Why Do I Get Bags Under My Eyes?
It’s a commonly accepted belief that dark, sagging bags under our eyes are an indication that we’re not getting enough sleep, but is this really all there is to it? Modern thinking indicates that there are other factors at play which are much more influential than our sleep pattern… take a look at the humble panda – he spends half of his day asleep and always has black circles around his eyes!
The first thing to be clear on is that puffiness around our eyes and dark bags are different things, and it’s the former for which old natural remedies such as cucumber slices can come in handy.
Why do bags develop?
More commonly than not, the theory that sagging bags show tiredness is a little bit off the mark with, sadly, much less avoidable issues contributing more to the problem.
The most common of these issues is simply the process of aging, or rather the more time you’re exposed to gravity… which, unless you take regular trips to the moon, probably coincides with your getting older.
As we get older, it’s no secret that most of us experience sagging, less appealing skin, and this is because our muscles weaken and the collagen which keeps our skin firm and stretchy loosens. A result of this is that the skin appears heavier and has less strength to fight against gravity pulling it down. Most of us picture this process to be happening around our stomach, but it is by no means limited to any one area and is a huge factor in why our eyes droop.
Unfortunately, there are very limited options available to us to remove the fat or prevent it occurring, and even fewer which don’t involve scalpels. Wrinkle filling injections and fat melting lasers are options which don’t involve going under the knife, but the cost of each can easily stretch into the thousands and for many of us this is out of reach for such a relatively insignificant problem.
What about puffiness?
Puffiness tends to have more varied and, fortunately, more easily aided causes. Commonly, puffiness can indicate too much salt in the diet which causes water retention and in turn puffiness. Allergies such as hay fever which cause us to rub our eyes regularly can also have an impact in causing enflamed peepers, as can a lack of iron from red meats or vitamin C from vegetables.
Of course, if you suffer from eye irritation it can be very difficult to restrain yourself from rubbing, so popping a couple of slices of cucumber over your lids can actually ease the swelling by cooling and restricting the blood vessels. Similarly, propping your head up a bit more when you sleep can help drain fluids which cause puffiness from the face.
Regardless of whether you’re faced with dark bags, puffiness or both, one overwhelming piece of advice from doctors is to eat well, exercise and live a generally healthy lifestyle. As we all know, nature is a very difficult foe to pit yourself against, but a few small changes now can help to prevent puffy peepers later on.
Rob blogs for leading online glasses retailer Direct Sight.
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