Nothing can make you look more tired and worn out than puffy eyes and dark circles under the eyes.
Puffy Eyes
The skin around the eyes is very thin and is full of blood vessels which make it very sensitive. Puffy eyes happen when the skin around the eyes begins swelling due to a variety of factors. These include stress, allergies, hormone changes, to name just a few. We most frequently get puffy eyes after sleeping – only to wake up looking tired and drawn. Puffy eyes 
in the morning can be the result of too much sodium in the diet causing water retention, lack of sleep, excessive drinking of alcohol – and believe it or not, puffy eyes can also be caused by lying down for too long, causing excess fluid to flow to your face, especially the eye area. Usually puffy eyes will go away after a little bit of time or after a quick and simple fix.
Quick Fix Tips for Puffy Eyes
- Avoid puffy eyes by elevating your head with an extra pillow at bedtime to help minimize the fluid buildup that causes morning puffiness.
- Put an eye serum in the fridge for a few minutes to cool it down (anything cold acts as a vasoconstrictor that calms swelling almost instantly). Gently dab the cold serum directly onto the puffy areas under the eyes.
- Place two slices of cool cucumber on the eyes for several minutes.
- Moisten two tea bags in cold water, chill them in the refrigerator and place them over closed eyelids for several minutes.
- Try a soothing eye cream with aloe and Vitamin E, which can be applied to the eyes.
Dark Circles
Nothing ages you more than dark circles under your eyes. If you get plenty of sleep and still have dark circles under your eyes, that’s not unusual – fatigue isn’t the only reason for under-eye circles. Sometimes, the shadows cast by puffy eyelids, or the hollow under your eyes, make it appear as though you have dark circles. Some of the most common causes of true under-eye circles can be:
- Allergies
- Heredity
- Lifestyle factors, such as physical or emotional stress, smoking, or chronic alcohol use
- Nasal congestion – this can dilate and darken the veins that drain from your eyes to your nose
- Pigmentation irregularities — most common in people with darker skin tones
- Rubbing or scratching your eyes
- Sun exposure, which prompts your body to produce more melanin (the pigment that gives skin its color).
- Thinning skin and loss of fat and collagen as you age, causing the reddish-blue blood vessels under your eyes to become more obvious.
Tips for Avoiding Dark Circles
Elevate your head with two or more pillows to prevent puffiness that develops when fluid pools in your lower eyelids.
Get extra sleep – although short nights don’t usually cause under-eye circles, a general lack of sleep makes you paler and more hollow-eyed, so shadows and circles you already have appear more obvious.
Protect your skin from the sun – over time, exposure to the sun will produce extra pigment, making dark circles more prominent. Use sunscreen and wear dark glasses.
An eye cream with caffeine constricts blood vessels, making dark circles less obvious.
Treating Dark Circles
There are a number of things you can do to minimize the look or dark circles under the eyes with simple, effective remedies, you can try at home. Click here to read more about Treating Dark Circles at Home.
Note: If discoloration and swelling appears under just one eye and seems to get worse over time, talk to your doctor.
Mini Eye Massage
Here is a great tip from www.shycheeks.blogspot.com on how to minimize puffy eyes and dark circles with a mini eye massage.
After cleaning skin, take a clean, damp, cotton washcloth or any cleansing wipes and place it in your freezer.
Remove when frozen. Bend it to make it a little flexible and just pat it gently under and around your eyes. This constricts the blood vessels around your eyes and helps reduce dark circles and puffiness.
Now, using your ring finger, very lightly massage the area around your eye in circular motion (see illustration below). Start at the inner corner of your eye and work all the way to the eyebrow then going down and around to the inside of the eye. Repeat the circle 5 to 10 times. Make sure you don’t press the skin with your fingers, just gently rub the area in a light circular motion. You can also use a patting motion – simply pat the area with finger lightly in circular motion.
After massaging, press three of your fingers lightly on the pressure points above the eye (illustrated in diagram) for a few seconds. Repeat this step for under the eye as well. Repeat all these steps when you wake up and before going to bed.
Related articles
- Creams for Dark Circles Under the Eyes (healthyskinsolutions.com)
- Treating Dark Circles at Home (healthyskinsolutions.com)
- Dark Circles and Puffy Eyes
