The skin around the eyes is about ten times thinner than the rest of your face as there is much lesser amount of fat stored under this area of your skin. This is why ageing usually starts and becomes more visible around the eye area. A thickening of the skin around the eyes may be caused by increase in fat beneath the surface of the skin which, in turn, results to eye puffiness and dark circles.
What causes ordinary puffy eyes and dark circles under the eyes?
Eye puffiness and dark circles may be caused by several reasons. The slightest change in your lifestyle and sleeping habits can cause eye puffiness and dark circles to form immediately. Smoking, excessive intake of alcohol and salt, lack of sleep and oversleeping, lack of physical activity, allergies, and stress can all result to the formation of puffy eyes and dark circles. An unhealthy lifestyle is usually the primary cause of puffy eyes and dark circles.
Dehydration due to excessive consumption of alcohol can cause eye bags to form, so does having excessive amount of salt which, on the contrary, results to fluid retention around your eyes.
Smoking, dust, and pollens, particularly when you have allergies, can cause your eyes to become swollen. Your eyes are very sensitive and must not be exposed to allergens as much as possible, most especially if you have an overly reactive skin.
Any disruption in your sleeping pattern can also cause skin around your eyes to bulge. Oversleeping and lack of sleep both affect fluid retention in your eye area. If you sleep on your side, this may cause puffy eyes to develop around one or both eyes. These are the reasons why your eyes seem to be puffier the first time you check yourself in the mirror when you get up from bed in the morning. Your sleeping position also affects proper blood and fluid retention around your eyes.
Stress is also a major cause of eye puffiness and dark circles. When you are stressed, you tend to take your meals irregularly and eat less healthy foods while your body retains more of the bad stuff in the food you eat. Chronic stress also disrupts your blood circulation and prevents you from getting a relaxing and sufficient amount of sleep.
What can be done about puffy eyes and dark circles?
The first but perhaps the most difficult eye bag buster you can try is to change your lifestyle and lead a better, healthier one. Quit smoking, avoid drinking too much alcohol or don’t drink at all, watch what you eat and lessen the salt in your diet, and exercise regularly.
There are many remedies you can try at home to get rid of puffy eyes and dark circles for instance, get sufficient amount of a deep, relaxing sleep. If you constantly have a hard time getting well rested, try to identify things that are therapeutic to you like listening to soft music or getting a nice, warm bath before bedtime to help you relax. Performing aerobic exercises later in the day will almost guarantee that you will have a good night’s sleep. Try elevating your head higher to avoid fluids from building up around your eyes.
Take on a more positive attitude for a change. Stop stressing yourself over matters that you cannot really influence or do not have control over. Smile more often and worry less.
When do puffy eyes mean you have a medical condition?
In some cases, an unhealthy lifestyle may not be the cause of puffy eyes and dark circles. These may be signs of sickness or other more serious medical conditions.
The onset of flu will most likely cause you to have puffy eyes and dark circles. Other causes may be a skin or an eye infection, including on your tear glands.
Fluids and blood leaking from capillaries around your eyes may also be causing your eyes to be puffy and dark. One of the causes could be high blood pressure and other heart diseases which affects proper blood circulation. Persistent eye puffiness and dark circles may also be a sign of other blood-related diseases like Anemia.
If you do not usually get puffy eyes and you hardly notice skin around your eyes to be dark, it may be wise to see your doctor if you suddenly develop these signs. If you’ve had puffy eyes and dark circles for a while, it may be worth having them checked by your doctor too.