I have fair skin and dark circles under my eyes. In the morning I have to do a double take at the ghost faced raccoon staring back and me. It is not only me, I was lucky enough to pick this feature up from my family. We are a raccoon tribe you could say. Maybe I am vain or just tired of my daughter asking me if I got into a fight, questioning how I got my two black eyes, but I decided I should look into ways to at least fade the circles under my eyes. 
So here are some ideas you can try out if you are part of the raccoon tribe too!
Get plenty sleep. Yes I know that is much easier said than done. I am such the hypocrite suggesting this, but studies show this can help eliminate the circles under your eyes. It is recommended to get 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Too little time lying down can be a reason in itself due to lack of circulation. Alcohol and drugs can really disturb the quality of sleep, so if you are having trouble with sleep cutting out the booze might help.
Get tested for both airborne and food allergies. I was really surprised to learn that gluten intolerance and dark circles under the eyes go hand in hand. I have not been tested for this myself but I will. Also seasonal airborne allergies can cause circles and/or puffiness around the eyes. There are many over the counter remedies for seasonal allergies and if they are too severe you should see your doctor for a prescription.
Make sure you are eating well and getting enough vitamins. In particular vitamin K and vitamin B12 deficiencies can cause dark circles under the eyes. Eat lots of fruits and veggies, spinach, dark leafy greens, and cabbage are the top picks. Watch your sodium intake as well. Too much salt will make you retain fluids in strange places sometimes, this can be the reason for puffiness under the eyes.
You can apply cold tea bags to your eyes. Tea bags have tannin in them and that can help reduce swelling and discoloration. This is best done in the mornings. Lay down with the cool caffeinated tea bags on your eyes for about 15 minutes. Toss them back into the fridge over night so they are ready again the next day if you spot the ghost faced raccoon staring back at you in the morning 🙂
I am going to give these tips a go on myself. Let me know if any of you have already tried any of these tips with success or failure.
Also, PLEASE share anything that you have tried that has worked!
And try and sleep on your back! I’m a tummy sleeper and I notice that when I do sleep more on my back, there is less puffiness in my face!
I always had dark circles under my eyes, then went on a diet that cut out sugar and flour, and the circles went away for the first time at the age of 50! So the assertion about gluten is most likely true. Now I go in and out of eating gluten but also keep an intermittent fast going (light eating, mostly raw fruits/veggies except supper) and that seems to clear up any misstep in my dietary habits. The tea bags sound very soothing!
Gluten intolerance and dark circles? Hmm, off to research that. Thanks for sharing!
You and I must be related because I come from the raccoon family as well. I know I don’t get enough sleep. I don’t eat sugar or grains but have never been tested for allergies. Thanks for sharing.
I have had the dark circle issue my entire life. I am now pushing 60 and 6 months ago was diagnosed with sleep apnea. Since using breathing apparatus prescribed, my circles have almost disappeared completely. I still have an occasional bad night which results in a return of the dark circles, but for the most part the transformation is startling. So much so that my secretary of 10 years asked me what had changed because my eyes no longer had dark circles. So much for thinking I had succeeded in covering them up with makeup.