Under-eye bags can make you feel like you’ve aged prematurely. Those persistent puffy areas beneath the eyes often appear after a sleepless night, but for many, they don’t go away even after catching up on rest. Surgery might be recommended as a solution, but some eye care professionals offer non-surgical alternatives.
While surgery is an option for some, it might not be the right choice for everyone. By using a combination of lifestyle changes, skin care, and non-surgical aesthetics treatments, you can reduce under-eye bags so you can look and feel your best!
What Causes Under-Eye Bags?
Before deciding how to treat them, it’s essential to understand what’s behind your under-eye bags. Common causes include:
- Aging: With age, the skin loses elasticity while fat deposits shift, creating a puffy appearance.
- Fluid retention: Consuming salty foods, drinking alcohol, or hormonal changes may cause fluid to collect beneath your eyes.
- Genetics: If your parents have under-eye bags, there’s a good chance you might develop them as well.
- Allergies or sinus issues: Swelling around the eyes is common with allergies or sinus congestion.
- Fatigue or stress: Lack of sleep and prolonged stress exacerbate puffiness and discoloration.
The right solution depends on the root cause of your under-eye bags, but don’t worry—there are plenty of effective options to explore.
Lifestyle Changes to Reduce Under-Eye Bags
Sometimes, small changes to your daily habits can reduce the appearance of under-eye bags significantly. Here are some easy, at-home solutions:
Prioritize Quality Sleep
A consistent sleep schedule of 7-9 hours per night can work wonders for your overall appearance. Elevate your head slightly while sleeping to prevent fluid buildup around the eyes.
On top of that, sleeping on your side or using pillowcases made out of rough materials can irritate your skin. To avoid negative effects on your skin, try sleeping on your back or switch to a silk pillowcase.
Hydrate and Cut Back on Salt
If your under-eye bags are caused by fluid retention, hydration can help make them look less pronounced. Drinking plenty of water flushes excess salt from your system, reducing fluid retention. Limit overly salty snacks like chips and processed meals to keep puffiness in check.
Both alcohol and caffeine can dehydrate your body, worsening eye puffiness. Reduce your intake and balance these drinks with plenty of water, and you may see some improvements in your under-eye bags.
Use a Cold Compress
Cold compresses can be a quick and inexpensive way to temporarily reduce under-eye bags. Cold compresses help constrict blood vessels and reduce swelling. Apply a chilled metal spoon, cucumber slice, or cold gel eye mask for 10 minutes.
Doing a cold compress once won’t make your under-eye bags disappear permanently, but it can be a solution to help reduce your under-eye bags while you implement other treatment options.
Skincare Tips for Brighter, Firmer Eyes
While lifestyle changes are vital, a targeted skincare routine can further reduce under-eye bags. These tips will help brighten and firm the skin around your eyes.
Invest in High-Quality Eye Creams
Look for eye creams with these key ingredients:
- Caffeine: Helps constrict blood vessels to reduce puffiness.
- Peptides: Boost collagen production, which tightens and firms the skin.
- Hyaluronic acid: Hydrates the delicate under-eye area, plumping away fine lines.
The skin under your eyes is sensitive. Being too rough while applying eye cream could cause redness and irritation. Make sure to gently pat eye cream on the under-eyes with a single finger and avoid rubbing your under-eyes.
Use Daily Sun Protection
UV rays accelerate skin aging, which worsens under-eye bags over time. Use a broad-spectrum SPF of 30 or higher daily to protect this fragile area. Make sure to choose a sunscreen made to be used on your face to avoid breakouts and sunscreen in your eyes during the day.
Massage Away Puffiness
Performing light, circular massages around the eyes can promote lymphatic drainage and reduce puffiness. Apply a lightweight serum and use your fingertips or a jade roller for best results.
Non-Surgical Treatments for Under-Eye Bags
If lifestyle changes and skincare tweaks aren’t doing enough to reduce your under-eye bags, you can try aesthetic treatments. There are many different treatments available to rejuvenate skin and reduce under-eye bags.
Intense Pulsed Light Therapy
Intense pulsed light therapy (IPL) is a treatment that is used for a variety of conditions. It can be used to alleviate dry eye symptoms or reduce fine lines and wrinkles, and it can be used to reduce under-eye bags.
IPL works by using multiple light wavelengths to remove discolouration from the skin. IPL treatment can be used to help reduce under-eye bags and increase elasticity in your skin.
Radiofrequency
Radiofrequency (RF) treatments work by applying radio waves to deliver overall tightening and toning of the skin above, around and under the eyes without the need for surgery.
It uses radiofrequency energy to melt the fat deposits under the eyes and stimulate collagen production. This helps improve the skin’s tone and texture under the eye, producing results that are comparable to a surgical eye lift.
Platelet-Rich Plasma Treatments
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatments involve injecting plasma into the body to promote rejuvenation in the body. It can be used to treat injuries in tendons and ligaments, but can also make a big difference for your skin.
PRP can enhance blood flow into the under-eyes, promoting collagen production, and leading to the reduction in dark under-eye circles.
Botox
While botox can’t do much to change the color of your under-eyes, it can be used to help fill out large under-eye bags. By reducing the size of under-eye bags, they may look less pronounced. Using botox and other treatments to lighten your under-eye can be a great way to reduce under-eye bags.
Finding the Right Treatments for You
At the end of the day, the right under-eye treatment for you is customized to your needs. No treatment is one size fits all, and the treatments you choose to use should be based on the causes of your under-eye bags and your lifestyle.
At Eyes on Plainsville, we offer several aesthetic treatments for your under-eye bags. We want to help you feel confident in your skin. To learn more about our under-eye treatments, you can book an appointment with us today!
