Natural Cures for Puffy Eyes

Got puffy eyes? At one time or another, we may have puffy eyes—not the best beauty statement but sometimes, life gives us aggravations, and puffy eyes is one of them. What causes the skin to puff up under the eyes? For one, it’s comes with age—the tissues around your eyes including the muscles supporting the eyelids weaken and gravitate downwards, thanks to gravity. Fluid retention due to various reasons (will discuss that later) accumulate in the spaces below your eyes, causing the eyes to look swollen. Puffy eyes can make you look raccoon-like and tired but unless puffy eyes stem from some medical conditions, they can be taken care of naturally. According to Mayo clinic, several factors can contribute to puffy eyes:

• Fluid retention due to changes in weather (hot, humid weather tends to puff the sensitive skin under your eyes), hormone levels or eating too much salty foods
• Not getting enough beauty sleep
• Sleeping flat on your bed
• Allergies or dermatitis, especially if your eyes are red and itchy
• Heredity.

Other factors include stress, too much alcohol consumption and certain medical conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and hypothyroidism. If your eyes are persistently puffy, it is best to consult a doctor to determine the underlying causes.

If your eyes are puffy from time to time and not the result of medical conditions, here are some effective ways to say goodbye to puffy eyes:

Prevention

A stitch in time saves nine—the colloquial equivalent of preventive measures to avoid the ugly inevitable—applies well to puffy eyes. Simple preventive measures are within your power and can definitely help to prevent unsightly puffy eyes that are so prevalent in the morning. You don’t even have to bat an eyelid, they are so simple, you can easily carry them out. Check this list:

• Get your beauty sleep (you may be able to survive on less than 8 hours of sleep, but your eyes will not reflect that kindly).
• Drink plenty of water to flush out toxins and sodium.
• Reduce stress, both emotional and physical
• Do not wear contact lenses to sleep unless they are specifically designed for nighttime use.
• Avoid too much alcohol and salt

Tea Bags

Tea is touted as the healing drink of modern times—its high levels of catechins (antioxidants) are reputable for reducing risks of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, promoting good breath, good skin and now…..one more accolade. It can reduce puffy eyes as well. Is it bogus? According to Mayo clinic, one of the best ways to get rid of visual fatigue and puffy eyes is to use tea bags. Tea bags contain rich amounts of tannin (chemicals that give tea its color), which can soothe tired eyes and reduce puffiness. Simply steep two tea bags in warm water and placed over eyes for 20 minutes.

Witch Hazel and Rose Water Eye Press

Ladies who are leery of harsh chemicals often use witch hazel and rose water to tone their skin and to reduce size of pores. If you have these at home (if not, why not buy some?), soak cotton or wool pads in these astringents and leave pads on the eyes for 15 to 20 minutes.

If you’re asking, what’s the deal with these two? Witch hazel (the bark especially) has tannic and gallic acids that have antiphlogisitc actions (works against inflammation and fever). This includes reducing swelling. If you like the uplifting smell of roses, rose water is a natural cooling and aromatic astringent that contains both antiseptic and antibacterial properties. Relax and allow this cooling and aromatic astringent to soothe your eyes.

Hot Water and Salt Eye Press

Most of us have salt in our kitchen cabinet, so this is an easy fix. Just mix half a pint of hot (hot, but not scalding hot) with one teaspoon of salt. Mix thoroughly and soak cotton or wool pads in the hot saline solution. Place on closed eyes until it cools off. Squeeze out water and repeat process.

Cold Eye Cream or Moisturizer

Puffy eyes staring at you first thing in the morning can get you down. If you’re always on the run, simply store your eye cream or moisturizer in the refrigerator. Apply chilled eye cream/moisturizer around your eyes and while you’re at it, gently tap the area around the eyes to drain away excess fluid that tends to accumulate under your eyes while you sleep.

Eye Massages

You don’t need a masseuse to do these massages. Simply use your middle finger to press the bone of the eye socket gently. Slide your finger in a circular motion from the area just below the brow and move it downwards to the bone of the eye socket in circular motion. It relaxes your eye muscles.

Another simple one is to use your middle finger and gently massage around the eyes, starting from the ocular bone inwards towards the ridge of your nose up to under the brow and back to the area around the ocular bone. See video for demonstration.

Of course, there are more ways out there, but these are simple and easy to do. And if you just don’t have to time to fix your puffy eyes, how about just a splash of cold water on your face? According to aesthetic dermatologist, Dr. Veronique Simon, it may just be the best solution yet. She says, “Most of us suffer from hydric retention around the eyes after a night’s sleep. It’s the lymphatic system that causes these problems: it clears toxins from the body but can be sluggish after sleep, especially if you’re tired.” So drench your face with a blast of cold to wake up the lymphatic system and you’ll be on your way.

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