Under eye puffiness plagues us all at one time or another. Did you know that the skin directly under our eyes is ten times thinner than the skin on the rest of our face? Therefore, if it appears swollen and puffy, it may be trying to tell us something. Water retention due to diet, allergies and even hereditary reasons may all play their role in the battle of puffy peepers! While medical intervention may be involved in alleviating the problem if it’s due to allergens or genetics, we can help ourselves in reducing under eye puffiness by various other methods.
Here are a few ideas for combatting under eye puffiness:
Cold Compress
There are quite a wide range of materials that provide puffy eye relief. Cucumber slices or raw potato slices, for instance, contain anti-oxidants and flavonoids. These aid in reducing swelling and irritation.
What to do: Apply cold to eyes for 30 minutes to feel the benefits. Caffeinated tea, such as green or black, contain tannins which aid in restricting blood vessels surrounding produces and stimulate blood circulation. Non-caffeinated teas contain anti-inflammatory properties. Chamomile tea in particular, is known to treat ailments throughout the body, as well as relieve tired, puffy eyes. Steep the bags you choose in hot water, cool them, then place over eyes for 15 to 30 minutes for rejuvenated eyes.
Diet
Salt creates water retention, not only with our eyes but throughout our body. This puffiness can be prevented by limiting our salt intake, drinking lots of water daily, limiting or eliminating alcohol and eating foods rich in collagen. Many fruits contain collagen such as cucumber and watermelon. These fruits are powerful re-hydrators as they have a high-water content and contain collagen-boosting silica. There are also vegetables and proteins that provide this important ingredient such as bell peppers and fish.
Sleep and Stress
A bad night’s sleep can lead to puffy eyes. And many times, a bad night’s sleep is due to stress that accumulates throughout our day and life. One of the best ways to combat stress is to exercise 3 to 5 times a week, or perhaps daily, like a 30 minute walk. Exercise helps produce endorphins which is our brain’s feel good chemical. When we feel good, our stress level lessens and you get more of a sense of calm, thus providing a better sleep and less puffy eyes.
As previously stated, medical intervention is always an option if you feel your puffy eyes just don’t respond favourably to any of these home remedies. Fortunately, by changing some habits and dietary issues, we should be able to help reduce the puff!
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Til next time,
Phyllis