There are many factors that result in dark or puffy under-eye bags. These bags can be caused by many factors including allergies, not getting enough sleep, not drinking enough water, or stress.
To help avoid under-eye bags, there are several things you can do to prevent these bags from forming. First, take a look at your diet. If your diet is high in sodium, this can lead to water retention, which results in puffy eyes. Large amounts of caffeine, red meat, and junk food can also tend to make eyes look puffy and tired. Be sure to drink enough water every day to ensure that your body and skin is hydrated. Water intake is an important factor in how your skin and eyes look.
Besides your diet, sleep is the more obvious answer in why you may have under-eye bags. If you are having trouble sleeping, then you might want to try these tips to treat your eyes:
- Place some tea bags in cold water, and let them soak for a few minutes. After squeezing out excess water, lie down and place the tea bags under your eyes to allow the tea to reduce the swelling under your eyes.
- Place 2 metal spoons in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes. Once cold, place a spoon under each eye. You can lie down and lay them under your eyes, or sit up and hold the handles of the spoons, pressing the cold spoons against your skin. This will help to reduce inflammation.
- Good old cold cucumber slices are always an option to help soothe your eyes. They are full of water and can help hydrate and calm your eyes at the same time.
- Wrap some ice cubes or a frozen bag of vegetables in a washcloth and place it over your eyes.
- Lactic acid can also be effective in treating puffiness and dark circles. Dip two cotton balls in a dish of milk, and place them under your eyes. Try doing this twice a day for best results.
- It may sound gross, but hemorrhoid cream (Preparation H for instance) is an amazing trick to constrict blood vessels, which helps with under-eye inflammation. It’s an instant pick me up to tighten under-eye skin and refresh your appearance.
If you don’t have time to do these quick and easy treatments, next comes instant gratification. First, choose a moisturizer that is known to firm and hydrate. Dermalogica’s Intensive Eye Repair is a rich eye cream full of antioxidants, vitamins, and botanicals to minimize fine lines and re-hydrate the eye area.
After applying your eye cream, concealer can help hide dark circles and counteract any redness. Look for a concealer that has medium to high coverage, but not too thick, to avoid it caking on. Apply it right after your moisturizer, so that it glides on and rubs in effortlessly. Apply both your moisturizer and concealer with your ring finger, as it is the weakest finger and doesn’t put to much pressure on your skin.
With these tips, you are sure to treat under eye bags and banish them for good!