Now I know that everyone edits their face photos (however slightly) for the internet, you'd have to be very confident not to, but recently I have been having a little chuckle at people posting photos of their 'dark circles' when I'm sat here looking like I've been punched twice in the face.
I've always suffered from dark circles, I remember them being quite noticeable in Year 7 at school before I found makeup and they've never really got much better. I think a combination of hereditariness (yep that's a word, I googled it), late nights, starting smoking in my teens and dehydration have all taken their toll on my undereyes and at the moment they're a bit of a purpley bluey mess. Having tried every popular concealer/corrector I could afford, I took to some good old makeup and skincare forums to see what I could find out about reducing the darkness rather than covering it up, and I came across a frequent but pretty unusual recommendation- Hirudoid Cream.
Hirudoid Cream is usually used for bruising, inflammation of the veins and ocassionally hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoid cream is often a suggested remedy for dark circles and while some do contain anti inflammatories like Hydrocortisone, the main ingredients are usually Balsam Peru, Bismuth Oxide (an astringent and antiseptic) and numbing agents, each of which you wouldn't really want near your eyes.
Hirudoid contains 0.3% Heparinoid which is a locally acting anticoagulant that improves blood flow and shrinks blood vessels to reduce inflammation, swelling and a dark appearance. There is also a similar Heparinoid-containing product called Hiruscar (and Hiruscar Postacne) that aims to lighten dark marks and reduce textured acne scars.
Out of the tube comes a white emollient cream that takes a little while of gently massaging and patting to get it to sink in. The directions say to massage 5-15cm of the cream into the affected area up to 4 times a day. I think even 5cm would be a bit much for my undereyes so usually use a large pea sized amount, and I apply it once or twice a day depending on how dark the area's looking (or if I remember!).
I've been using Hirudoid Cream for over couple of months and definitely notice an improvement in my dark circles, I don't think it's ever going to 'heal' them but I do notice if I forget to apply it for a day or two. I find that the cream lightens the darkness by a few shades and makes the area easier to cover so I don't have to pack on so much concealer. If you get just a small amount of darkness then this cream might be all you need instead of concealer, but because dark circles are generally an ongoing problem I think this needs to be used regularly to see results.
As far as I have researched there isn't a danger in applying Hirudoid Cream to the under eye area regularly as it works locally, although a million years of googling doesn't replace a PhD, so if anyone knows better then do let me know . A lot of creams and lotions must say 'not to be used on eye area' by law, but for a cream like this they can't tell where the affected area is and it also says not to be used on 'ano-genital regions' even though it's a popular hemorrhoid treatment. One of my friends was also recommended this cream for a black eye so I don't personally have any doubts as long as it's used sparingly.
If you're struggling with dark circles and feel like concealers really aren't cutting it, then I recommend trying this cream out to see if it makes a difference. Hirudoid Cream is relatively cheap and you'll find it in most independent chemists in the UK.
Hirudoid Cream is available from pharmacies for around £6. You can purchase from Chemist Direct for £5.99 or you might be able to find it for under £5 on eBay.
