Dark circles under the eyes are a common condition that happens to most people at some point or another when they are overworked, overly tired or haven’t been getting much sleep: All in all, it’s considered to be a universal sign of complete exhaustion. But that’s not the only condition that can cause dark circles under the eyes – and you should be able to spot the signs and symptoms just in case you have an underlying medical condition that’s causing dark circles to appear instead.
The first sign that it could be something more serious than simple tiredness will be the fact that getting more sleep doesn’t take care of the condition. Are the dark circles still there after you think you’ve gotten more than enough sleep?
Take a look at this list for 10 shocking causes of dark circles under the eyes – and make an appointment with your doctor so that the underlying medical condition can be found and treated.
1. Alcoholism
Alcoholism, especially when it’s a long-term condition, can cause plenty of physical changes to occur in the body. Just some of these changes include the characteristic “alcoholic’s wrinkle” which appears between the eyes, and changes to the skin, making it appear older, quicker.
The changes alcoholism causes to the body can also go deep inside: Liver disease and decreasing kidney function are common in long-term alcoholics. They might also experience what’s commonly called the DT’s – the withdrawal symptoms associated with severe alcoholism.
In cases that are severe enough to cause DTs, hospitalization of the alcoholic is common to prevent permanent damage occurring to the body: Fever, shakes, heart attacks and even death can be side-effects of an alcoholic deciding to quit “cold turkey”, or without medical intervention.
Dark circles under the eyes can be characteristic of an alcoholic who has spent too much time drinking and too little sleeping, or it can be the hallmark of a long-term alcoholic – especially when combined with other symptoms.
