Thursday, September 11, 2008

How to Get Rid of Bags Under Eyes by Laura Brighton

Bags under the eyes is something nearly everyone has encountered at one time or another in life. There are many possible causes of bags or dark circles under your eyes. They can be caused by allergies, poor diet, sleep deprivation, heredity, vitamin-deficiency, disease or illness, sun overexposure, stress, cigarette-smoking, overuse, or age.

Here are some options for how to get rid of bags under eyes:

Get plenty of sleep. Something as simple as a short night of sleep can cause bags under your eyes. The average adult needs seven to nine hours of sleep each night, and if you’re continuously getting less than that, you may be battling with bags. Apply cool tea bags (or cucumber slices) to your eyes daily. The tea bags have tannin that can reduce swelling and discoloration, and cucumber slices have been used for a long time to reduce puffiness and make the skin around the eyes look refreshed. Lie down and put the tea bags or cucumbers over your eyes for about fifteen minutes. Be sure to keep your eyes closed. You can leave them in the refrigerator overnight to have them ready.

Watch what you eat. Bags under your eyes is just one side effect of a poorly-balanced diet. A deficiency in vitamin K or B12 can lead to bags under your eyes, so make sure you eat lots of fruits and vegetables, and consider taking a vitamin supplement. Sometimes too much salt can also create bags or dark circles under your eyes, so try reducing salt to improve the look of the skin. Make sure you drink lots of water, too!

Stop smoking. It’s well known that smoking is bad for your health, and bags under your eyes is just one problem that can arise from the habit, and stopping that habit is a good option for how to get rid of bags under eyes. Apply eye cream that contains retinol and vitamin K. The beauty industry has lots of products to answer the question of how to get rid of bags under eyes. Since bags can be caused by vitamin deficiencies, make sure the creams you use have retinol and vitamin K to care for the skin.

Avoid rubbing your eyes. Rubbing irritates the skin under your eyes and can lead to breaking tiny capillaries beneath the skin, which causes discoloration as well as puffiness. In this instance, eye drops or soothing creams are how to get rid of bags under eyes, not rubbing.

Take care of your skin while you sleep. Before you go to bed dampen a washcloth with cold water. Squeeze out the excess water and sleep with the washcloth over your eyes. Skin care is important, and probably the best solution for how to get rid of bags under eyes. Visit your doctor. Bags under your eyes could be caused by a vitamin deficiency, a disease or illness, or allergies, so talking to your doctor may be the best for how to get rid of bags under eyes. The doctor can help reveal the cause of the bags, making the solution much easier to find.

Take breaks! Just as lack of sleep can cause bags under the eyes, your eyes can get tired by overuse, and if overuse is the cause, rest is how to get rid of bags under eyes. Take breaks frequently when using your eyes at the computer or with intensive work. Stress is also a cause of eye bags, so taking breaks to relax and rest your eyes will allow you to rest and relax yourself, reducing stress, as well. Use sunscreen. Over exposure to the sun is one cause of bags under your eyes, and it’s an area of skin that gets overlooked when people apply sunscreen. Protecting the skin is an excellent option for how to get rid of bags under eyes. Be sure you treat the skin around your eyes as you would any other area of skin when dealing with sun exposure.

Apply concealing make-up. You can use yellow or flesh-toned cosmetics to camouflage the bags under your eyes. It’s true this solution is an option for how to reduce the look of bags under eyes instead of for how to get rid of bags under eyes, but it’s still an option. As you can see, how to get rid of bags under your eyes isn’t simply a quick fix. You have to learn the reason for the bags and treat your bags as a symptom of that reason. The bags can be eliminated, though, by trying the solutions above. Remember: bags belong at baggage claim, not under your eyes!

About the Author

Laura Brighton is a senior beauty writer and consultant and expert in how to get rid of bags under eyes.

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