Are your eyes sending the wrong message? Are they saying that you are tired — even though you are well-rested? Are they puffy and dark? If you’re battling undereye bags or dark circles, it’s not always a sign of a poor night’s rest. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to reverse the effects of droopy, sagging eyes.
What causes bags under the eyes?
As an adult, you’ve likely experienced the moment of waking up from a restless night of sleep and looking at your reflection in the mirror to discover you have bags under your eyes. As you get older, it seems like no amount of sleep can help alleviate the dark circles.
As you age, the tissues around your eyes weaken. This can even include the muscles supporting your eyelids. Sometimes, fat can move into the lower eyelids, causing the lids to appear puffy. Other times, fluid may accumulate in the space below your eyes, adding to any swelling. Whatever the cause, baggy eyes are normal and not usually an indication of any other health issues. Although natural, they can also be unsightly.
7 Tips to Get Rid of Bags Under Your Eyes
1. Try Eye Creams Containing Retinoids
Some eye creams contain a chemical compound called retinoids. This vitamin A derivative prompts the body to produce collagen, which improves skin thickness and quality. Over time, this can cause the skin under your eyes to thicken and improve support. This can reduce the appearance of dark circles under your eyes.
2. Get More Sleep
While lack of sleep isn’t always the cause of your baggy eyes, it doesn’t help. Even if you feel rested on six hours of sleep per night, you probably need closer to seven or eight hours per day. Get more sleep by unplugging from electronics and avoiding alcohol and caffeinated beverages two hours before bed.
3. Sleep on Your Back
The hours of sleep you get each night aren’t the only thing that can impact the freshness of your eyes. Sleeping face down or on your side can cause fluid to pool around your eyes and make them look puffy. Switch to sleeping on your back to keep the fluid away from your face.
4. Pigment Problems
Some people develop dark circles around their eyes because of changes in their skin’s pigment. Uneven pigmentation can be caused by overproduction of melanin, overexposure to the sun, and other factors. While some over-the-counter products can help reduce the effects, they are usually temporary. At Innovations Medical, we offer a chemical peel to help reduce uneven pigmentation.
5. Chill Out
An easy way to reduce puffiness is to apply cool compresses to your eyes. Cool your eyes with freshly sliced cucumber or cold, brewed tea bags. Leave on for 10 to 15 minutes. Cold spoons held under the eye for just a few minutes can also help reduce bags under the eyes. Regardless of what you use, the coolness helps to reduce under-eye inflammation by mitigating swelling.
6. Preparation H
Desperate times call for desperate measures. Preparation H helps reduce the bags under your eyes by causing blood vessels to constrict, making them less puffy. Although this unconventional method yields longer-lasting results than cucumbers, tea bags, or cold spoons, it may irritate the eyes of some individuals. As such, you should consult with your doctor before trying this method.
7. Skin Rejuvenation Treatments
While other solutions may temporarily refresh your eyes, skin rejuvenation treatments offer long-term results. At Innovations Medical, we offer Fraxel Restore and Dual Treatments to remove old, damaged skin cells that can cause uneven pigmentation and dark circles and replace them with healthy cells. Our resurfacing lasers penetrate deeply into the skin — allowing for more collage production — and they specifically target aging and sun-damaged skin.
Contact Innovations Medical for Skin Rejuvenation
If you’re looking to freshen up your eyes, Innovations Medical is here for you. Our skilled professionals help you decide which treatment is best for you – keeping you informed and confident in the next steps. We’ve been helping our patients look and feel their best since 2005, and even our most advanced procedures are often minimally invasive.
To find out if skin rejuvenation is right for you, and to learn how Innovations Medical can improve your life, call us at (214) 643-8665 or schedule an appointment.