A woman recently went viral on TikTok when she shared an interesting discovery from her dermatologist, which has left many viewers surprised about the connection between dark circles and allergies.
TikToker Lauren Garkow (@lovesss_youu24) posted a clip that has garnered over 7.4 million at the time of writing, recounting her visit to the dermatologist.
“I learned something from my dermatologist,” she begins. “He took one look at me and he goes, ‘Allergies run in your family.’”
Confused, Garkow asked how he could tell.
“Someone in your family has asthma, hay fever, eczema, allergies in general, and some other allergic-type of conditions,” the dermatologist explained.
What symptom can visually reveal allergies?
Still curious, she asked how he knew. “You have allergic shiners under your eyes,” the dermatologist reportedly told her.
At this point, Garkow wasn’t sure what to think and asked for more information.
The dermatologist then explained the condition. “Those dark circles under your eyes,” he said, before using a more technical term that Garkow didn’t quite catch.
She was still surprised, as she had always thought the dark circles were due to lack of sleep. “I go, ‘I thought that’s just because I don’t get sleep,’ and he goes, ‘No.’”
He then explained that the dark circles were caused by blood vessel congestion.
“That’s actually from the congestion of your blood vessels,” he allegedly said. “They produce a pigment and it shows that allergies run in the family.”
Garkow was surprised. “I go, ‘Oh,’” she said, processing what she had just learned. But there was hope.
“Good news is, depending on what type of allergies you have, if we figure out what it is, we can get rid of them,” the dermatologist reportedly told her.
Garkow was shocked by the discovery.
“You mean, I’ve had dark circles my whole life and they could have just been avoided?” she exclaims.
Is there a connection between allergies and dark circles?
“Allergic shiners” is a real term used by medical professionals. It’s used to describe dark circles under the eyes caused by nasal congestion due to allergies.
When someone has allergies, the nasal passages get swollen, increasing the blood flow in the small veins around the nose and eyes. This increase causes the blood vessels under the eyes to dilate, leading to a darker appearance of the skin, which can look like bruising or dark circles.
This condition is often seen in people with allergic rhinitis (commonly known as hay fever). It can also show up in other chronic allergy-related conditions, which is why the dermatologist in the video might’ve mentioned them.
If one has prominent dark circles, it’s never a bad idea to get them checked out, as irregular sleep might not be all that’s causing them.
@lovesss_youu24 My blood literally pools under my eyes🤦🏼♀️ and basically my whole life i thought i didnt have allergies #allergicshiners #darkcircles #darkcirclesundereyes #allergies #dermatology #spoonie #chronicillness ♬ original sound – lovesss_youu24
Commenters share their thoughts
In the comments, some users are well aware of the connection, some share their experience. Others were shocked.
“I knew this was going to be about allergic shiners,” wrote one user.
“I’ve had dark circles under my eyes my whole life too but as it turns out mine were caused by narcolepsy,” shared another. “So theres another thing to check for if you have chronic dark circles too.”
“I’ve had dark circles under my eyes literally every day of my life since I was 2,” asked a third. “They can fix them?!?!”
Garkow shares more details
In a TikTok direct message exchange with the Daily Dot, Garkow shared further information about her condition.
When asked how long she has had dark circles, she wrote, “I feel like I have always had them honestly. Most of my family has them, but mine I feel like are the worst. I always thought it was a shadow from the deep-set eyes when I was younger. But once people started to point it out they all mentioned I just needed to sleep more.”
Additionally, she stated she has yet to receive any insights about which allergies might be causing the symptom.
“I do know some allergies based off mini experiments I’ve done to narrow down what causes reactions, but I haven’t had my official patch tests or appointment with the allergist yet,” Garkow wrote. “I am getting just my environmental patch test first since my dermatologist noticed I was having a severe reaction, known as angioedema, to something in face products. So there is something in makeup, sunblock, lotion, acne treatment, things like that.”
We also asked Garkow if she has noticed any other allergic reactions lately, to which she responded, “I’ve been experiencing an itchy throat every day, very mild runny nose, and watery eyes.”
In addition to those symptoms, she has since discovered other telltale signs of allergies on her face.
“I have learned that I also have Dennie-Morgan lines, [or] creases under my eyes, an allergic salute across my nose,” she concluded. “A thinning of my outer eyebrows that are all signs of allergies as well.”
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