Under-eye bags are a very common problem, and everyone wants to get rid of them. They make us look older, and it’s generally not a good idea to age ourselves before we can’t do anything about it (except for surgery or plastic injections). There are many different causes, but the most important part is fixing this annoying problem.
The skin under our eyes is thinner than everywhere else on our faces. It does not have as much collagen as the rest of our face, giving it its supple texture and bouncing back easily after being pinched or squeezed. Because of this thinness, blood vessels show through easier because they’re closer to the surface. The biggest telltale sign that someone has under-eye bags isn’t the puffiness; it’s that they have these blue or purple “ridges” underneath their eyes.
The biggest cause of this is hereditary, but I’m sure you knew that already. If your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents all had under-eye bags, chances are you will too. The good news is that there are things you can do to prevent/reduce them, even if they’re hereditary. The first thing I’ll say is not to sleep on your stomach. That might be fairly obvious because sleeping on one’s stomach everywhere else in the body causes wrinkles (which come from excessive pressure). Still, I want to be thorough and include every possible cause. Sleeping on one’s stomach puts a lot of pressure on the eyes and causes them to be squished by the pillow. Just avoid it altogether, and you’ll notice a difference.
Another thing that can cause under-eye bags is dehydration. I’m sure everyone has noticed this as well, but if you’re dehydrated (and most Americans are), then your skin will dry out faster and become wrinkly faster. If you want to reduce those under-eye wrinkles right away, get some water! The longer you wait, the more wrinkles there will be. So make it a habit to stay hydrated every day, and soon these wrinkles will start fading (which is what we all want). Also, make sure you’ve been getting enough sleep lately. That is another very common cause of puffy eyes. If you frequently find yourself taking naps throughout the day, reduce them. Get some extra sleep at night instead.
When dehydrated, your skin tries to protect itself by producing more oil. This is called “trying to compensate” and will make sense when you think about it for a minute. Your body assumes that there’s not enough water around, so it needs to produce MORE sebum (oil) because it knows it can use this excess oil as a water source. When you take in fluids again, though, the production of sebum slows down and eventually reaches its normal levels; therefore, if your dehydration problem lasts long enough for this reaction to occur, then your face will be generally less oily than usual (and look less shiny).
The last cause is the most common one, though; I think everyone knows about it by now. AHA! Stress! If you don’t manage your stress adequately, your body will store up all that extra cortisol in your face. Cortisol is what causes those ugly under-eye bags to appear. It also makes you retain water, which might be part of the reason why people are “dehydrated” when they’re stressed out. So if you notice that these problems occur more frequently after stressful situations or periods, then take some time for yourself and relax.
There are many remedies for this problem as well. For example, cucumbers can help reduce under-eye puffiness because they have a lot of water in them, which immediately “plumps” the skin under your eye. Another good remedy is spoons. Now I know what you’re thinking: how can a spoon help? Take a metal spoon and chill it in the fridge for a couple of minutes. Then place the back of the spoon underneath both eyes for 30 seconds each. The cold temperature will cause blood vessels to close up, making that bluish tint from those veins disappear instantly! Just don’t use it too much, or your skin might get frostbite.
