How to Get Rid of Puffy Eyes and Dark Circles

Introduction

Puffy eyes can happen because of several factors, the skin around the eyes is weak and sensitive and full of blood vessels. There are severe cases where eye puffiness may require surgical adjustments. And in some other occasions, eye puffiness can be a symptom of some serious diseases, such as those connected with the thyroid glands or kidneys.

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But for the most part, the puffiness is a result of your activities during the previous day; for example, if you ate a lot of salty food or you bent your head down for too long, there is a good chance that your eyes will be puffy the next day. Before deciding to cover up your puffy eyes with sunglasses and/or concealer, you should first try to reduce the bags on your eyes with some tried and tested remedies.

Unfortunately if the eyes stay swollen, and these two given reasons are not the problem, then we are looking to treat another cause. You have to remember there will be a cause for eye puffiness, and in most cases swollen or dark circles under the eyes can be treated.

Puffy eyes can also be symptoms of other eye conditions which will in most cases need more than just bathing them with cold water. If puffy eyes are severe and persistent, and you suffer pain and blurry vision then it is a matter that will need medical attention. Your eyes will need testing by an eye care expert (optician.)

Common causes of Puffy eyes can include fluid retention, stress, allergies, and hormone changes, along with other reasons.

If eyes swell due to an episode of crying this is due to how the body reacts to emotions and causes extra blood to flow around the eye sockets which results in swelling. If the production of tears is extreme it can put a strain on the eyes.

Tiredness is another regular cause for puffy eyes. This can happen because there is too much sodium in a diet causing water retention.

If you tend on treating your puffy eyes at home then you have to be certain of why they have occurred.

Tired exhausted eyes by all means have ago at treating, but if it be something more serious you need to leave well alone. The eyes are delicate organs and you cannot afford to practice with solutions/remedies you are unfamiliar with, or more importantly an unfamiliar condition if you have not had the problem determined by your GP or optician.

Puffy Eyes Treatments and Home Remedies

Before endorsing any new fresh methods for treating your eye puffiness get a second opinion from your doctor.

If we are looking to treat puffy eyes that you are "sure" are not caused by other eye conditions, then you can consider trying the options below to rid eye puffiness. The treatments given are successfully treating patients and their eye issues, however what may work for one person may not for the other.

Cold Splash

As mentioned, having puffy eyes can be nothing more than a problematic fluid circulation in your face. An easy and cool way to bring back your eyes to their normal appearance is to splash cold water directly on your eye area and the rest of your face. The cold temperature of the water is all you need to jump-start the fluid circulation in your face.

Light Massage

Eye puffiness is usually caused by excess fluids trapped in your eye area. By lightly massaging both your upper and lower eyelids, you shove all those excess fluids away from your eyes. This is actually a basic touch therapy that many people are not aware of, but dermatologists and other skin experts have used this technique to improve the appearance of their client's eyes.

Tea Bag Patch

Try using teabags. Two teabags moistened by cold water and patched on your puffy eyes for five to ten minutes can reinvigorate your eyes and hold off the puffiness. Again, the coldness of the teabags can help to increase circulation in your face. But more than that, tea has tannin that can also help in tightening the skin in your eye area; thereby, effectively decreasing the bulge in your eyes.

Take Medication

Sometimes, eye puffiness can be caused by factors other than fluid circulation in the face. For instance, if you are having your menstruation, your body may retain more fluids at the onset of your period; hence, our eyes may become puffy. If this is the case, take over-the-counter diuretic medications to help flush out excess fluids in your system. You can also;

• Limit your intake of sodium
• Drink plenty of water to flush out your system
• Place cool cucumber slices over the eyes or cold wet teabags
• Use a soothing eye cream with aloe and Vitamin E
• Avoid bending the head down for long periods of time
• Avoid staying up late of a night
• Treat your eyes with creams like Eyederma for a more lasting solution to eye puffiness
• If your eye puffiness is due to an allergic reaction, over-the-counter antihistamine medicines can help flatten the puffiness
• Cool the swollen skin around your eyes to reduce puffiness by wraping an ice cube in cloth and gently dabbing the eyes, or cool two spoons and place over the eyes
• Chilled strips of potato placed over the eyes is also an effective method

Swelling around the eye area can also be caused by an allergic reaction if the puffiness is accompanied by itchiness and redness around the eye area. If you find the reason for your puffy eyes happening is due to an allergic reaction then discontinue using whatever it is that is causing your eyes to swell. Particular beauty products can be responsible for eye irritations. No matter how much you love a particular product you have to discard and banish it from your make-up bag. What is more important, the blue eye shadow, the trendy two tone mascara you adore, or your eyesight? If something is not agreeable to your eye skin then cease using it immediately.

Aside from the normal puffiness, puffy eyes can result from illness. Other causes can include hangovers, hormone fluctuations, allergies and tiredness. For some people, puffy or baggy eyes are a hereditary trait.

Rubbing your eyes is not good for them, gentle patting or dabbing should be the motion used at all times. The skin around your eyes is extremely sensitive, and repeated touching of the skin enveloping the eyes can worsen allergies, making them more irritable, red and itchy thus leading to puffy eyes. If you wear contact lenses then remove them before going to bed to avoid irritation and eye dryness.

Increase your intake of water throughout the day to help get rid of puffy eyes. When the human body becomes dehydrated (maybe caused by alcohol or sickness) it stores water as a defense mechanism. This built-up water can encourage baggy or puffy eyes. 8-10 glasses of water daily is the suggested amount to drink that will reduce water build-up and improve baggy eyes. Cut down on salt because too much can cause water retention in your body.

Preventing Puffy Eyes

• Sleep with the head raised.
• Don't drink too much water/fluids before bed.
• Don't use wrinkle remover cream near the eyes as it hydrates the skin and puffiness is the result.
• Avoid oil-based cosmetics. Oil can cause the skin below the eyes to swell and become inflamed. Water-based is more ideal.
• Remove makeup every night because it can fill the pores causing swelling.
• Try concealing your problem tired eyes with the help of cosmetics.

Upper Eye Puffiness

If the eye puffiness has happened in the upper eyelid area, consider using a dark eye shadow. Opt for two coordinating shades. Brush the dark shadow from the eyebrow down to the crease in the eyelid, followed with the lighter shade branching down from the crease to the eye lashes.

Under Eye Puffiness

Using a usual foundation can help conceal eye puffiness. If the swelling is seriously evident the foundation on the affected area should be a shade darker to the foundation used on the rest of the face. Look after your eyes to keep them healthy. Healthy eyes will help prevent the more grave conditions from happening.

Astigmatism happens when the front of the eye is egg shaped instead of being the normal curve shape, this can cause perception of distance and near vision to become hazy. Astigmatism can cause also headaches, or have the patient be overly sensitive to light.

• Presbyopia is an eye condition linked to age. When we grow old, the lens of the eye thickens and slowly loses its suppleness leading to a gradual decline in our ability to focus on objects that are close up.
• Glaucoma is distinguished by lifted pressure inside the eye which can damage the optic nerve decreasing the field of vision and the ability to see clearly. A cataract is a clouding of part of the eye called the lens. Vision becomes blurred or dim because light cannot pass through the clouded lens to the back of the eye.

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Cite This Page (APA): Dr. Kay. (2009, July 3 - Last revised: 2019, December 21). How to Get Rid of Puffy Eyes and Dark Circles. Disabled World. Retrieved October 10, 2024 from www.disabled-world.com/medical/alternative/homeremedies/puffy-eyes.php

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