How to get rid of bags under the eyes

Anyone with small children knows exactly what bags under the eyes look like!

They are the scourge of many of us, and once they appear, they can seem impossible to get rid of, no matter how long that lie-in is.

Depending on your age and lifestyle, eye bags can look like anything from slight dark circles – or darkness under the eyes - to the kind of thing that gets a ‘heavy bag’ label at the airport.

They can appear as a result of a night on the town, an increase in age, or the appearance of a newborn baby in your life.

However they appear, they are all equally hard to get rid of.

So, what are the best ways to unpack those bags?!

What are eye bags?

What many of us know as ‘eye bags’ are actually the mild swelling or puffiness that appears under the eyes.

Not just the result of one late night, they actually occur as we age, due to the fact that the tissues around the eyes begin to weaken, and the normal fat that helps to support the eyes moves into the lower eyelids.

Combined with the fact that the muscles supporting your eyelids can also weaken, your eyes can then start to look puffy.

You may also find that fluid builds up beneath the eyes, adding to appearance of the ‘bags’.

There are a number of factors which can worsen the appearance of eye bags, including fluid retention after a salty meal, allergies and smoking.

You may also inherit them from your parents.

How do you reduce the appearance of puffy eyes?

So having identified your under eye puffiness, how do you best go about reducing the bags under your eyes?

Apply a cool compress

One easy way to reduce the appearance of bags or the eyes is with a cool compress.

This can be achieved by wetting a clean washcloth with cool water and gently applying it to the skin around your eyes for a few minutes.

Avoid too much salt

Puffiness under the eyes is often a result of fluid retention, so try to cut down on how much fluid you take on before bed.

Salt in your diet has a similar effect, so avoiding particularly salty food can help too.

Sleep on an extra pillow

Fluid can also accumulate when you are lying down, so if you notice that you wake up with more dark circles than when you went to bed, try sleeping with your head slightly raised by using an extra pillow or propping up the head of your mattress.

Stay hydrated

Even though water retention is a cause of eye bags, this does not mean that you should give up drinking!

Our body is made up of 60% water and if it starts to feel that enough water is not being put into it, then it starts to hang on to what it has got.¹

Keeping properly hydrated through the day reduces the appearance of bags under your eyes, and if you are not a fan of water, then try infusing it with fruit or cordial, or try a decaffeinated herbal tea.

Use skincare specifically formulated for your eyes

Using skincare that has been specifically designed for the eye area will help to tackle those dark circles.

The skin around the eye can be as much as 40% thinner and is very delicate and so it is easily damaged.²

That means that you need to choose what you put on it carefully as regular, thick moisturiser can build-up under the eyes and actually increase the puffiness.

Choosing the right product can depend on what your main concern is: retinol is fantastic at improving the appearance of those fine lines and wrinkles, whilst vitamin C can help to brighten the skin and lift pigmentation.

If you need hydration, opt for hyaluronic acid and ceramides have a moisturising effect.

You can also choose products containing caffeine to energise the eyes of vitamin E to soothe them.

If you biggest problem is the blue tinge that sometimes accompanies eye bags, then try looking for products which offer light-reflecting or colour correcting solutions to help disguise this.

Address the root cause of your eye bags

There are lots of ways to take on eye bags, but it can be difficult to eradicate them entirely.

Make sure you do not just look at what will ease them, but also what causes them, to ensure you are keeping your skin and body as healthy as possible.

You may like to discover 10 of the best ageless beauty products.

Once you get to grips with what causes under-eye bags and what you need to reduce them, you can start to travel light!

Shop Eye Creams

Last updated: 20 October 2020