Hey everyone! I get a lot of questions related to under eye issues like puffiness and dark circles, so I thought I would address the puffy issue since I have already covered dark circles. Here are some of the causes of under eye puffiness and how to treat them…Epic Beauty style. 😉
First, know that there are two types of puffiness. One is essentially water (fluid) – they are quite squishy and tend to fade or flatten out on their own as the day goes on. The other type are actually fatty deposits – they are hard and do not fade or flatten, and are usually a result of not treating under eye puffiness early on.
Unfortunately, the fatty type is harder to get rid of and there are only two solutions I know of: 1. face massage such as Tanaka, done daily and consistently to help remove fat from the area, and 2. cosmetic surgery. Of course, I recommend you try massage first. Wait at least 2–3 months to see any change, though the time varies from person to person.
If you have the watery type, keep reading.
{Common Causes of Puffy Eyes & Under Eye Bags}
- Lack of sleep or quality sleep
- Excessive sodium intake or sugar intake
- Stress and resulting adrenal fatigue
- Over consumption of alcohol and/or caffeine
- Hormonal changes or imbalance
- Changes in weather or temperature
- Sinus problems or allergies
- Water retention
- Medication side effects
Like all things in our lives, the above causes are interconnected. For instance, if you are stressed, your adrenals become less efficient, which can lead to hormonal imbalance, which can lead to water retention and…dun dun dun…puffy eyes (among other problems). Keep this in mind as you look to solve your puffy eye problem.
{Emergency Quick Fixes}
STEP 1. Upon waking, take 15–30 minutes to do some heart-pumping exercise. Try bodyweight circuits, yoga (go for faster paced styles like Ashtanga or “flow” yogas), bicycling, hiking, sprint/walk circuits, etc. Getting your blood moving will also move lymph and drain any excess fluids from your eyes and face. Plus, your skin will look lovely and glowing all over.
STEP 2. Wash your face with cold water or refrigerated toner pads (such as Arcona Triad Pads, my personal favorite). Follow the lymph drainage as you wash your face – it might be useful if you watch a Tanaka massage video to see what those paths are (it’s super simple).
STEP 3. Keep a jar of caffeinated tea (green tea works great) in the refrigerator – pour a little out onto thin cotton pads and place under your eyes for 3–5 minutes. Alternatively, you can use an eye ice pack, cold metal spoons, or two slices of refrigerated cucumber, which you can keep on your puffiness for 2–3 minutes. This will promote fluid drainage and also constrict blood vessels, which is great if you also get under-eye circles due to visible veins.
STEP 4. Gently apply a soothing, all natural eye cream (my favorite is Skin Apotheke Vitamin C cream) into the area using the Tanaka or Chizu Saeki techniques of eye massage (just so you do not damage the delicate tissue).
{Long-Term Solutions}
You can permanently reduce or eliminate puffy under eyes and bags by following a few suggestions I have laid out below.
SOLUTION 1. Get on a good diet consisting of whole, organic fruits and veggies, wild seafood, grass-fed and/or wild meats, and occasional nuts and seeds. Avoid soy, avoid all grains (especially wheat and corn) as much as possible, and if you eat rice, always go for brown. Diet alone has a positive effect on your ability to sleep well, handle stress, allow your organs to function efficiently, balance your hormones, reduce or eliminate allergies, and reduce or eliminate water retention. As you can see, diet is 80–90% of your well-being. Puffy eyes is only one problem, and you can eliminate that and all the other little issues you may have (poor sleep, acne, fatigue, moodiness, etc.) just by eating well. For more on the subject, check out the other articles on my blog, consider reading my clear skin guide book, and/or read The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf.
SOLUTION 2. Follow a good sleep routine. Staying up til 3 am is not cool or necessary – it doesn’t follow your body’s natural rhythms and does not allow for the proper rejuvenation and hormone regulation that normally occurs during sleep. The result is lack of quality sleep, puffy eyes, under eye circles, greater calorie requirement, whacky moods, and more. Act like a grandparent if you have to, and go to sleep as early as you can stomach it (try for 9 or 10 pm). If you need a lot of sleep, you may find that by implementing a great diet and going to sleep earlier that you will need less of it.
SOLUTION 3. Limit your sodium and sugar intake. This is right on par with Solution 1. If you follow the diet prescribed above (and in my articles and book) your salt and sugar intake is going to be “normal.” You will get all the salt and sugar you need from your whole foods, since sodium and simple carbohydrates exist naturally in all fruits, veggies, seafood, and meats. Adding iodized salt, Kosher salt, sea salt, rock salt, etc. is usually unnecessary and throws off your body’s natural sodium/potassium balance. Sugar in particular raises insulin levels unnaturally high, and prolonged exposure leads to insulin resistance, which is a precursor to diabetes and metabolic syndromes. If you have been overdosing on salt, consume potassium-rich foods (leafy greens like spinach and swiss chard, broccoli, cucumbers, yams, asparagus, melon, figs, plums/prunes) to help eliminate the extra fluid and restore balance.
SOLUTION 4. Work smart, not too hard, and take time to relax and chill out. Relaxing is our natural tendency (we often forget how to do it though), and you deserve it. We all work really hard – jobs, school, running around all day doing errands, dealing with family/friend drama, etc. Take a break. Go for a nice walk or hike in nature. Have a picnic. Sit outside and eat an apple. Lounge around by the beach. Read something enjoyable. Play a board game. Whatever you want that is soothing and recharging to you. You will find that having “me time” will help you manage your life easier, result in better and easier sleep, and will in turn contribute to the elimination of skin issues and puffy eyes.
SOLUTION 5. You will find that allergies will be lessened when you adopt a good diet. To further assist, take a quality probiotic (I take PureCaps PureProbiotic and PureCaps Saccharomyces boulardii) to help restore good intestinal flora, which in turn balances inflammatory/allergic responses. Many people with environmental and food allergies find that they go away entirely after getting on a proper allergen-free diet (often this means no wheat, no corn, no dairy, no soy) and start taking probiotics. Another bonus of course is that allergy-related skin issues like acne, dermatitis, eczema, puffy eyes/face, and under-eye circles often completely clear up as well.
SOLUTION 6. Avoid alcohol and caffeine. You don’t need it, and it often causes more harm than good. Using caffeinated tea topically under the eyes is fine. Drinking a cup or two or three of coffee or black tea every morning is not. Wean yourself off the caffeine if you want your adrenals to function properly (your adrenals are important for hormone balance and proper sleep, which also effects water retention and puffy eyes). Alcohol is dehydrating and disruptive to your body systems. Have a glass of wine occasionally if you feel like it, but as a general rule keep the alcohol to a minimum.
SOLUTION 7. Medication can cause a whole host of issues and this is a tough one if you know this is the cause of your puffy eyes. Through my research and experience, I feel that most diseases and imbalances can be fixed naturally with consistent diet, supplementation, and exercise. My suggestion is to look for natural methods of treatment specific to your medical condition, explore dietary options (one of the most balanced, strong, and scientific approaches I have found is a primal diet – I definitely recommend looking into it), and then stick to the plan. Tell your doctor what you’re up to and ask for their support. If they are not willing to work with you and want to keep you on prescription drugs despite your willingness to try natural methods, then I suggest finding a more flexible and integrative doctor.
I hope you guys find this helpful, and definitely leave a comment if you have any favorite tips or tricks for eliminating puffy eyes or puffy face.
~Steph x