Sometimes, even if you try to convince yourself that you're full of energy right after crawling out of bed, the evidence of a night spent tossing and turning is written all over your face. Whether the under-eye bags and harsher lines you may notice around the eyes are the result of poor sleep, environmental factors or normal visible aging, they're not without remedies.
By getting down to the root of what causes the look of dark circles and fine lines under the eyes, you can send visible under-eye bags packing.
What Causes the Look of Under-Eye Tiredness?
The area beneath the eye — where you typically notice eye bags — is actually part of the hollow of the eye socket. It's covered with nerves, muscles, fat and skin that support the eye. For this reason, pinning down the cause of your under-eye bags means considering a number of different factors that impact the eye anatomy in different ways.
- Genetics. If looking through family photos reveals generations of relatives with visible bags under their eyes or dark circles, you may have simply inherited a family trait.
- Water retention. If your body is retaining water due to a high-sodium diet or alcohol, the skin under the eyes might appear puffy.
- Poor sleep. Skin may appear pale or dull after getting a bad night's sleep or pulling an all-nighter, which can cause the look of dark circles.
- Age. As you get older, skin loses its essential support and can visibly sag. The skin also becomes thinner contributing to more visible dark circles. Visible changes in your face as you age can also exaggerate the appearance of eye puffiness and dark circles.
How to Reduce the Look of Under-Eye Bags
In order to reduce the appearance of fine lines, under-eye bags or dark circles, try one of these tactics:
- Get more sleep. Prioritizing sleep is often easier said than done, but it makes a real difference. If you want to wake up tomorrow with less visible puffiness or darkness under your eyes, hit 'exit' on the next episode of the show you are currently binging.
- Drink more water. It may seem counterintuitive, but one way to prevent your body from holding on to excess water is to guzzle more of it. Dehydration also can exacerbate the look of fine lines and wrinkles on your face.
- Keep it cool. Hold a cool washcloth or tea bags (black or green is best) on your under-eye area for 5 to 10 minutes for a quick visible decrease in puffiness. You could also use the backs of cold spoons over your puffy eyes after stowing them in the fridge overnight.
- Try an anti-aging product. Choose a targeted eye cream that reduces the look of fine lines and wrinkles while minimizing the appearance of dark circles. This can help hydrate skin and restore it to a younger-looking appearance.
As you finish your look for the day, keep dark circles in mind. Gently tapping products into the skin, layer your Rapid Firming Peptide Multi Action Eye Cream beneath a color corrector and concealer to further disguise the look of dark circles. Then, add a highlighter to the area under your brows to draw the eyes up and away from your under-eye area.
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