We’ve all experienced the horror as you look in the mirror in the morning and realize that you look like you’ve gone twelve-rounds with a prime Mike Tyson. Your eyes are dark, puffy and you’ve got huge bags under your eyes.
Bags under your eyes are essentially an abnormal protrusion of the fat that surrounds your eyes. When these fat pads become swollen they will stretch the skin, causing it to bulge, this gives you the classic bags under your eyes look.
Whereas dark lines under your eyes are generally caused by swollen blood vessels that prevent them from draining as efficiently. The skin under your eyes is very thin and therefore its easy to see the vessels below. These dark circles can be made far worse by eating too much salt, having allergies or not sleeping enough.
Cut down on the salt
Put the salt away! A large amount of your body is composed of water and water will always move to areas where sodium is in high concentration. Below your eyes is an obvious area and eating too much salt with lead to you have bags under your eyes the next morning.
Care for your allergies
If you have allergies then you need to make sure that you’re taking over-the-counter anti-allergy medicines to prevent swelling of the eye area that can leave you with puffy eyes.
Swap that beer for a water
A lot of us are sensitive to alcohol and our body will react by becoming inflamed. This can cause puffy eyes the next morning and alcohol also dilates your blood vessels, this will make your dark circles look even worse.
Instead, swap out that beer for some water. This will keep your skin hydrated, reduce inflammation and it’s important for your entire body to operate efficiently.
Protect the skin around your eyes
If you’re not using sunscreen then you need to start ASAP . Even if it’s not sunny outside, the large amount of UV rays still reach you and impact your skin, even if you don’t get a tan. The skin around your eyes is very sensitive and not protecting them is a sure way to see worsening bags and dark circles as you age.
Use a cold-compress
Have you ever seen American Psycho? Patrick Bateman has a rigorous morning routine that often involves a cold-compress when his eyes are looking puffy. This cold helps to reduce inflammation in the blood vessels and encourages the bags to reduce.
Get your beauty sleep
The phrase ‘beauty sleep’ isn’t just a cute name, if you want to look your best then it’s crucial that you’re getting a full eight-hours of sleep. Like many men, I don’t need a full eight-hours to feel rested and energized for the next day, but I’ve noticed that I still look tired the next day even if I don’t feel it.
Use a quality eye cream
If you’re still experiencing dark circles and bags then you should consider investing in a quality eye cream or gel that will help to reduce the appearance of dark lines and make the underlying blood vessels smaller.
Quit smoking
Smoking is a quick way to tire out your skin. Smoking cigarettes will cause your skin to become dry, wrinkled and aged quicker. The carcinogens in a cigarette will damage your skin. The nicotine tightens your blood vessels, reducing the flow of nutrients and oxygen to the skin, causing it to sink and age prematurely.
