Wondering why your eyes are swollen or how to get rid of bags under your eyes? Let me give you good news: although under the eye bags can usually be annoying, they don’t usually affect vision or health. However, if reducing puffiness around the eyes is your primary concern now, there are both permanent and temporary solutions available.
Start by drinking plenty of water daily and applying cold compression, you can quickly reduce bags under your eyes. For the long-term reduction of under-eye bags, try making some lifestyle changes.
You should consider doing the life-style changes if your mom, dad or anyone in the family has under-eye bags.
What causes bags underneath your eyes?
Several reasons can get you the under-eye bags. Reasons include:
- Diet rich in salt: If you have a lot of salty food in your diet, you should consider reducing your salt intake. Salt retains water in your body which means more swelling under your eyes.
- Natural ageing process: As we age, some of us lose firmness, the layer of fat and muscle mass under the skin of our eyes.
- Allergies: If you have cold allergy and congestion, you may end up getting bags under your eyes.
- Genetics: You’re more prone to getting under eye bags if your dad, mom and any other family member have them.
- Medical conditions: Medical conditions like thyroid problems and overall wellbeing may affect the skin under your eyes.
How do you naturally get rid of bags under your eyes?
- Use cold compress
- Apply tea bags under eyes
- Apply retinol cream before bed
- Drink lots of water
- Reduce exposure to allergy triggers
- Lots of sleep
- Clean sinus with a neti pot
Teabag method: One of the main ingredients of tea is caffeine. It contains powerful antioxidants. Caffeine will increase blood flow to under-eye skin. It is also believed to protect against UV rays and may slow down the ageing process.
As a study shows, researchers have come closer to green tea, especially because of its anti-inflammatory effects.
Cold compresses: Cooling the area reduces swelling by minimizing blood flow to the area. You can put a cold object like a pack of ice, a bag of frozen vegetables, slices of cucumber, or cold spoons on your eyes closed for a few minutes.
Retinol cream: We use Retinol cream to treat different types of skin problems. Retinol is linked to vitamin A. Vitamin A can reduce collagen deficiency when you apply it on your skin. You can get lower levels of retinol in various over-the-counter products, but your stronger upper dermatologist needs a prescription.
Retinol is usually applied to the skin once in every day. Wash your face, apply it around half an hour later.
Do not use retinol creams and if you are pregnant, refrain from taking extra vitamin A.
Drink lots of water: Scientists say water accounts for around 60% of your body weight. Not surprisingly, however, dehydration can add to the bags under the eyes. The increased should reduce the bags.
How much water should you drink daily? Experts recommend drinking about 2+litres of fluids a day.
If you forget to drink water, don’t worry all those juice, tea, coffee and beverages do count towards the daily total. However, water ranks the lowest in calorie chart. Try mineral water, flavoured water or even fruit infusion water. Another great option for hot or cold is decaffeinated herbal tea.
Hemorrhoid creams: Some people try over-the-counter creams to treat hemorrhoids under the eyes.
The ingredients in a product like penophyllin may restrict blood vessels which then reduces swelling. However, they can cause irritation under eye area so use caution before using.
Also, it is important not to let this ingredient enter your eyes.
Sinus cleaning with neti pot: Neti pot can help remove the dark circles and bags under your eyes. Neti pot is a device filled with salt water solution (ordinary saliva) that with its thin arm puts salt-water in one of your nostrils which then cleans the sinus and gets out through the other.
How can I thicken the skin under my eyes?
Eat more collagen-rich food like soy, cucumbers, aloevera. Apply creams rich in powerful antioxidant formula like vitamin c, soy, retinol, hyarluronic acid. Also try adding natural substances like cucumber, tea bags, sea algae which will help firm the under-eye area.
Can you get rid of under-eye bags without surgery?
For the less severe eye bags, you can improve your condition without surgery. For the much more older people with big eye bags, surgery maybe is the only option. If you have dark circles, you don’t need surgery.
Is Preparation H good for bags under the eyes?
Well, it depends if you apply too much or without following much caution, you may end up causing injury to your eye area, which you don’t want to happen. You don’t want to use Preparation H around the eye area as manufacturers cautioned not to use it around your eye area.
You don’t want to get Preparation H in your eyes accidentally. Also, prolonged use may end up thinning your skin more. Use caffeine-based products instead. Caffeine is known to constrict blood vessels.
You can also try doing the natural methods mentioned above.
How do you keep the skin under your eyes healthy?
Exercise! Facial exercise is a pretty great way to keep the skin under your eyes healthy. Facial exercises have shown to be effective at tightening skin. You can try exfoliating the skin but only try gently though.
Eat healthy diet, take adequate rest. Lower your salt intake and stay happy.
How do you get rid of puffy eyes fast?
- Apply ice
- Cut pieces of banana, place them in ice water for 10 minutes, once they are cooled apply them
- Cut 2 pieces of cucumber, put them in ice water for 10 minutes. Apply chilled slices of cucumber on your eyes
- Drip tea bags in cold water for 1 minute and then place them on your eyes for 5 minutes. Do this for both of the eyes
- Sleep elevating your head a bit more than usual, don’t place too many pillows under your head though, or you’re going to wake up with pain in your neck
- Take two cotton balls and pour in cold milk. Apply them on your eyes for 5 minutes
- Wash your face with cold water right after you woke up