Five reasons your child may have dark puffy eye bags

Have you ever noticed puffy dark circles under your child’s eyes, despite them getting a good night’s sleep? Parents often suspect delicate skin or even too much screen time as the culprits. However, this common issue could be a sign that something deeper is affecting their health. Ignoring their dark under-eye circles might mean overlooking potential health concerns that could be easily addressed.

Having dark under-eyes, or even puffy eyes aren’t usually a sign of anything too serious, but they do often signal something deeper is going on within the body such as an allergy or a nutrient deficiency. If their eyes look dark and ‘ghostly’ there may be something off-balance with their stress levels, or your child may be struggling to get enough sleep. Thankfully, a little extra attention to their sleep and nutrition is usually all you need to restore their usual bright-eyed appearance.

Today I’m talking more about some of the causes of under-eye puffiness in children, including the five of the most common causes in more detail. I’ll also walk you through the easy dietary changes you can make and the supplements you can give to help resolve the underlying causes of their eye bags.

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Five reasons for dark under-eyes in children

The delicate anatomy of the eye area itself can mean some people have more sensitive skin around their eyes than others. Since children’s skin is thinner and more sensitive than most adults, they get eye bags more easily than adults.

Dark eye bags are strongly genetic and more likely to appear in brown or black skin – so if you have always had shadows under your eyes, your child might have inherited them from you, so it could either be genetic or something for you both to work on.

1. Allergies and histamine overload

A high histamine state from allergies, mast cell activation or histamine intolerance can dilate the blood vessels under the eyes causing dark-eye bags. These eye bags are known as allergic shiners and tend to be dark, circles under the eyes that resemble bruises. These occur because of the nasal congestion caused allergies to food such as dairy products or high histamine foods and environmental triggers such as pollen, animal dander and dust.

Eye bags that come alongside allergies are often accompanied by wrinkles under the eyes called Dennie-Morgan lines. These look a bit like crow’s feet, but instead of fanning out from the corners they appear as folds of skin beneath the lower eyelids. These Dennie-Morgan lines are common in kids with hay fever, eczema or multiple food sensitivities. They typically get worse during hay fever season when eyes can get very itchy and swollen. You may also see these under eye lines in kids who live with asthma or allergic rhinitis. These eye wrinkles are also linked with mouth breathing as well as with kids who have sleep apnoea.

How to manage allergies better: Foods rich in vitamin C can help to support the immune system and reduce a high histamine state. To ensure your child is consuming enough vitamin C, make sure they eat lots of citrus fruits, bell peppers, strawberries, blackcurrants, parsley and potatoes.

The flavonoid quercetin helps to inhibit histamine release, and is found in apples, dark berries, grapes, onions, red peppers, parsley and sage and is easily found as a supplement. Nettle can also help with allergies – you can try nettle supplements or a soothing nettle tea.

2. Poor sleep and adrenal stress

If you’ve noticed dark circles or puffiness under your child’s eyes, it’s easy to assume they’re just tired or have not slept well. That can often be the case for many kids, and it is simply a sign for them to prioritise sleep more and work on how much time they spend in bed and their sleep quality.

Even if your kids are sleeping well, they might come home more tired than usual if they use lots of physical and mental energy at school. Neurodivergent kids can get extra tired just with navigating the school day and the added pressures of learning differently.

Inconsistent or unrefreshing sleep, especially when stressed or in a high cortisol state, can lead to tired, sunken eyes. Kids and teens with high cortisol tend to find it hard to get to sleep, wake up around 3-4 o’clock in the morning and are often not that hungry upon waking and hunger only kicks in mid-morning.

How to support sleep and stress: A good sleep hygiene routine is essential: turning devices off at least an hour before bedtime, keeping devices out of bedrooms, and sticking to a predictable ready-for-bed routine can support better sleep quality. To help reduce stress, you can practice calming activities together like breathing and mindfulness.

Epsom salt baths, which are rich in magnesium, can help to relax the muscles and prepare the body for sleep. Magnesium rich foods such as green veg, nuts and seeds as well as magnesium supplements can help.

Herbal teas like lemon balm or passionflower also help to calm the nervous system and regulate sleep cycles.

Lactium is a wonderful milk-based supplement which may improve sleep time and sleep efficiency. It is soothing on an agitated system and helps to lower and maintain normal cortisol levels during periods of acute stress.

3. Dehydration

Inadequate hydration can lead to sunken, dull skin under the eyes, so it’s important to keep an eye on your child’s fluid intake. If you know that your youngster is drinking enough fluids, this could be a sign that they are consuming too many sugary drinks or salty, highly-processed foods and not enough water.

Children also need extra hydration when they’re under the weather – so top up their fluids if they’re feeling poorly.

How to ensure your child stays well-hydrated: The best way to ensure adequate hydration is simply to ensure kids drink enough filtered water – but sometimes this is easier said than done! If you’re finding it difficult to get your child to drink enough water, you can still support their hydration with herbal teas, soups, and water-rich fruits and vegetables like watermelon, coconut water, oranges, tomatoes and cucumbers. If all else fails, try an electrolyte and see if things improve. Try to steer clear of sugary or caffeinated drinks, as these can magnify the eye puffiness.

4. Iron deficiency or anaemia

Pale skin due to anaemia makes the periorbital region look comparatively darker. Due to low haemoglobin, there is a further lack of oxygen supply to this area – leading to dark eye bags.

Low iron is particularly common in children who don’t eat much red meat or in teenage girls who have heavy periods. Low vitamin C intake can also hinder iron absorption.

How to support iron intake: If your child is showing signs of low iron or anaemia such as very pale skin and tiredness, try to fill their plates with iron-rich foods like grass-fed red meats, lentils, beans and dark leafy greens. Combine with foods high in vitamin C like citrus fruits, bell peppers and potatoes to help with the iron absorption.

Lactoferrin is a protein to consider that helps with iron transport and occurs naturally in tears. Supplementing with lactoferrin may help with your child’s iron levels and at the same time it may help reduce eye bags by reducing inflammation and improving tear production, addressing the root cause of puffiness.

5. Vitamin B12 deficiency

Vitamin B12 plays a vital role in maintaining our body’s balance, especially when it comes to managing water retention. Its natural diuretic properties help prevent swelling, so a deficiency can lead to unwanted puffiness, particularly around the eyes.

This vital B vitamin also ensures our tissues receive proper oxygen, and a lack of it can make the periorbital region look noticeably darker, especially in those with paler skin. If you’re noticing pronounced blueish veins under your child’s eyes, it could be a sign that their body is calling out for more B12.

How to boost B12: Vitamin B12 is found in animal foods like meat, fish, eggs and dairy, so it’s particularly important to supplement it if your child has a mainly plant-based diet or lives off crunchy beige food. It is important to supplement with vitamin B12 if their diet is not abundant in animal products.

Round up

Dark eye circles can be a subtle sign from the body that it needs a little more support. They’re not always a cause for concern, especially if they run in the family, but they can offer helpful insights into other things that might be going on inside such as stress, lack of sleep, allergies or nutrient deficiencies. Always trust your instinct – if something feels “off” with your child and the eye bags seem really puffy and noticeable, then it’s worth exploring the underlying cause further.

If you’re worried about dark circles under your child’s eyes you want to run some extensive allergy tests and nutrient profiles, then book in with our NatureDoc clinical team for a detailed nutrition evaluation – we’ll help you to uncover what’s going on and restore your child’s back to looking their best and feeling bright and healthy.

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Five reasons your child may have dark puffy eye bags

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