Tips To Preventing Eye Bags and Dark Circles

Do you wake up in the morning with bags under your eyes that make you look like you are more amphibious than human? What caused them and how can you prevent them? Below I will discuss some tips on how to get rid of bags under eyes so that you can wake up looking radiant! You will also learn common symptoms and the leading causes of puffy eyes and dark circles.

Choose the right eye treatments

Some wrinkle creams plump up the skin to reduce wrinkles which may give your eyes a puffy appearance. If puffiness is an issue, be sure that you choose products with anti-inflammatory properties. If dark circles are the issue, look for products that help strengthen blood vessel walls. There are a variety of products and treatments that will help reduce the appearance of your bags by reducing the discoloration, reducing inflammation and tightening the skin around the eyes. Speak to an experienced skin care professional for advice.

The rumours of the hemorrhoid treatment Preparation H are true (only the product produced in Canada). It contains Biodyne which can help deflate under-eye bags by reducing swelling on a very temporary basis. Be certain to use only the cream form, not the oil form, which can make the bags look worse. Be very careful when you apply it you don’t want to get this into your eyes.

Sooth

You can apply cool compresses directly over your closed eyelids and leave on for 15 to 20 minutes. Some options include moistening two tea bags and resting them over your closed eyes. Tea helps constrict blood vessels and reduce swelling. Regular or herbal teas, cucumber slices, the back of a chilled spoon, or equal parts cool rosewater and witch hazel soaked in cotton work as well. It’s really the cold that is working by temporarily taking down the swelling and tighten skin.

Bedtime

Getting a good night’s sleep can do wonders. Having 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep for the right is ideal. What also may help is using an extra pillow when you sleep, or a wedge that props your headboard up higher. Elevating your head will help keep fluids from setting around your eyes over night.

It’s important to drink plenty of water during the day to flush out your system, but drinking a lot of fluids before bedtime can increase your body’s fluid retention and the likelihood it will settle around your eyes during sleep. Stay away from drinks at bedtime or restrict yourself to only a few sips.

Circulation

Lightly tap your upper and lower lids to nudge fluids away from the eyes. This also gets the fluids circulating to other areas in your body. A splash of cold water will help get your circulation moving so that fluids trapped in the eye release into the rest of your body.

Nutrition and lifestyle

Your skin is the fingerprint of what is going on inside your body, so particular attention to your diet is needed to reduce many chronic skin conditions, including puffiness. Certain foods, such as cranberries, blueberries, bilberries, tea (green and black), black currant, onions, legumes, and parsley contain antioxidant pigments that may help to strengthen blood vessels. Eating kidney-balancing foods will help eliminate toxic build-up in our bodies.

Avoid alcohol and tobacco which contain toxins that may lead to stress, fatigue, and hormonal changes; all of which may lead to fluid retention and swelling and dark circles around the eyes.

Stay away from salty foods

Your bags could also be a result of excess salt intake, cigarette smoking or food sensitivities, which is a good reminder that the greatest beauty secret is a healthy lifestyle. Foods with high salt and MSG contribute to puffy eyes so try to stay away from dinners that contain too much salt or sodium.

Concealer

Make-up and proper skin care can help improve the look of some of these problems. When covering dark circles that are reddish or bluish in colour, choose a peach-colored concealer; Beige or white concealers can make the darkness look gray

When covering puffiness, avoid light coloured or light-reflecting concealers on the puffy area because it can make the area look puffier. Instead, use a concealer one to two shades darker than your foundation on the puffy area to reduce the appearance of volume. If your skin is sensitive, look for unscented products (fragrance can cause irritation) and avoid those containing glycolic acid or salicylic acid. Both can be irritants to delicate skin around the eyes and cause swelling or redness.

Surgery

Bags under the eyes can be the result of accumulated fat in the eye area. This happens when the septum surrounding the eyeball weakens, causing the outer layer of fat within the socket to sink forward – making it look like you have literal “bags” under your eyes. Unfortunately, the only permanent fix for these bags is a surgical procedure called blepharoplasty, which is designed to remove excess fat, skin and muscle around the eyes.

If surgery is not for you, there are still some temporary fixes such as injectable wrinkle fillers that will soften facial creases for several months. The filler is injected just under the puffy area to even out the look and remove the indentation caused by the puff.

