Raccoon eyes are when you get dark bruises around your eyes because blood pools under the skin. It happens when you’re hurt, like if you break your skull. It takes about three days for them to show up and two weeks for them to go away.
The following topics will be discussed:
- What is a Raccoon eye?
- Causes of Raccoon Eyes
- Symptoms of Raccoon Eyes
- Treatments for Raccoon Eyes
- Faqs
- How do you permanently get rid of raccoon eyes?
- What is the cause of raccoon eyes?
- Can Vaseline remove dark circles?
- Which vitamin deficiency causes dark circles?
- What deficiency causes raccoon eyes?
What is a Raccoon eye?
Raccoon eyes, also known as the raccoon sign, are when your upper and lower eyelids have dark blue to purple bruises. They make it seem like you have two black eyes. This happens when blood leaks into the tissue around your eyes, usually after an injury to your eye or head. It’s named after the dark fur around a raccoon’s eyes because it looks similar. Your healthcare provider might call it periorbital ecchymosis, which means bruising around the eyes.
Causes of Raccoon Eyes
Raccoon eyes happen when you get hurt and blood collects under the skin around your eyes. It’s common after injuries, even small ones like plucking eyebrows or big ones like breaking a bone in your head or around your eyes.
Things that can cause raccoon eyes are
- Breaking a bone in the bottom of your skull or around your eyes.
- We are getting hurt badly, like in a car crash.
- Breaking blood vessels by sneezing, coughing, or vomiting hard.
- Having cosmetic or facial surgery.
Some medical conditions can also cause raccoon eyes
- Weird blood vessels around your eye.
- Amyloidosis is when abnormal proteins build up in your organs.
- Autoimmune diseases like lupus.
- Cancers like Kaposi sarcoma, neuroblastoma, or multiple myeloma.
- A concussion is a head injury.
- Hemophilia is a condition where blood doesn’t clot well.
- Infections like adenovirus.
- A blood clot in your sinuses.
- Problems with your liver.
Symptoms of Raccoon Eyes
Raccoon eyes can cause these symptoms
- Swelling and soreness around the eyes.
- Eyes turning black and blue.
- Another bruise behind the ear is known as Battle’s sign.
- Bruises appear later, after the injury.
- Redness in the eyes or bleeding in the white part.
- Changes in senses, like hearing, vision, or smell.
- Weak muscles.
- Faster heartbeat and high blood pressure.
If it’s because of neuroblastoma, you might also have
- children that are big and don’t change size.
- Red eyes.
- Pain in your bones.
- Eyes that don’t move together.
If it’s because of amyloidosis, you might also notice
- Droopy eyelids.
- Eyes that stick out.
- Something is growing around your eyes.
- Pain with these symptoms.
Treatments for Raccoon Eyes
Raccoon eyes usually don’t need separate treatment. Doctors focus on treating what caused them, which should make them disappear on their own.
If there’s a broken bone in the skull or face, surgery might be needed. This is especially true if the protective layer around the brain is damaged.
For facial fractures, doctors might use surgery or special plates to fix them and stop more damage.
If someone has cancer or growths like neuroblastoma, they’ll get the right medical care. For example, for amyloidosis, treatment involves lowering the amount of abnormal proteins in the blood.
Doctors will also treat any other problems that come with raccoon eyes, like meningitis or weak spots in blood vessels. If someone’s face looks different because of the injury, cosmetic surgery might be an option.
Recovery and how well someone gets better depend on whether there are any complications. Head injuries, like skull fractures, are serious, so it’s important to see a doctor right away if you have raccoon eyes or a head injury.
Getting diagnosed and treated early helps lower the chance of having long-term problems.
Faqs
Q1. How do you permanently get rid of raccoon eyes?
A1. There is usually no need to treat raccoon eyes themselves. If the raccoon eyes are caused by a fracture of the basal skull or a craniotomy, doctors will focus on treating it, which should cause the raccoon eyes to disappear on their own. A ruptured meninge is especially problematic in this case.
Q2. What is the cause of raccoon eyes?
A2. The cause of raccoon eyes is usually an eye or head injury. An injury can stretch and tear tiny blood vessels under the eyes, which leak blood into the skin, turning it dark purple.
Q3. Can Vaseline remove dark circles?
A3. To achieve the best results, start with a hydrating cream (Sakar recommends Beliefs below options) and follow up with petroleum jelly. There are other 100 percent white petrolatum products or CeraVe Healing Gel you can use instead of Vaseline on TikTok.
Q4. Which vitamin deficiency causes dark circles?
A4. A deficiency of vitamins, including vitamins B12, E, K, and D, can contribute to dark circles. 4- Volume loss: Dark circles are characterized by hollow or sunken eyelids.
Q5. What deficiency causes raccoon eyes?
A5. It can directly cause bleeding diathesis by splenic and liver deficiency due to factor X deficiency. Amyloidosis leads to increased vascular fragility, and raccoon eyes result from increased vascular fragility.
