Dark circles in children

Dark circles under eyes are generally not seen in children. They are primarily seen in people above 20 years of age. However, in some children, dark circles have been observed.

There are few reasons for the appearance of dark circles under the eyes of children. They are:

1.     Nasal congestion: if the child frequently suffers from enlarged adenoids, blocked sinuses, tonsillitis or congested nose, he is more likely to develop dark circles around his eyes. This happens due to improper flow of blood around eyes due to congestion. Children with allergy issues are usually seen with bluishness around their eye, as they get nasal congestion very frequently. These are also called allergic shiners.

2.     Dehydration: children who take very less water and other liquids, or have lost body fluids due to some illness may also develop dark circles.

3.     Rubbing eyes: some children rub their eyes too much due to strain or itch. Very frequent rubbing tends to break the blood vessels around eyes. This may cause dark circles.

4.     Heredity: dark circles may also run in families. Some children genetically have very thin skin under eyes. The thin skin is fragile and prone to damage easily.

5.     Too fair: yes, you heard it right. Children with very fair complexion often show the darkness around their eyes a little more than children with darker complexion

So having dark circles, as you see, is not a problem in itself, but a manifestation of an underlying problem. Also, it may not always mean trouble. And in case of children dark circles are  generally not caused by malnutrition, stress or poor sleep, which are the main root causes in case of adults, unless the nutrition and sleep are clinically poor.