycation is the name of the process that causes cross-linkages to form between the sugars and collagen in the skin dermis. Collagen is responsible for the framework of the skin. The formation of cross-linkages causes the skin to become stiffer and less flexible which is certainly a sign of aging.

5. Vasodilatation
Lipoic Acid when applied topically to the skin causes the small blood vessels and capillaries in the skin (the microcirculation) to dilate. This vasodilatation leads to an increase supply of vital nutrients to the cells of the skin. This leads to an increase in cellular metabolism because there is more fuel available and to a reversal of sign of aging.

So for an anti wrinkle skin cream to be really effective it must contain lipoic acid. With all of this excellent scientific evidence it would be foolish to buy a face wrinkle cream that doesn’t contain this ingredient.