Your outfit is dope and your hair is on point, but your god-awful under eye circles are all you see in the mirror and lead to many unwanted speculation as to how much you drank or slept last night. If you’re willing to go to extremes to defeat dark circles, like spending the equivalent of a car payment on eye cream, you might be adventurous enough for a new treatment that sounds like something straight out of a Fast and Furious movie.
So, What Causes Dark Circles?
Dark under eye circles can develop for a multitude of reasons including excess pigmentation and dilated blood vessels close to the skin’s surface. Lack of sleep, dehydration and even environmental allergies can exacerbate the appearance of dark circles. Think getting a tan will help? Bologna. Sun exposure makes them worse.
Carboxy: Brilliant or BS?
Let’s go back to middle school science class and revisit the relationship of oxygen and carbon dioxide. The human body likes oxygen. Carbon dioxide, not so much. During a Carboxy treatment, a small amount of carbon dioxide is injected into the under eye area which causes the body to send extra oxygen, by way of red blood cells, to that area. The idea behind Carboxy is that increased blood flow and oxygen to the under eye area will eliminate the dark circles.
Interesting? Yes. Long-lasting? Absolutely not. Safe? Maybe, maybe not.
Legit Alternatives
As interesting as it sounds, Carboxy isn’t scientifically proven to provide any significant or long-lasting effects on under eye circles, and experimenting with the sensitive tissues around the eye could be downright dangerous. If you’re ready to get rid of raccoon eyes, visit a board certified plastic surgeon to discuss more legitimate (and effective) treatment options such as laser skin resurfacing and injections with dermal fillers.