There are several signs of aging and let’s be honest that we don’t like most of them. Yes, some of them do make us look mature and we like to carry it with pride, but who likes bags under the eyes? Here, we will tell you how to get rid of bags under your eyes just if you were struggling with it. These are beyond eye creams you’d happily spend hundreds of dollars for. These include a variety of treatment that you can try at home or as per your doctor’s suggestion for treatment.
As you age, the tissues under your eyes and muscles supporting the eyelids become weak. Normal fat that helps to support the eyes can move into lower eyelids and make them puffy. You might find fluid accumulate in that space that triggers swelling.
Having bags under eyes is a cosmetic problem and not usually a sign of a medical condition. There are many home remedies that answer how to get rid of bags under eyes. These include cold compress, using tea bags, and more. However, if you find the eye problem bothersome you might need eyelid surgery. We recommend you to visit a doctor once to be sure of what you’re facing. If it’s not serious, you can stick to the treatment he suggests or DIY simple home remedies.
Table of Contents
Causes of bags under eyes
Skin sagging is a common aging phenomenon that confines fat in the area around the orbit of the eye and can move into the area below the eyes too. The space below the eyes might accumulate fluid and make the under-eye region swollen. There can be other causes apart from aging and they are:
- Fluid retention after waking up or after eating a salty meal
- Not have enough sleep
- Allergies
- Heredity issues
- Smoking
If you have heredity issues or allergies, you must see a doctor. You need to sleep enough and cut down on bad habits otherwise. If the problem is aging, you can’t do much about it. But home remedies answer how to get rid of bags under your eyes for all these cases.
Symptoms of bags under eyes
Under-eye bags include symptoms include:
- Loose skin or sagging
- Dark circles
- Mild swelling
When to consult a doctor?
Since bags under the eyes are usually not harmful, you can resort to home remedies. If you don’t have the time, you can try out clinical treatments and visit a dermatologist for that. But if you find your problem persistent, itchy, painful or red, you need to visit a doctor. He/she will rule out the problem you’re facing and it can be anything from an allergy to thyroid symptom. Your GP might recommend you to a doctor who specializes in ophthalmology or an oculoplastic surgeon if you need surgery/plastic surgery.
Medical treatments to cure under-eye bags
Here, we list the possible medical treatments you might need to cure to get rid of bags under your eyes:
1. Medicines
Your doctor can prescribe you medicines that treat allergies. You will need medical attention and treatment if this is the problem you’re facing. The doctor might give you ointments along with consumable pills.
2. Therapy
There are several treatments for wrinkles and puffiness under the eyes. These include chemical peels, laser resurfacing, fillers, and tightening skin. You need ways to rejuvenate eye bags and these are some of the therapies that can help you with that.
3. Eyelid surgery
If you are worried about your appearance, you can make a quick transformation with surgical treatment. One such treatment is blepharoplasty. Note that it might not be covered under medical insurance as it is cosmetic treatment that enhances your appearance.
Considering what has caused bags under your eyes, you might need blepharoplasty. It is a surgery that removes excess fat from the eyelids through an incision. The expert them re-joins the skin with dissolving stitches.
Apart from removing bags under eyes, Blepharoplasty helps repair:
- Baggy eyelids
- Extra skin of your upper eyelid that disrupts vision
- Droopy eyelids that might cause a white appearance below your iris
- Extra skin on lower eyelids
You must discuss the side effects of eyelid surgery with your doctor. These can be watery eyes, drying, pain, bruising, swelling, and blurred vision. Although complications are rare it can be as serious as visual loss, infection, bleeding, corneal abrasion, injury to eye muscles, and dropping eyelids.
How to get rid of bags under your eyes
It is time you have all the home remedies on how to get rid of bags under your eyes. These will gradually give you positive results and all you need is consistency:
1. Use tea bags
Don’t just sip your favorite tea, learn more ways to use them! Do you know by keeping caffeinated tea bags under eyes, you can fight under-eye bags and dark circles? Yes, this is exactly how to get rid of bags under your eyes with tea bags!
Caffeine content in tea includes powerful antioxidants that improve blood flow to the skin. It also protects against harmful UV rays and fights aging signs. You need green tea bags for this remedy as it has anti-inflammatory effects and works best for this condition.
How to use?
- Steep two tea bags of green tea in lukewarm water for 5 minutes
- Take the tea bags out and let it cool down
- Let it refrigerate for half an hour
- Take out the tea bags and squeeze out the extra liquid
- Lie down and place the tea bags over your eyes targeting the under eyes
- Let it sit for half an hour
- Repeat every alternative day and get positive results
2. Cold compress
You don’t need to buy expensive creams when you can apply a cold compress. It is an easy home remedy that you can do right now. When you apply a cold compress, you help the blood vessels constrict and it gives you temporary relief.
DIY options for cold compress include:
- Chilled spoon
- Washcloth drenched in cold water
- Bag of frozen vegetables
- Cool cucumber
- Ice pack that isn’t sensitive for facial skin or eye zone
Before you apply it on the affected area, wrap the compress with soft cloth and protect the skin from getting frosty. The results will show in a few minutes. Repeat the remedy once every day or keep your face cool and also because it helps get rid of bags under eyes.
