Lighten Those Dark Circles

WHAT CAUSES DARK CIRCLES ?

There are multiple causes for dark circles (medically called periorbital hyperchromia), according to medical research.

Genes They can be genetic, affecting any skin color and type, but Asian race and southern Italians are particularly prone to them.

Hyperpigmentation The browner type of dark circles, rather than the bluish-hued type, could be the results of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation due to sun damage or hormonal fluctuations.

Older, thinner skin As we age, we become more prone to permanent dark circles - simply because, as skin thins, the blood vessels in the under-eye zone show up more. Airborne allergens cause blood to pool in the vessels under the skin, worsening the appearance of any dilated blood vessels.

Nasal congestion Famously, they are linked with lack of sleep. When your nose is bunged up, veins that usually drain from your eyes into your nose become dilated and darker. Equally something in your beauty regime could be the culprit like a new mascara or eye cream, which may also cause puffiness.

Stress When your body is in fight or flight mode, your brain, like every other organ, leeches every single molecule of oxygen it can from the blood, so a darker, more deoxygenated blood flows through your veins. This dark blood is most visible in the transparent skin under our eyes, and is what causes the appearance of these discoloured veins. (The skin under the eyes is the thinnest on the body)

Drugs Some drugs, including the contraceptive pill, can darken the eye area by dilating blood vessels.

Smoking Women who smoke - which affects micro-circulation long before it leads to heart and lung problems - can be prone to dark circles too.

Source : The Anti-Ageing Beauty Bible

Aesthetic Procedures : Which Matter the Most ? Price or Safety ?

Have you ever wonder why a particular treatment is priced differently at different places? Take filler injection for example, you may get filler injection at clinic A for RM1000 while at another clinic, the treatment is RM1500. The same treatment using the same product but with difference in price. What is wrong here?

Many patients treat these procedures like buying groceries in a supermarket. I pay for the product. When I buy instant noodles, the noodles that I get is the same no matter where I buy it, be it a posh supermarket or the nearby convenient store. Similarly, I am going for a filler injection using product X and it does not matter where I receive the treatment, I still get product X.

Obviously such a thought is too simplistic.

When you go for a medical procedure, we have to take into consideration whether the doctor administering the treatment is well trained and certified, the experience of the doctor, the complication rate, the measures taken to reduce infection, processes put in place to reduce medical errors, the after care and many more. There is a lot of background work that makes the procedure safe and successful. The added value that one gets from these is not measurable, especially the ones relating to patient safety. In fact one should ask as why the procedure is performed at such low price at clinic A.

Your safety is of utmost importance. Do not compromise safety over price.