AAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

THEY MAKE ME SOOOO MADDD!!

okay. here is the story with my eye circles. I'd really LOVE to heal them.

i was anorexic for a long time. i wanted to recover and went to my conventional doctor, and conventional nutritionist.

they told me some things, mainly i need a lot of fat and protein. I reluctantly listened to them as much as my body begged me to stop as i piled in nut after nut and avocado after avocado.

six months later, lots of school and stress later, not enough exercise or sunlight, and grief due to my sister who had died in a car accident like six months before I started to develop these bags under my eyes. Gradually they have gotten worse and worse.

Now a few years later they are starting to be discolored. I see the veins through my eyes, and it makes it look all purple. sometimes they are puffy.

I started exercising a lot more. They still remained. Man. idk what to do about it.

I notice that the more fats I eat the worse they become. The less fats I eat, the less worse they are. However, they never seem to go away...

before my face was completely clear. I even felt healthier when I was anorexic then I do now.

I have read that it might have something to do with a sluggish liver or kidneys?

I have also read to buy cream after cream of stupid products that don't work.

I believe beauty comes from the inside.

forgive me for being so vein, but i just can't see bags under my eyes as being a sign of health?

Sometimes I wear makeup, but I really hate makeup.. even the all natural vegan kind. I just hate putting stuff on my face and not being able to touch it. makeup isn't a cure anyway. I don't see it as much different then when a doctor prescribes you medicine.

any insight on this situation would be helpful. I'm 21 years old. I don't think it is so normal to have such dark eyes. the other day someone told me they didn't recognize me and that I looked like a DRUG ADDICT. o_o

sorry it seems like i'm freaking out. I just woke up this morning all impatient of this stupid eye crap.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/04/2007 10:48PM by ILoveJen.

I hear you. No need to condemn how you feel or look. I certainly don't. Can't you give yourself the same benefit of the doubt? You don't think a guy (or girl) would like you if you had bags under your eyes? Ha! ha! That's certainly the LEAST thing I'm looking at in a relationship or woman!

-Are you eating towards YOUR health goals? Are you showing love, kindness and acceptance towards yourself?

-If you ARE eating according to your goals - then great! If not, set VERY small goals (with timeframes) and keep them.

-I cannot know the way YOU feel - but you certainly are supported and appreciated by me. Myself and the other wonderful folks on this board are standing by to support you in any way we can...and to listen to whatever is on your mind.

-David Z. Mason

I have a very loving boyfriend who doesn't care about the bags under my eyes.

It's not just bags tho. It's purple under my eyes, and I don't think it is healthy. I'd feel like if I were truly the healthiest I can be this wouldn't really be a problem as they are not wrinkles.

It's not really a skin abnormality, it goes beneath that. I'd like to know how to correct this, or what it is caused by at least.

Do you think it could be "detox?" =(

Opinion:

-Certainly it could be detox. Just follow the major practices of healthy foods, fresh air, deep breathing, light exercise, light fasting and joyful living. What else can you do anyway? All you can do is put one foot in front of the other and intend to have radiant health for yourself. Don't bother try to correct the problem.....so much as institute very positive practices. Then the problem doesn't have to be fixed.....it just won't be there anymore. Just my opinions.

-David Z. Mason

well,maybe it is a genetic thing?my uncle and mom have dark circles under there eyes.my grandsons are part mexican and they have circles under their eyes and they are very young.4 and 7.my friend had bags and had surgery to fix it.maybe that is an option if nothing else works. some people have a lighter skin that shows vessels and such more than others. maybe u are fine.i strained to hard when going potty and popped some vessels in the white of my eyeball..and woke up with fire engine red halo around the blue colors of my eyes. it took a few days and went away.i was so glad. i looked demon possessed.well-good luck.i am going to look it up on line and see if i can find out anything. hugs taylor

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david that is really good advice. thanks. I guess it is really just common sense. What more can I do anyway? =P

I'm pretty sure it's not genetic. I just freaked out the other day because they went away for a while, and then it got worse all of a sudden.

can we see a photo of your eyes?

before:




a little worse...



a couple weeks ago...


I never take pics when they are really bad. Sometimes they're worse then other times... like when I just wake up in the morning. I feel like if you are really healthy, you shouldn't be waking up all groggy and puffy purple eyed. Yesterday when I woke up it was the worst I had ever seen them. You guys will probably think I am freaking out over nothing, but the pics don't really capture it all that great. You can see these veins on the sides of my eyes too of you look really close. It freaks me out. o_o The last pic tho i feel like I can't believe I am posting it on the internet. lol

I don't think I concentrate on my health 100% even tho I have been eating 100% raw for a while. Like in the third pic I look very tired, but I did not go to sleep until hours later (just an example).

Do truly healthy 21 year olds look sleepy in their eyes? I don't think so... I am just curious what usually causes eye droppiness and discoloration?

Isn't funny that the most beautiful women are often the ones that are the hardest on themselves? LOL.

-David Z. Mason

Haha, I'm actually going to have to agree with David. I think the worst thing about that last shot is the bad lighting, not your eyes!

Howeveer, I'm pretty sure that darks circles under they eyes are caused but something having to do with absorbing oxygen, and it's basically like bruising because your blood vesseles aren't too strong. It usually means it's happening all over your body, but under our eyes we have thin skin and little flesh to cover it.

I'm not sure what do do about making your blood get more oxygen but I do know some topical-tricks, though we know they are a short-term fix. Obviously continue practicing a healthy lifestyle, like David said, for long-term improvement.

