Olympic Rings, Beautiful. Circles Under Our Eyes, Not so Much...

The representative symbol of the Olympics is the 5 interlocking ring design. This is recognized world wide as a positive symbol representing strength and limitless possibilities. These 5 rings represent the five continents or major geographical areas of the world. These regions are Africa, North & South America, Asia, Europe and Oceania. The Olympic Charter states the five-ringed symbol "represents the union of the five continents and the meeting of athletes from throughout the world at the Olympic Games." Each ring color represents a flag from the country participating in the Olympics. The colors are vibrant and carry a sense of pride and strength. The Colors are blue, black, red, yellow and green.

The interlacing ring design was conceived by Baron Pierre de Coubertin ands first displayed at the 1920 Antwerp Games.

Circles under our eyes typically don't receive the same respect as the Olympic Rings, yet receive the same treatment worldwide. In fact we try to eliminate the blue, black and purple rings from under our eyes as quickly as possible, not put a trading pin of it on the lapel of our favorite jacket.

So what is the cause of these Rings of discontent? Lack of Sleep? Stress? Heredity? Unfortunately, it could be a combination of these and other factors. The skin around our eyes is very thin and delicate. For some it may be translucent. Capillaries are the smallest of a body's blood vessels and are very close to the surface underneath your eyes. The dark under eye circles are broken and bruised capillaries. Every time we rub our eyes we are "bruising" this tender area.
So what do we need to take into account when working towards brighter eyes, decreasing or eliminating dark circles?

• Lack of sleep may cause our skin to look pale.


• Allergies may cause dark circles in two ways: histamine reactions cause dark smudges to appear under the eyes and the normal response to the allergy 'itch' is to rub and scratch, aggravating the already compromised tissue.


• Poor diet and lack of H2O can cause ruddy, discolored areas across the entire face and decollate.


• Age plays a major part. Our skin becomes thinner, losing collagen and elasticity as we age, thus allowing any dark area, and uneven skin tone to become more pronounced.

Now it is time to get focused, and think of the dark circles as our Olympic rings. So what do we do to achieve the gold medal?

• Eating a healthy diet will help boost your energy and ward off illness. Including a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet and boosting your water intake will do your body good. It’s also a great way to reduce the appearance of dark circles under your eyes.


• Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.


• Rest when possible. Close your eyes a bit earlier every night, or simply relax for a few moments after work or school each afternoon.


• Elevate your head when sleeping.


• Be conscience of when and why you are rubbing your eyes, or the eye area. When applying skin care, be very gentle. If you are experiencing dry, itchy eyes, check into soothing eyedrops to help reduce the temptation.


• Check into skin care products that contain zinc and copper to help restore elasticity and build collagen. Glycerin boosts the skin's natural protection by attracting the perfect level of moisture and hydration for the skin.

So unless you are one of those that would rather watch your normal tv shows instead of the olympics, dark circles bad, Olympic Rings, good.

http://history1900s.about.com/od/greateventsofthecentury/a/olympicfacts_2.htm

www.obagi.com

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dark-circles-under-eyes/MY00346