Types of Dark Circles and Which Ones You Can Actually Fix

There are three main types of dark circles: pigmented (a brown tint from extra melanin), vascular (a blue, pink or purple tint from blood vessels showing through thin skin) and structural (a shadow cast by hollows or puffiness). Many have a mix. Pigment and vascular circles often lighten with sunscreen, caffeine, vitamin C and good concealer. Structural shadows rarely change with creams and usually need filler or surgery.

Below is how each type looks, a two-minute mirror test to sort out which one you have, a table of what tends to help each, and honest expectations for how much any of it will change.

What are the different types of dark circles?

Dermatologists most often use a classification proposed by Huang and colleagues, which a 2016 review of periorbital hyperpigmentation summarizes as pigmented (brown), vascular (blue, pink or purple, with or without puffiness), structural (skin-colored shadows formed by the contours of the face) and mixed, which combines two or all three. The same review notes that different types respond to different treatments, which is why a single "dark circle cream" works well for one person and does nothing for the next.

• Pigmented: a brown or gray-brown band under the eye. DermNet links it to melanin deposits that often follow sun exposure, eczema, contact dermatitis or rubbing. Cleveland Clinic notes dark circles are more common in people with darker skin tones and in people with a family history of them.
• Vascular: a bluish or purplish cast, sometimes with redness. The lower eyelid is one of the thinnest areas of skin on the body, so the blood vessels and the muscle underneath show through.
• Structural: no real change in skin color, only shadow. It comes from a hollow tear trough, lost fat, bony anatomy or bags that catch light from above. The structural-type review describes it as associated with eyelid bags, loss of fat and bony prominence.
• Mixed: the most common real-world picture, for example a brown tint plus a hollow, or blue veins plus puffiness.

What causes dark circles under the eyes?

Aging, genetics, allergies, lack of sleep and pigment are the usual causes. Cleveland Clinic explains that as you age the skin below your eyes loosens and thins, so blood vessels show more, and hollows called tear troughs can form. It also lists eczema and contact dermatitis, rubbing your eyes, too little sleep, sun exposure, dehydration, stress, heavy drinking and smoking as contributors.

A review of infraorbital dark circles adds two details that explain why circles seem to come and go. Fluid collects in the lower lid and is often worse after a salty meal or first thing in the morning, and lighting changes everything: overhead light deepens the shadows while light falling straight on the face can hide them. If yours look much worse in the office bathroom than at home, the bulb may be part of the story.

Fatigue does play a part. DermNet lists fatigue, puffy eyelids and dehydration as reasons shadowing looks worse at times. For the swelling side of this, see our guide to puffy eyes in the morning.

How can I tell which type of dark circles I have?

Stretch the skin and change the light. The 2016 review describes this as the clinical starting point: true pigment keeps its color when the lower lid is gently stretched, a shadow improves or disappears, and a purple tone that gets stronger on stretching points to thin skin or extra blood vessels. A dermatologist may add a Wood's lamp to see how deep the pigment sits, but you can get most of the way with a mirror.

1. Set up the light. Stand facing a window in daylight, with no makeup on, and hold a hand mirror at eye level.
2. Stretch test. Place a fingertip at the outer corner of one eye and pull the skin gently toward your ear, only a few millimeters. Watch the color under the eye.
3. Light test. Tilt your face down toward the floor, then up toward the window. Notice whether the darkness moves or fades.
4. Repeat at night. Check again under your usual overhead bathroom light to see how much is shadow.

Two practical notes. Do the test on both eyes; if the darkness or swelling is under only one eye, Cleveland Clinic advises you to call a healthcare provider, because that can point to an underlying problem. And be gentle: rubbing is one of the causes of pigmented circles in the first place.

What works for each type of dark circle?

Match the treatment to the type. This table summarizes what the sources support, from cheapest to most involved.