Cucumber slices on the eyes. Sounds so cliche, you'd think it wouldn't work. Cucumbers are great for strengthening your skin, to make the "bruising" less visible. Obviously good to consume, but since the skin around your eyes is so thin, topically will have a localized effect.

For puffiness: tea bags! You may have even heard that one before. It works. Since this is a raw board I won't suggest black or green, because while those work they have caffiene *ahem*. Chamomille also works by soothing. I think you leave them there for about two-five minutes and it takes a few days to start noticing results.

Anyway, good luck and you're HONESTLY really very beautiful.

-Noelle

you are totally gorgeous.

(a nice watering pot collection too)

I heard a plastic surgeon say that dark circles are caused by fat which accumulates around our eyes and is what they remove when you "have your eyes done".

I have dark circles, especially my left eye, I always ate lots of fat on SAD because I never gained weight but there is noticeable improvement for me after 6 months on low fat raw for sure but some stuff just takes longer to heal.

Also, if I wake up and my eyes are puffy I ate something salty before I went to bed.

You are young and beautiful don't worry too much about your eyes.

thank you for the advice everyone. <3

oh god, sorry to hear about your sister, Jen..... and secondly, you're so cute.... as for the dark circles, I can totally understand your dilemma as I'm very prone to them myself- always have been. I've always used a bit of cover-up though and just never considered them any big deal though... I guess we each tend to focus on this or that part of our appearance to obsess over, I don't know... but much to my surprise on the raw diet they actually went away... but I mean, I have to be REALLY good with the diet for them to not be there, otherwise most days I still prefer the effect of a concealer (I know, not your thing).

I want to respond to this post. I feel very sympathetic to your dilemna. I too have very significant circles under my eyes and puffiness under my eyes and in my cheeks as well (the picture posted here is old....). I understand that people are trying to be nice by telling you that you are beautiful nonetheless - And indeed you are. But I agree with you and feel the same way - It is not a vanity thing per se but a sign or ill health that causes emotional stress. I get very worried when mine are bad. And it usually is parallel to times when I feel horrible. I do think they are related to stagnation and sluggishness of the liver in my case. Sleep, food allergies, smoking, and lack of sunlight also play a role. I hope you can figure it out. One thing - I did experiment shortly with 811 about a year ago - They got worse at first, as did everything, and then they cleared. So perhaps high fat does aggravate them.... Good luck. And, yes, you are still beautiful - But that does not invalidate how you feel.

I have this somewhat too (dark circles under eyes). I've learned from various sources over the years and also from personal experience of things improving or getting worse, and what seems to be true for me are 2 of the biggest causes are lack of sleep and clenching my jaw.

Love,
Uma

I am in agreement with a lot of what is being said here. The dark circles are a reflection of your health. For me, the healthier I became on the raw diet, the more the circles disappeared. Now I only get them if I don't get enough sleep.

The things dancer and other mentioned based on their experience of what made them better or worse is a reflection of whether or not a habit or lifestyle practice is healthy or not.

Here are things that take away health:
- too much fat
- not enough sleep
- cooked foods
- stimulants (include salt, spices, condiments, etc)
- drugs (smoking, prescription, over-the-counter stuff, etc)
- stress
- emotional upset
- not enough exercise
- not enough sunshine

Here are things that improve health:
- lots of rest and sleep
- lots of fruits and vegetables
- absence of toxin/stimulants
- exercise
- fresh air
- low stress/worry
- loving relationships
- emotional balance

Diet wise, try keeping your fat under 20% of your caloric intake (10% would be better, no overt fats would be the best). For a period of time, try eating only fresh whole organic ripe fruits and vegetables, no spices/condiments (salt, pepper, vinegar, miso, shoyu, etc). Try this for a month or so. You might find that you will experience a huge detox, and require a lot of sleep (I certainly did), but after your body is sufficiently detoxified, the dark circles will disappear.

The longer I am raw, the less I have dark circles and the puffiness that you are talking about. I do notice that the dark circles come when I've consumed a lot of raw garlic, or when I've juiced and used a lot of beet. Have you noticed the dark circles coming after you eat certain foods?

I'm looking forward to hearing what others say about the dark circles. I have a feeling that food sensitivies and an overworked liver are at the cause of my dark circles. It's probably different for different people, however.

I hope you figure it out. It's no fun not looking vibrant when you are eating raw.

Love,

Gypsy

Wow, thank you everyone for all your insight.

I do consume a ton of fat. Haven't for a couple weeks and they got worse. I am going to stick to it tho because I don't think that so much fat is healthy anyway.

Like I said in the above post, when I consume lots of fat, and/or salt, especially close to bedtime I have dark circles the worst. Nuts are probably the worst which I have not eaten since Nov or Dec of 06.

I have also very very recently cut out all stimulants ("excitotoxins" as Dr. D refers to them as) from my lifestyle. I used to eat a ton. Since Jan I have slowly been cutting them out little by little. It wasn't something that I did on purpose, I just seemed to want them less and less. Interesting tho, I cut out most spices and nuts, and then I started craving salts, and then I went on a fast, and I stopped wanting the salts so much, but I still ate a lot of fats (coconut and avocados and lots and lots of bananas). Since about feb maybe the only spices I've had were like, spicy chillie peppers, cayanne peppers, and seaweeds if that counts as a spice. I really don't like the taste tho, so I stopped eating that, too (used to love those guys).

I know, I know... circles can get much worse then these, but I'd rather concentrate now on preventative methods then later concentrate on reversing methods. I live now. In my mind healthiness and happiness go hand in hand.

Thank you everyone for your totally insightful posts. I learned a lot not just about my eyes, but also about myself. Thank you.