3. Drink enough water
60% of our body weight includes water so if you don’t have enough hydration you can have bags under eyes. You must increase your water intake to make your under-eye zone look clear again.
If you don’t know how much water you should drink, hear from the experts. According to experts, men must drink 13 cups of water and women must drink 9 cups of water.
You might not want to keep drinking bottles of water every day. The good news is in the form of liquid also counts so you can add juices, sparkling water, water infused fruits, or flavored water. Drinking cold or hot herbal tea that doesn’t include caffeine also works in this case.
4. Sunscreen
Even if you don’t use retinol or skin lightening creams and take resort to home remedies only, we suggest you apply sunscreen every day. It is a skin necessity to keep away from conditions like premature aging, discoloration, and even skin cancer. Sunscreens, along with other home remedies, is the answer to how to get rid of bags under your eyes.
The American Academy of Dermatology recommends everyone to wear sunscreen to protect skin from UVA and UVB rays. You need a sunscreen that is higher than SPF 30 and is water-resistant to make it really work. You must reapply if needed or as directed on the package. Also, try and avoid direct sunlight by:
- Wearing protective clothing
- Avoiding tanning bed
- Sitting under the shade
5. Stay elevated while sleeping
This is a remedy that you can try every day in order to keep under eye bags at bay. You need to elevate your head with two pillows when you sleep. Using more than one pillow does the trick, but you shouldn’t hurt your neck. So, consider buying a wedge pillow to avoid this.
How does this work?
When you elevate your head, it prevents pooling of fluid in the lower eyelids and puffiness when you sleep. If propping the head hurts the neck, it will prevent sleep. You can consider elevating the top end of the bed a few inches to avoid this. Adding bricks under the bedposts or buying bed risers can also work.
6. Get eight hours of sleep
How you sleep won’t matter if how much you sleep isn’t in order. Limited sleep might not be directly related to under eye bags but they do relate to dark circles. They make your complexion pale and dull. Extreme insomnia can lead to swelling and make the eye bags heavy.
Adults need at least 7-8 hours of sleep every night. Try the following tricks if you don’t get enough sleep:
- Create a sleeping schedule regular wake-time and bedtime routines.
- Don’t drink beverages with high caffeine especially 6 hours before bedtime
- Don’t drink alcohol around bedtime
- Have the last meal 2-3 hours before bedtime
- Turn off your digital screens and other electronic devices to ensure no distraction or to not break sleep
7. Eat collagen-rich food
When you grow older, the tissues and muscles that support the eyelids become weaker. The skin starts to sag and include the fat around the eyes.
When you have food that includes vitamin C, it helps your body absorb hyaluronic acid. It is an essential acid that our body naturally produces. As we age, the level of natural production reduces and we need food to add it externally.
You need amino acids and vitamin C to boost natural collagen production for healthier skin. These include oranges, kale, red pepper, broccoli, brussels sprouts, strawberries, and more.
8. Have food rich in iron
One simple way to answer how to get rid of bags under your eyes is by adding lots of iron in your food. Iron deficiency leads to anemia and is a condition where your blood lacks red blood cells. They are responsible to carry oxygen to tissues all through your body. When you don’t have enough iron, it leads to dark circles under eyes and makes the skin pale. These symptoms include fatigue, brittle nails, and cold palms and feet.
If you suspect any of these, you could be anemic. You need to visit your doctor who will ask you for a blood test. He might give you iron supplements to get your body back in order. If the case is mild, you must increase dietary intake.
Iron-rich food includes:
- Seafood
- Red meat
- Poultry
- Beans
- Leafy greens
- Kale
- Spinach
- Raisins
- Apricots
- Dried fruits
- Peas
- Cereals
- Pasta
9. Reduce alcohol intake
Cut down on alcohol to see positive effects on your body and sleep routine. When you stop drinking alcohol and drink more water, your body gets hydration. Like caffeinated drinks, drinking alcohol also promotes dehydration. You can have both under eye bags and dark circles due to this. Try to shift to flavored sparkling water and have water infused with fruits to up your hydration level.
10. Stop smoking
Smoking depletes vitamin C is responsible for healthy collagen in the skin. If you smoke, you might deal with wrinkles, under-eye bags, discoloration, and dark circles. When you stop smoking, it helps you improve your health in an overall. You don’t just add years to life but also get rid of stained teeth, reduce chances of diabetes, cancer, and health issues.
Final thoughts
You might want a doctor to answer how to get rid of bags under your eyes for expert suggestions. People who have extreme condition need to visit a doctor anyway. These conditions include:
- When swelling is long-lasting and severe
- Swelling is joined by pain, itchiness or redness
- When it affects other body parts
Your doctor might give you some long-term solutions like creams or treatments. It can be laser therapy, chemical peel, injectable filler, and more. These treatments might need to be repeated and you need to abide by what the doctor says.
