White Circles Under Eye

[Concerned721]

I am a 25-year old, white female.  My skin is very fair and prone to freckling and burns.  I have had white (much lighter than the rest of the skin on my face) circles under my eyes for the past 6-9 months.  I can cover them with makeup to help them blend with the rest of my skin, but I would like to fix the problem.  Please let me know what this is and if there is a solution.  Thank you for your time.

[jongal]

hey, ive had this problem for a few years. i recently met a dermatologist by chance on the street and she told me it was a condition called Seborrhoeic dermatitis.

[constan6807]

I could not find anything on an Internet search for Gow syndrome.

[prayingforacure777]

I have had this problem now for just over 4 years.  It started during a very stressful time in my life.  Now it has spread to my cheek area, and like some of you have commented - it is a different textured skin - smooth, white, non-porous, with a lot less elasticity than the rest of my skin.  I also have tried everything.  Right now I am using DermaBlend to cover the white, but I can still see the difference in texture etc. when the light is shining on my face.  Would love to come up with a solution.  Can't believe there are no dermatologists out there who have found a solution.  I would be willing to pay whatever the cost.  It's not like being overweight - there's hope that you can someday lose the excess.  Right now I feel there is no hope and I can't imagine what I'm going to look like in 5 years,  let alone more....  Please someone tell me they've found a solution.  I've read about applying turmeric and mustard seed oil twice daily, which I have started doing, but it says to re-pigment you need to do this for a year.  Has anyone tried this?

[JamieGurner]

maybe you've been sessioning far too much. a friend of mine went on a 3 day bender last week and now also has white circles around his eyes. this is more commonly known as Gow syndrome.
it can be treated with multi-vitamins and 8 hours sleep a night until they dissipate.

[wondering360]

Hello MissPi, I believe this is sun damage in some cases and could possibly be vitiligo in others, we are all so different.  Anyway, with summer on us once again, I am kind of learning to live with this, although I HAVE begun using a skin lightener/regulator that more evenly regulates pigment and fades any "hyper" pigmentation (or darker areas) to make things look more even.  It contains hydroquinone, which is not supposed to be for long term use, however, I have found it is the ONLY thing that seems to make this look better at all.  (the product I am using is called "Clear" from the Obagi NuDerm line and is the ONLY thing that has ever helped this appear less noticeable and I have tried everything!).

In my particular case, the whiter areas are also of a completely different texture (smooth, white, hairless, poreless) so that is another issue I am dealing with.  

Interestingly enough, I just visited a local opthamologist yesterday for an eye exam, she commented on my "rosacea" (as I wanted to show up not wearing makeup so she could see what I was talking about) and this is what makes the most sense to me.  I know there is a strong connection with rosacea and "ocular rosacea" (I've had severe dry eye for well over a year now).  Luckily, there is no infection or anything in my eyes, just severely dry which I believe is contributing to the whiter looking areas right under them.  Add to that equation the fact that the rest of my face (lower mostly) is very red, constantly, and how that contrasts with the other areas and this makes the most sense to me of why these "panda eyes" are like this.  I believe that the skin pigment issues, though, (whiter areas) were originally caused by a severe sunburn two summers ago (well nearly three now!), that sent away and took away some of the skin pigment with it.  

The reason that I believe this so strongly is because immediately upon seeing TWO different dermatologists, BOTH immediately said "oh that's sun damage."  (the whiter looking areas).  I did tan like a crazy person for a long time, with no sun protection so this makes total sense to me.  Also I now use spf55 daily, no matter the weather, always wear my sunglasses (even when the sky is sprinkling, no lie!) and am beyond a coworker wondering why I am wearing sunglasses when it is raining and we are all outside smoking on our break!  I don't care, I only know if I didn't it would make this look WORSE so too bad on them.  Let them wonder, it makes me different, right?  :)  I always joke "hey when you are cool, the sun always shines on you."  lol!  

So as for the best way to conceal this (as a woman anyhow I feel much more empathy for the men out there dealing with this where makeup is not an option), I use a heavily pigmented foundation OVER a product called Dermablend (I apply the Dermablend to the whitest looking areas as a "concealer" then apply foundation all over to make it more even).  I use MAC (although my bottle is almost empty and it's EXPENSIVE but the best I have found to cover), when that happens, I will go back to the more budget friendly (but also very effective and highly pigmented Color Stay by Revlon, you can purchase at any Walmart or pharmacy, it's about ten bucks a bottle vs. $30 for MAC!).  It lasts for a very long time after you've put it on, the hardest challenge is finding the right color/shade match but once you have experimented and done that I think you will find it really helps to cover this pretty well (never completely but I digress) at least enough you can function and not be totally insecure constantly, especially while at work.  I have also started to brush a light coat of "bronze" colored powder blush directly on my upper cheeksbones which kind of mimics a tan of sorts so it makes the contrast less noticeable.  Hope this helps someone!!!!!!  This really ***** to deal with and trust me I know how hard it is!

[MissPi]

Hi Tracy,
it's been a while since you post this comment, but have you solved your problem? I have had these white circles on my eyes for the last 3 years (I am 33 now) and still haven't found an explanation or a solution, even the dermathologist said he didn't have a clue... probably vitiglio he said (hooray!)
Good to know we are not alone!!
All the best
M