Dark circles under the eyes are caused by several factors. Obviously you get dark circles when you don’t sleep enough or party too hard. But these are not the type of dark circles that I am talking about. Once you get some sleep and they usually disappear.

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

Some people have dark circles under their eyes due to genetic causes. Dark circles under the eyes can be inherited.

Today, I want to discuss the dark circles that form under eyes as a result of the aging process.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.

To better understand the changes that occur to the skin as a result of aging we need to look at the structure of the skin under a microscope.

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.

Cellular damage causes a release of inflammatory chemicals and the process of inflammation is initiated. 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 become leaky when inflammation occurs 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 starved of the vital 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 repair themselves.

Lipoic Acid Can Help

There are several 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 variety of 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.

How Does Alpha Lipoic Acid Work?

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

Lipoic Acid is both hydrophobic and hydrophilic which means that it is effective 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 provision of energy to the cells. This boost in cellular metabolism by Lipoic Acid combats 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
When you apply a wrinkle cream containing lipoic acid to your face you cause the blood vessels within the skin to dilate.This causes an improvement of the skin’s circulation leading to increased delivery of vital nutrients and increased removal of the toxins and waste products from the skin this leads to a reduction in the signs of aging.

So there are many reasons for using an anti wrinkle skin cream that contains lipoic acid. It seems that this is one ingredient that really works to reverse the signs of aging.