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Under-Eye Skin Is Thinner
The skin around the eyes is among the thinnest on the body, with the stratum corneum being on average about 3 layers thick compared to 15+ layers on other areas. [2] The skin is so thin that you can sometimes actually see through it. If you have light skin and struggle with dark circles, you likely have that very thin, transparent under-eye skin to thank. What you’re actually looking at when you see dark circles are subdermal features like hollowness and pooled blood that appear blue or purple beneath thin under-eye skin. [3]This incredible skin thinness means your under eyes experience more exaggerated signs of collagen and elastin loss–namely fine lines, sagging, and crepiness. [1,3] This may be partly due to a weaker skin barrier around the eyes. When the skin barrier is weaker, it experiences higher rates of transepidermal water loss, leaving the skin more vulnerable to environmental aggressors that degrade skin firmness and resilience. [1] So even though your under eyes and forehead are exposed to similar environmental conditions, your under eyes will be impacted more.