Of all the signs of aging, under-eye bags have a tendency to be the most glaring. Some days we can feel like we’re walking around with a sign on our forehead that says, “I didn’t get enough sleep last night!” But even in all their puffy, dark-circled glory, you don’t have to just accept bags under your eyes as a given. When you understand how bags happen (lack of sleep is just one of many factors), you can arm yourself with the tools you need to send them packing!
Why do I have bags under my eyes?
According to the Mayo Clinic, aging is the number one factor that leads to bags under our eyes. Just like wrinkles and fine lines, we can pretty much expect bags to be a fact of life as we get older! With time, the tissues around our eyes get weaker. This opens the door for the fat that helps support our eyes to creep down into our lower lids. Other factors like fluid retention, lack of sleep, allergies and heredity can worsen the effect, giving us the trifecta of eye bags: loose skin, puffiness, and dark circles. But it’s not all bad! The first step toward getting rid of eye bags is understanding what causes them, and now that we’ve got that down, we can look at some simple remedies.
How do you get rid of bags under eyes?
Depending on the cause of your under-eye bags and which symptom (swelling, loose skin or dark circles), bothers you the most, there are plenty of simple lifestyle changes you can make to help lessen the look of eye bags. We also have some suggestions for products that you’ll definitely want in your corner in your battle against eye bags.
- Get more sleep.
You hear it all the time, but it especially holds true here: getting at least eight hours of sleep can work wonders for your complexion! Not getting enough sleep can make your skin appear dull and pale, which might make the dark tissues and blood vessels under your eyes appear even darker. To get into the habit of going to bed earlier, try setting an alarm for an hour before you’d like to be in bed. At that point, make the conscious choice to wind down. That means no more stressing about that big work presentation, no planning out tomorrow’s grocery list and no more electronics – pick up a good book or magazine instead!
- Elevate your head in bed.
The pooling of fluid below your eyes in a major culprit when it comes to puffiness. Try stacking two or more pillows to keep your head slightly elevated while you sleep. If this is uncomfortable for your neck, try using bed risers under the top of your bed to give your entire mattress a boost!
- Use a cold compress.
Just like an ice pack on a twisted ankle, applying something cold under the eyes can help to reduce swelling. It also helps to shrink dilated blood vessels, lessening their dark appearance. You can buy a refrigerated eye mask for this purpose or make a quick DIY version. Try running a clean washcloth under cold water, wrapping a few ice cubes in a clean cloth or keeping two teaspoons in the freezer at the ready. For a little extra antioxidant boost, use steeped and chilled green tea bags! You’ll only have to leave the cold compress on for a few minutes to see results.
- Add an eye cream to your routine.
Specially formulated eye creams and serums contain ingredients to help fight the loss of elasticity, puffiness, and dark circles in the delicate eye area. Our Eye Arise contains peptides and proteins that have an impact on collagen and elastin, helping to improve the skin’s firmness and promote maintenance of the lipid layer. Many users have also found that it reduces the appearance of under-eye circles and helps makeup go on more smoothly. We’ve also designed it with a cooling ceramic tip, so you can take care of your cold compress and eye serum in one simple step!
- Turn to the magic of makeup.
It’s great to have a makeup routine in your back pocket for those days when, despite your best efforts, your eye bags just won’t go away. In this case, the goal is to cover and distract! Start with an opaque concealer like our Complete Concealer. You might be tempted to go a shade lighter, but don’t – stick with the color that matches your skin tone to avoid highlighting the area. Using your ring finger, tap the concealer under your eyes in a triangular pattern, extending down from the middle of your eye. Follow that up with our Perfect Translucent Powder. Keep layering, concealer then powder, until the dark area disappears. After you’ve finished the rest of your makeup routine, grab your On the Rise Lash Curler to give your lashes a quick boost. Finish with a swipe of Perfect Mascara for a look that helps even the sleepiest eyes pop!
Have you found that lifestyle changes, products, or a combination of both works best for your under-eye bags? And hey – now that know how to best combat them, check out some other tips and tricks for letting those beautiful eyes shine!
Great suggestion on using Green Tea bags. First drink the tea, then chill the tea bags! Double the impact to reduce inflammation.
I bought a pack of small round gel bead bags (think nursing pad size). I freeze them then I take 2 and put on my eyes, cover w/ a weighted eye mask, set timer for 10 min. My eye bags are mostly hereditary but the cold effect helps and cools my tired eyes from hrs of computer screens. This has been fantastic for me.