Eyes are the windows to our inner self and also a good indicator of one's health. When your peepers start looking hollow or sunken, it's not just a beauty catastrophe but a major sign of failing health.

What causes eyes to appear hollow
Hollow eyes run in families and are caused by a combination of deficient fat in the under eye areas and pigmentation. These do not go away without intervention. Says cosmetic surgeon Dr Vinod Vij, Faulty food habits, prolonged fasting and starvations results into lack of nutrition as in severe long term illness. This leads to loss of skin fat, firmness, making skin under the eyes thin and wrinkled. Dehydration causes a temporary loss of volume in the undereye area. The good news is, the moment the tissues get hydrated, this hollowness is reversed. Another red flag is severe dehydration due to excessive sweating. This may be due to heat exhaustion, diarrhoea, vomiting and excessive drinking exacerbating dark circles under eyes and making the skin under the eyes very thin and transparent, says Dr Mohan Thomas, senior cosmetic surgeon. Insufficient sleep can give a sunken appearance to your eye area.

Radical measures
The hollowness which does not improve with wellness measures needs a more radical treatment plan. It includes injecting bio-compatible substances into the tissues in the under eye areas to fill up the volume. This can be done temporarily using Hyaluronic acid-based fillers which last for 8-10 months or use your own fat taken from the abdomen, says Dr KE Mukadam, cosmetic dermatologist and laser surgeon. Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a naturally occurring substance in our skin that helps to hydrate and adds volume. This fat has to be harvested very carefully so that the stem cells in the fat are left intact. These live cells, when injected in the area, develop a blood supply and the outcome is permanent.

Preparation tips
- A good uninterrupted sleep of 7-8 hours is very important for the person to feel rested.
- Applying slices of cucumber or potato cools the skin and improves the blood circulation in the area, thus relieving the tiredness. This also improves the blood supply of the area and thus provides the glow to the skin.
- Place cold or warm tea bags on your eyes for a few minutes to help improve blood circulation around them.
- For dark circles, eat foods such as watermelon, celery and cucumber, which help the body flush out excess water and reduce the dark, puffy appearance under the eyes.
- Eat a healthy diet of dark green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach, broccoli sprouts and greens to get rid of deep sunken eyes.

Other causes of hollow eyes
- Sudden drastic weight loss will cause tissue loss in the face and hence the undereye area
- Sudden weight loss
- Alcohol addiction
- Nutritional deficiency
- Ageing
- Inadequate sleep and fatigue
- Stress and tension
- Lack of timely and proper treatment of dark circles
- Smoking

Source: Times of India

BDST: 1659 HRS, DEC- 17, 2015
Edited by:  Sharmina Islam, Lifestyle Editor