Eye bags can be the bane of many of our lives. No matter how you feel on the inside, if your eyes look tired it can affect your self confidence. They can be caused by a lot of things including dehydration, smoking, allergies or lack of sleep and while they’re often temporary, they can become permanent over time. These permanent eye bags are often known as ‘tear troughs’ and as we move into later life can be one of the most significant that make us feel ‘old’, even if our mindset is still youthful.

So what is the solution combatting to them? Behind making lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking, drinking more water or getting more sleep, there are a few other remedies that you can try. This post looks at some of the easiest and more permanent methods.

*Cold cucumber placed on the eyes for 20 mins can significantly help to reduce puffiness.*

Use a cool compress

Eye bags are partially caused by inflammation. Cooling the area can reduce blood flow and ease inflammation. A simple way to do this is to hold something cold against your eyes such as an ice pack or frozen bags of vegetables, cucumber has long been a favourite of this method. This is known as a ‘cold compress’ and can be an effective way of reducing puffy eyes. Alternatively, if you’re serious about fighting eye bags, you can try a cooling eye mask.

*Teabags contain caffeine which can help to reduce water retention.*

Try teabags

Did you know that you can reduce eye bags with tea bags? Much of the puffiness we experience when we have eye bags is caused by fluid retention. Caffeine is known to help reduce fluid retention when applied directly to swollen areas. Teabags are full of caffeine, and therefore make a good solution. After you’ve made some tea, consider placing the used teabags in the fridge for 30 minutes. You’ll need two used tea bags - once chilled, place one over each eye for 10 to 30 minutes. Afterwards you should notice that the puffiness has greatly subsided.

Use caffeine eye cream

If this tea bag treatment sounds a bit time-consuming/wacky, there is another simpler way to treat your eye bags with caffeine - which is to apply a caffeine eye cream. This cream comes in tubes and can be rubbed beneath the eye. You can then go about your day while the caffeine soaks in and works its magic. Bye bye bags under the eyes!

*Hydrating concealers provide coverage and hydration.*

Conceal them with makeup

Temporary and permanent eye bags may be possible to conceal using makeup. A caffeine eye cream is worth applying first to remove some of the initial puffiness. From here, you can then use a concealer to reduce any dark circles. Hydrating concealers are some of the best options as they won’t just help cover up your eye bags, but will also help to actively hydrate them and treat them. We personally recommend No. 7 Instant Radiance Under Eye Concealer, £16.95. Try to avoid very dry makeup and overuse of foundation, as this may make eye bags worse.

*A blepharoplasty procedure can help to remove excess skin and reduce your eye bags.*

Consider cosmetic treatment

Finally, consistently getting bags under your eyes can cause them to become permanent and as we age they are much harder to correct or prevent. When this happens, you may want to consider a more lasting solution and so cosmetic surgery may be the way to go. A cosmetic surgeon will be able to carry out a blepharoplasty to remove excess skin and reduce your eye bags. Whilst this is a huge commitment financially and mentally, the results can help people to feel more confident in their own skin and as some say, “match their outward appearance to the way they feel inside.“ It’s important to find a surgeon that you trust before carrying out this procedure and so research and consultations are an absolute must to make sure you feel 100% confident before going ahead with the treatment, some women prefer to use a female plastic surgeon,. Make sure to compare pricing of different surgeons and compare before and after pictures and patient reviews before making your final decision.

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