As with any medical procedure, there are some serious risks involved with either of these options. Be sure to choose a qualified, trained, and experienced dermatologist or a board-certified plastic surgeon that has extensive expertise in the specific treatment you are receiving.

Skin lightening treatments

You may have varying degrees of darkness under the lower lid making you appear dragged out, tired, and older than you are. This could be a true pigmentation condition known as dark circles, or far more commonly, simply dark shadows that develop as part of the same aging process that causes puffiness to appear.

If you pull the lower eyelid skin taunt and the darkness goes away — it’s purely an illusion and not a true pigmentation condition. The most common solution is to use certain types of laser or IPL — intense pulse light — treatments. These treatments use heat to vaporize the extra vessels so the color is less noticeable under the skin. If, however, pulling your skin still leaves you looking at a dark discoloration, you have pigmentation issues — a more common problem for darker skinned individuals. In this case skin-lightening treatments can help.

What Causes Dark Bags Under Eyes?

Aging

The skin under the eyes is thin and delicate to begin with. As we age, skin and the fat pad under the eyes becomes thinner and its elasticity weakens, causing blood vessels and underlying fat to become noticeable. This gives the appearance of dark circles and bags. Sun damage can make it worse because it weakens the skin.

Poor circulation and fluid retention

Blood vessels under the eyes can become dilated and engorged, which can contribute to dark circles. A lack of sleep can make skin appear more pale, which allows blood vessels to be more visible through the skin, giving the appearance of bluish or dark circles.

If you wake with puffy eyes, fluid retention throughout the body is usually the culprit. This generally means that body fluids have settled overnight in the eye area and sometimes can be traced to activities of the previous day. Usually the swelling subsides after a few hours and the fluid is re-absorbed by your body.

Lack of quality sleep

Puffiness under the eyes is a common symptom of sleep deprivation or oversleeping. When we are tired, or if we overslept, our circulatory system slows down and water collects in our body at certain points. If water is not being properly carried away through your body’s circulation system, it collects around the eyes simply because there is space there for it to do so.

Medications

Certain medicines, particularly blood pressure medications, can cause the blood vessels to expand and dilate. While this increased blood flow usually is not apparent in other areas, it can cause a visible tint below the very thin skin under the eyes.

Allergic Reaction

You had plenty of sleep but still wake up to puffy eyes. Bags under eyes can also be attributed to an allergic reaction. Perhaps you’re allergic to a food you ate or the feathers from your down pillow. Under eye bags caused by allergic reactions can be alleviated with an antihistamine like Benedryl. If your eyes are puffy, red, and itchy, your under eye bags may be caused by an allergic reaction.

Hormonal Changes

Hormonal changes during menstruation also lead to puffy eyes. Many symptoms during menstruation can cause under eye bags like fluid retention. If you retain water during your period, an over the counter product like Midol will help reduce puffy eyes.

Allergies and Hay fever

If you have a feather comforter and find that you often wake up with bags under your eyes it can be a sign that you are allergic to feathers. Try switching to quilts and pillows filled with cotton or synthetic material.

Dark circles under the eyes can be the result of allergies to airborne substances, such as pollen, dust, and pet dander, because people rub their itchy eyes. People with hayfever may notice them at the height of the season. Food allergies or sensitivities can also contribute to dark circles.

Sometimes, a chronic sinus condition or a nasal allergy can result in under-eye puffiness. The continual swelling and deflating that goes on can contribute to loose skin and eventually bags. So, if you find yourself with a stuffy nose, pain over the brow or cheek bone, or watery, itchy eyes at the same time your eyes look the puffiest, it’s important to see an allergist.

Medical conditions

Puffy eyes are usually only a temporary worry, however you should be aware that some medical conditions can cause symptoms resembling round pouches around the eyes such as a thyroid condition or a kidney problem. Iron deficiency anemia may cause a bluish tinge below the eyes. Dark circles under the eyes can be a sign of dehydration. It is best to rule out any underlying medical causes before you begin any treatment.

If you have a more chronic condition, your doctor should be made aware of any ongoing symptoms you’re experiencing because there could be an underlying medical condition.

Genetics

Dark circles under the eyes can run in families. They tend to be more noticeable in people with fair skin or deep-set eyes.