Eliminate Eye Bags
By Jessica, January 25, 2012
Dark circles under the eyes are a common beauty complaint. Sometimes puffing up after a sleep-deprived weekend, sometimes for no apparent reason, the causes of eye bags are many and varied. The key to treating them is determining your personal trigger.
What Are Eye Bags?
Darkness under the eyes is believed to be the result of weakened blood vessels. Broken or damaged capillaries create a shadowed appearance beneath the skin, and with skin around the eyes being thinner than in other parts of the face, it is far more noticeable in this area.
There isn’t much that can be done about thinness of skin around the eyes – this is determined by genes and worsens with age – and those with particularly thin skin may find that they are more susceptible to dark circles. There are, however, a few small changes you can make to your diet and lifestyle to strengthen capillaries, while some treatments can improve the appearance of the skin.
Broken blood vessels can be caused by stress, sleep deprivation, fluid retention, dehydration and dietary deficiencies to name just a few culprits. Allergies can also play a part – excessive rubbing of itchy irritated eyes can break capillaries near the surface of the skin.
Treatments
The age-old trick of placing cold teaspoons (or anything cold really: cucumbers, teabags, sliced potato) on the eyes can definitely help ease puffiness and swelling, but unfortunately won’t do anything for shadows. If you think that allergies may be the guilty party where your dark circles are concerned, try some of our natural hay fever solutions.
Skincare
Try adding a cooling eye cream or gel to your skincare regime to reduce swelling. Certain vitamins and minerals are believed to help combat eye bags, so try applying them topically as well as including them in your diet. Look out for eye products containing Vitamin K, or try one that contains retinol such as Dermalogica Age Reversal Eye Complex.
Diet
If pinning your hopes on miraculous eye creams and concealers hasn’t worked, then maybe you need to try treating the problem from the inside out. Vitamin K has been linked with improving the appearance of dark circles so include plenty of green leafy vegetables such as spinach, cabbage and broccoli in your diet. Lastly, salt intake should be reduced to minimise water retention.
What to Avoid
- Rubbing your eyes – it can contribute to broken and damaged capillaries.
- Smoking – it’s thought to affect blood vessels and contribute to dark circles.
- UV exposure – it can cause pigmentation of the skin in this area, causing it to darken.
