What can cause dark circles.
"Dark circles" is one phrase for at least five different things — and more than one is often present at the same time. Identify what's driving yours and the treatment question mostly answers itself.
Pigmentation
Genuinely darker skin under the eyes — often genetic, more common in some skin tones, sometimes worsened by sun exposure, irritation or repeated rubbing. Pigment may look brown, grey or uneven, and tends to stay visible whatever the lighting. This is the cause where skin-quality treatments (including PRP, in suitable cases) have their best rationale — and it's not something to diagnose from one photo. The skin itself, the history, and whether irritation needs attention first all matter.
Thin skin and visible vessels
Under-eye skin is naturally thin, and blue-purple tones can show through it more as skin changes with age — often worse when tired or congested. This creates darkness even with little extra pigment. Skin-quality approaches may soften the look; nothing erases normal anatomy, and no responsible provider should promise to.
Hollowing (tear troughs)
A groove or hollow under the eye changes the contour, and light casts a shadow that reads as a dark circle — even though the skin colour may be completely normal. The appearance often shifts with lighting and head position. This is not a skin-colour problem, which is why creams disappoint here, and why volume treatments — not PRP — are the usual conversation. Mixed anatomy is common enough that we don't recommend home self-tests for this; it's precisely what an in-person look identifies in seconds.
Puffiness and eye bags
Puffiness below the lower lid casts its own shadow. Allergies, fluid retention, sleep pattern and inherited anatomy can all play a part. Persistent structural bags are a different thing from flat pigment — no honest clinic should market the same injectable as the answer to both. And puffiness that is new, one-sided, painful or accompanied by eye symptoms needs medical or eye-care advice, not an aesthetics appointment.
Lifestyle and irritation
Sleep debt, allergies, dehydration, smoking and habitual rubbing can all influence how the area looks — though they don't explain every dark circle. Tiredness and dry, irritated eyes can make the appearance worse for some people. Addressing an obvious trigger is free, and worth doing before spending anything on a procedure.
Shadowing from above
Sometimes the "dark circle" is a heavier brow or lid casting shade. Different anatomy, different conversation — and a good assessor will spot it in seconds.
Usually, it's a mix
Many people have some pigment, thin skin, a small hollow and a little puffiness all at once. That's why the label "dark circles" can't predict the right treatment or the likely result — the dominant cause and a realistic goal have to be agreed first. It's also why an assessment is allowed to end with "no injectable treatment": if PRP is unlikely to address your main cause, that gets said plainly.
When to seek medical advice instead.
Dark circles are usually a cosmetic concern. New swelling on one side, pain, redness, discharge, changes to your vision, injury, or rapid unexplained change need medical or eye-care advice — not an aesthetics consultation. If you're simply unsure what you're looking at, start with assessment rather than self-diagnosis from social media.
This guide is information, not personal medical advice — suitability is always decided in person. If your symptoms are sudden, painful or otherwise worrying, speak to your GP.
Which one is yours?
Haaris looks at colour, contour, skin quality, puffiness, symmetry and history — and asks what bothers you most. Ten minutes of proper assessment beats a year of guessing at products. If PRP isn't the answer for your cause, you'll hear that plainly.
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