Caffeine

Caffeine is the best-studied cosmetic option for vascular circles and puffiness. A review of infraorbital dark circles cites a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in which a caffeine gel penetrated lower-eyelid skin and reduced swelling and pigmentation. A 2024 review of eye cream ingredients describes a small study where 11 women using a 3% caffeine pad for a month had less periorbital pigmentation and better circulation, and notes that topical caffeine up to 3% is considered safe. That is a small trial, so treat caffeine as a modest helper. Our review of The Ordinary Caffeine Solution looks at one popular version.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C may help both brown and blue circles. The 2016 review describes a six-month split-face study of 10% vitamin C lotions in which the lightening came from a thicker dermis hiding the color of pooled blood, with no significant change in melanin, even though vitamin C slows melanin production in lab studies. Eye-specific evidence is thin, and Cleveland Clinic lists vitamin C creams and bleaching agents such as hydroquinone among the options a clinician may suggest. Stronger lighteners belong under a dermatologist's eye, because DermNet warns that eyelid skin is sensitive and stronger products may irritate.

Retinoids

Retinoids work slowly on two fronts. The infraorbital review explains that they promote collagen synthesis, which improves skin quality, and decrease melanin content. Because the area is thin and easily irritated, start with a gentle eye-specific formula a few nights a week. Our guide to crepey skin under the eyes covers how to use retinoids around the eyes without peeling.

Concealer and color theory

Makeup is the fastest fix and the one that works for every type. The infraorbital review describes using opposite hues on the color wheel to cancel discoloration, and light-diffusing mineral particles to blur shadows. In practice:

• Blue or purple circles: a thin layer of peach or orange-toned corrector, which sits opposite blue and purple on the color wheel, then a concealer matching your skin.
• Brown circles: a peach or apricot corrector, or a concealer one shade lighter with a warm undertone.
• Shadows: DermNet suggests light-reflecting concealers, often yellow or gold, placed in the shadow and not on the puffy skin, then set with translucent powder. Concealer on top of a bag makes the bag look bigger.

Fillers and surgery

For structural circles, adding volume is the main lever. The infraorbital review calls hyaluronic acid fillers a treatment of choice for under-eye contour problems, partly because they can be dissolved with hyaluronidase. Results are not guaranteed: the 2016 review notes that some patients saw darker color after hyaluronic acid gel, and DermNet warns that improvement may be partial and poor technique can make circles look worse.

Safety matters here. The FDA's dermal filler page lists injecting the periorbital area among uses it has not approved, and warns that accidental injection into a blood vessel, while unlikely, can cause tissue death, vision problems including blindness, or stroke. If you go ahead, choose a board-certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon who does this area often. Surgery is not a cure-all either: MedlinePlus states that eyelid surgery will not get rid of dark circles under the eyes, though removing a bag can remove the shadow it casts.

Can you get rid of dark circles permanently?

Sometimes, depending on the type. Structural shadows can be reduced for months or years with filler or surgery. Pigment can lighten with steady sun protection and treatment, but it often returns with sun and rubbing. Vascular circles track your sleep, allergies and age, so they tend to improve and relapse. Cleveland Clinic's prevention list is short and realistic: sunscreen around the eyes and sunglasses, at least seven hours of sleep, less stress, less alcohol and no smoking.

Set expectations by the month, not the week. Most of the topical studies above ran one to six months, and most showed modest changes measured with instruments, not a dramatic before-and-after.

How does a selfie scan help you track dark circles?

Dark circles change with light, sleep and season, so judging progress from memory is unreliable. A consistent photo record solves part of that. An app like Pori takes a selfie and reads the face region by region with a 468-point face mesh, returning an overall skin score plus Pigmentation & Tone and other categories in about 10 seconds. Scanning in the same window light every week or two shows whether your vitamin C or caffeine is moving the pigmentation reading, and the skin diary lets you log sleep, water and stress next to each scan. Pori is free to download with a free first scan; Pro costs $9.99 a week or $49.99 a year in the US, as of October 2026. For how apps read this area, see under-eye analysis.

An app is not a diagnosis. It can't tell you why one eye is darker or swollen, so see a doctor for one-sided changes, sudden swelling or anything painful.