Hello,

Just seeking a little reassurance... I noticed that my 3 year-old niece (she'll be 4 in April) had some dark circles under eyes all week; she didn't look completely well. My sister (her mother) and I thought it might be because she hasn't been sleeping enough - she refuses to take afternoon naps, goes to bed fairly late at night, and wakes up relatively early - but otherwise seems healthy, so we didn't think too much of it. However, the dark circles got much worse upon waking this morning. They are very slightly puffy, and are a prominent purpleish-pinkish color. It was quite a shocking sight, and she looks very sick, but she does not behave like she is ill.

Her mother promptly took her to the doctor this afternoon, and I don't feel satisfied with the doctors "diagnosis." The doctor looked in her nose and said it was a bit swollen, and that this inhibited my niece from breathing totally freely, which in turn causes the dark circles under her eyes. The doctor thinks it's most likely due to allergies, though she performed no additional tests. She prescribed Flonase to spray once a day, and told my sister to either get rid of the carpet in the house or vacuum frequently, and to throw out any stuffed animals my niece has (which is next to impossible).

The doctor didn't think my niece has asthma, though she does have a somewhat chronic, though very slight, weeze sometimes. Also, she has a very sporadic, mild cough. She does seem a tiny bit congested or stuffy most of the time, so perhaps it IS allergies...? And she gets sick fairly often with what seems like the common cold all year round, though we just figured it's just what happens with kids, especially if they go to school (she goes to daycare/nursery school).

Otherwise, she seems healthy... she's playing and running around normally, eating well, very animated per usual, and happy (except when she tired, she gets extremely cranky). But I'm still worried, because I can't get the image of how she looked today out of my head; she just looked SO sick, yet the doctor did not even order up basic bloodwork just to be safe - though I don't know if this sort of testing is normal protocol with young children.

Any thoughts? Should we just set our mind at rest and trust what the doctor THINKS it is with hardly an examination? Any input would be appreciated!

She probably should have had blood work. But her mother needs to follow the steps that were given to her by the doctor. She doesn't need to throw out her stuffed animals...put htem in a garbage bag or box and put them away somewhere, vaccume frequently, wash her bed linnen and pillow (they can harbour dust mites), her pillow should just be put in the dryer for a bit to get rid of any excess dust and dust mites (you can also do this with a stuffed animal if there is one the she is attached to). Her room needs to be cleaned out of any toys, decorations that can trap dust or make it harder to keep it dust free, she doesn't necessarily need to get rid of them, they just need to be out of the room...have her room be as easy to clean as possible.
Try that for a few weeks, if there is no improvment in her sleeping than go back to the doctor.
It is not normal for a healthy child to constantly have a cough...it sounds as if it could be allergies to me...try what the doctor said. It's normal for a child to be sick more often once starting school or daycare, but it's generaly (atleast in my experience) not a constant thing.

I have "natural" dark circles under my eyes and they've been there since I was about 3. My mom took me to various doctors and they all told her the same thing -- nose or allergy related. I did end up developing breathing problems and had to have my tonsils/adenoids out years later, but the circles never went away. I have a 10 yr old son who also has the same dark circles, which appeared when he was 3. Neither of us have allergies but I notice my son getting frequently sick with colds like I used to. Lack of sleep makes the circles worse and a healthy tan makes them almost disappear. This was always a nuisance to me -- people asking if I was sick -- I remember stealing and using hidden concealer at age 9 (had no money and too young to wear makeup). My son (I guess being a boy) doesn't care at all about his circles. We both have olive skin so it's not THAT bad, and mine have gotten much better with age. To me, it's more cosmetic than anything.

I have heard that dark circles in children is a sign of dehydration. Maybe she should see a different doctor for a second opinion.

Annie

When she does sleep does she snore? Maybe she has sleep apnea. A lot of kids do because they're tonsils and adnoids (if they still have them) are large.

What a relief... MandyAnne, thanks for all the great tips. We will definitely try it all - I've already called my sister about it. And thank you, kitkat for sharing your experience. It's good to know this sort of thing can happen without some grave cause behind it, though we will be observing my niece carefully and following up with the doctor faithfully.

About the snoring... she tends to breathe somewhat noisily in her sleep, though I wouldn't say it's a full-blown snore; there does seem to be some sort of obstruction we thought was due to the slight congestion she seems to have most of the time (as I mentioned in the first post). We will investigate this angle as well if there is no improvement. I told her mother to take her to an ENT specialist for a more thorough examination and second opinion. In the meantime, we'll be sure to keep her well-hydrated! Thanks for all the advice, everyone!

My son has dark circles under his eyes, they come and go with his blood levels. My son has problems with iron deficiency. When I don't have enough iron in his diet, he becomes anemic and develops dark circles under his eyes. He also gets a lot of colds, and is a noisy, sleeper, yet he does not necessarilly snore. He has had his tonsils and adnoids out. But, it did not help the circles as they had hoped, it wasn't until later that they determined it was an iron deficiency.

Allergies can cause dark circles under the eyes because the veins leading to the nose become swollen, and dark because of increased blood flow to that area.

Sorry if that doesn't make sense, but try looking up 'allergic shiners', which is the term that allergists use to describe that.