How to Get Rid of Bags Under Your Eyes?

What causes bags under the eyes?

There are several causes of bags under the eyes. While it is true that heredity is a factor, other conditions can make the appearance of eye bags more prominent. Those include allergies, asthma and inherited skin qualities, eczema, and alcohol. Any condition that causes the eyes to itch can contribute to darker circles due to rubbing or scratching the skin around the eyes. A high salt diet can also lead to fluid retention in the body, and the skin around the eyes is a very soft and sensitive area. Often times, a change in diet can make a big difference in the overall appearance of eye bags. Any increase in bodily fluid or shifting that prevents fluid drainage can result in the appearance of bags.  A smoker is more likely to have bags under his eyes at a younger age. High blood pressure can also cause baggy eyes, due to the fact that the skin tissue around the eyes is loose and weak, and the increase in pressure can cause the skin to lose elasticity.

Ways to Get Rid of Eye Bags

Change sleep position

Try to sleep on your back with your head slightly elevated. This will prevent fluid from pooling under your eyes during the night. This one might be tough to maintain, as it has often been a habit of many since childhood. Try it for a week and see if it makes a noticeable difference.

Curb salt intake

As mentioned earlier, the presence of more salt in the body can cause the body to retain water. While you should always pay attention to your salt intake, you may want to try significantly cutting back for a week to see if it makes a noticeable difference with your eye bags.

Check for allergies

This is a long process of trial and error! You may first notice bags under your eyes before discovering that you suffer from allergies. Try to pay attention to when your eye bags are at their worst. For many people, this happens in the spring and fall. If you find that this is the case, you should consider a visit to an allergist or trying over-the-counter allergy medications.

At-home treatments for puffy eyes

Tea bags, cucumbers, ice, and spoons – All these can be utilized topically to decrease puffiness and to soothe the skin around the eyes. Chilled tea bags, cucumbers, a bag of frozen peas, or a wrapped ice pack all function the same way and they are all applied the same way. Lie down and place any of the items over each one of your eyes (tea bags/cucumbers commonly only require 5-7 minutes to take effect, whilst ice packs can take 10-15 minutes). An alternate technique is placing 4 metal teaspoons in the refrigerator until they are cold, then take them out and rest the part of the spoon that curves over your eyes. A more uncommon way to decrease puffiness is an egg white mask – Applying a mix of egg whites and witch hazel with a brush over the entire eye and leaving it on for 5-10 minutes, then rinsing it off may lead to a decline in puffiness.

Sleeping face up with a few pillows – The notion that resting will assist with circles under the eyes is not a fantasy as resting helps to repair your body system. However, the notion that laying down too flat may cause puffy eyes has some truth in it, due to the fact that fluids will build up around the eyelids during the night. If you are able to change the way you lay and sleep inclined a portion, it may prevent the build-up of fluid which causes the puffy-eyed appearance. Adding an extra pillow or two may also help the fluid to empty and not accumulate around the eyes.

Medical options for under-eye bags

Blepharoplasty – upper eyelids or the lower eyelids contain or hold the fat in different compartments. Blepharoplasty is done differently for each compartment that is bulging into the lower eyelid from inside the eye. This fat is removed with a transconjunctival blepharoplasty technique, which is performed on the inner surface of the eyelid, leaving no visible scar. When there is an excess of fat and loose skin or muscle, but it is not severe, the skin-muscle complex can be repositioned or supported in the lower eyelid with a transcutaneous blepharoplasty, performed through a skin incision. This is a similar process to the CO2 laser method and the same applies for the price of the operation and arrangements for the patient. It is currently believed that aggressive disruption or removal of the orbicularis oculi muscle will tend to result in a skeletonized appearance of the lower eyelid, with a sunken orbit and palpebral tightness. This may not be corrected because of loss of skin tone and may require fat grafting in order to smoothen out the area. Lastly, with an aging population, the interest in maintaining a higher aesthetic appearance throughout late life continues to rise. Blepharoplasty has also been documented to increase peripheral vision in the elderly, improving quality of life.

Laser treatment – a common type of cosmetic surgery in which a laser is used to vaporize the damaged skin of eye bags to promote the growth of new collagen. There are two types of lasers that may be used, the CO2 laser and the Erbium:YAG laser. The CO2 laser is more commonly used and is generally regarded as being more effective. However, it has a longer recovery time – a few weeks. The Erbium:YAG laser is less damaging and recovery is much quicker. The skin is more likely to turn red and remain so for a few weeks after the treatment, but makeup can be used within a week to 10 days to conceal this. The laser disperses the heat in a variety of ways and the price of the laser, determination of how much heat is dispersed, and arrangements for the patient and « before and after » photographs may not always be quite the same.

How to Choose a Doctor?

First and foremost, it’s important to screen multiple doctors rather than settling for the first one you find. Consult with friends and relatives who have undergone similar treatments, or ask to be referred by your general practitioner. Once you have made a list of potential candidates, ensure they are qualified medical doctors. You may contact local medical boards to find out whether the doctors are certified in ophthalmology or plastic surgery, and to what level. Choosing a doctor who has a solid practice background in cosmetic or reconstructive eyelid surgery is essential. A doctor’s assistant may also be useful in providing preliminary information about a doctor’s credentials, experience, and personality. Note that because eyelid surgery is often considered a cosmetic procedure, it is not usually covered by insurance, so take your time in finding the right doctor whereas cost may not be as significant a factor.Once you’ve decided to explore the option of surgery or medical treatment to rid yourself of eye bags, it’s crucial to select an experienced and qualified doctor. However, finding the right physician to suit your needs can be a disconcerting task.